The Risen Christ at Work In This Octave of Easter

We're likely back at work during this Octave of Easter. Let's see if we can keep the Risen Christ close to us.

First, we recall that the Easter Octave, a mainstay in the traditional Liturgical Calendar, remains in the newfangled. It's the most glorious Octave. 

As with all Octaves, it's intended to "extend" Easter beyond a 24 hour one and done event. So Easter spreads its wings and continues each day this week. 

We Catholic men who have returned to work might keep this in mind as we ply our trade now. While work remains a necessary and important matter for most if not all of us, we would do well to make the effort to not allow it to distract us from recalling Our Lord's Resurrection in some special way each day this week. 

Perhaps we can carve out a few minutes during the day to simply stop and look within. If we are in the state of grace, Jesus is there, in our souls. He is Risen, but He is with each of us here and now. Isn't that simply incredible. Can we really afford to ignore this for long stretches of time? Do we want to ignore this? 

If we managed to pursue some reasonably challenging Lenten discipline, perhaps our spiritual life has gotten a good work out. That leaves us with more "muscle" to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. It leaves us with more muscle to take a moment or two to acknowledge the Risen Christ within us. It may even have given us the strength to say a few words to Jesus, even in the midst of a busy day.

This is simply so important. If we just go about our business as if this were just another day on the job, what does it say about how we actually live our Catholic Faith? 

Of course, doing all for the greater glory of God starts with an intention each day. And performing our tasks diligently, with fervor and exactness (as Father Willie might say) will elevate our daily labor, will turn it from something that the necessities of life demand into a prayer, even an act of love for Our Lord - He Who gave His All for us. 

But if we love Jesus, it would be only natural for us to think of Him from time to time, wouldn't it?

Consider how we think of people and things not necessarily directly involved in or related to our work, even as we go through our busy day. It could be something relatively trivial like what we're going to have for lunch. Or perhaps we're planning to surprise our wife with flowers for birthday or anniversary, and we anticipate the joy of doing so. On the flip side, maybe one of our loved ones is sick or struggling emotionally. Would it be uncommon to think of them in the midst of our work? A little thought in this matter would likely result in a rather long list of people and things.

And yet, how often do we pause and think of Our Lord? 

From personal experience, long stretches of time at work, sometimes resulting in days, maybe even weeks, go without even a glancing thought, never mind praying a few aspirations, or taking a minute or two to not simply say "I love You Jesus, but to settle our minds and "be" with Him. 

Our work won't suffer from this, will it? A few moments with Our Lord won't result in our failing to deliver our work on time, finishing a project, or missing some business opportunity.

Seriously.

 

Happy Easter!