Another Day? Last Saturday, my nephew Patrick Finn got married to Hannah Guilford. Pat and Hannah met each other at Alma College where they both had gone to school. It all started at a volleyball game where this group of freshmen guys had their eyes on this group of sophomore girls. The guys didn’t think they even had a chance getting any of these sophomores to pay attention to them because they were just freshmen. But that didn’t stop Pat. He zeroed in on Hannah and wasn’t willing to give up easily. Eventually, he struck a date and was excited beyond belief. Eventually a relationship ensured. While there were many things that drew them together, their deep relationship with Christ and their strong faiths cemented their relationship. They also had something else in common: they both already experienced the death of a parent. Pat told me during one of my conversations with him, “Uncle Mike, this one took a lot of work for me!” Of course, I worked that line into the homily!

While there were many touching moments at the wedding, I was especially touched when I heard Pat included in his plans with his groomsmen to stop at the cemetery to pray at his dad’s grave before they made the small trek to Church. While I was the celebrant, Hannah’s dad also participated. He is a pastor of a nondenominational church on the west side of the state. He led a beautiful family prayer over the Pat and Hannah and then led a prayer during a little ceremony where Pat and Hannah braided what is called “Wedding Cords” to symbolize that their union must always be intertwined with God.

So, there was lots of family time last week. At the wedding reception as all the dancing was going on, I leaned over to Jackie and Lonnie and tried to figure out our plans for the BBQ at Cindy’s house on Sunday. As Jackie and I were settling those plans, Lonnie had this dazed look about himself. I couldn’t figure out if he was half asleep or if he was having a hard time hearing me because of the music. He eventually piped up with some trepidation, “You mean we’re getting together again on Sunday too? But we already saw everyone on Friday, all day today and now Sunday too?” Jackie and I just laughed. I thought to myself, “Yep, Lonnie, it’s like Church; even if you go on Friday and Saturday, you still have to go on Sunday!”

Ten Ways to Live your Faith at Work: A couple of years ago I paraphrased in the bulletin an article by Kevin Lowry that I saw in the Our Sunday Visitor. The article was entitled, “10 Ways to Live your Faith at Work.” I thought it was opportune to reprint his advice again. For whatever reason, many people are reluctant to take their faith to work. Granted the culture and climate in which we live makes some feel squeamish about bringing faith to work but doing so is certainly part of the new evangelization efforts that we often speak about. Think about how much time people spend interacting with co-workers at work. Witnessing to the power of Christ at work may help a co-worker on their own faith journey. You may never know the fruit of your efforts, but it will make a difference!

Here are the ten simple ways to live your faith at work as listed in the Our Sunday Visitor article by Kevin Lowry: 1) Be Joyful! We all know that joy is contagious. “Joy transcends emotions; it’s rooted in the hope we have in Christ and the knowledge that his faithfulness is constant and enduring. Within this context, we are able to better live in the present moment and dispense with the anxieties that come from focusing too much on either the past or the future.” So, be joyful at work and brighten other people’s day! 2) Strive for Excellence: In everything we do, we should strive for excellence as if we were doing all for the Lord. As such, we should do our very best at everything, even the most menial of tasks. Do it all for the Lord; it will help change your attitude about why you do what you do! 3) Support Others: We never really know all the difficulties people are going through. We may think we know our co-workers well, but we often have no clue as to the number of crosses a co-worker may be carrying. We can be sources of support and encouragement in a quiet and unobtrusive way to our co-workers. All it takes is a smile, an encouraging word or a listening ear. 4) Be an Ally: We all need allies for mutual support and encouragement. Be an ally to someone, especially those who are marginalized or often forgotten at work! 5) Forgive: “Forgiveness is frequently necessary in the workplace, and as Catholics we need to ask for it and receive it. The words, ‘I’m sorry’ are among the most powerful we can use, and when it’s our turn to forgive, we’re called to do it from the heart.” 6) Embrace Failure: “There’s no better impetus to success than failure.” Embracing failure means looking through such realities as “teaching moments.” Acknowledge a failure. Stand up quickly. Turn the failure into a teaching moment and move on. 7) Be a Friend: Given the fierce competition often seen in the workplace and the difficult relationships many face at work, it can often be most difficult to see the face of Christ in others. Yet, if we accept this challenge and treat all people with respect and dignity, and see Christ in the face of everyone at work, broken relationships can be healed. 8) Be Grateful: Show people in the workplace how grateful you are for even the smallest thing. Go out of your way to say thanks! Face it, people enjoy knowing their efforts are appreciated. 9) Be humble: “There are no limits to the benefits of humility in the workplace. In fact, if we want strong teams, we need to play off the strengths of others, rather than their weaknesses.” 10) Pray: “Perhaps the best thing we can do is pray for others we encounter in our work.” Imagine a workplace where people prayed for each other often, where people prayed for the success of their individual and collective tasks. There is great power in prayer!

“Let’s resolve together to approach our daily work as a means of loving God, our neighbor or co-worker and effectively serving our employer.”

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers.

In Christ,

gmb
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