Faith at Work for the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation

Earlier this year at the had pleasure of meeting Brian Grim, President of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation (RFBF), at RFBF’s Faith@Work conference. RFBF exists to promote the acceptance of faith in the professional setting, and to make the business case for religious freedom in the workplace.

Today, RFBF published a blog post I wrote called Bringing my whole self to work: A Catholic perspective. In it, I describe a few ways my faith, on a daily basis, influences the way I work, from the way I interact with others, to my decision-making processes.

One important point: I could have been more explicit that my faith asks me to do these things, and causes me to strive to, for example, live more virtuously. But we all know the path to sainthood is crooked, and sometimes I fall short. No leader is perfect, and having Christian faith certainly does not make one into a magical genie guru of patience and positivity. My point is, I know by my Catholic faith that I can and should do better, and, with God’s grace, I do strive to see the face of Jesus in others - including at work. My faith informs me, no matter where I am.

Bonus, unrelated things: I am reading Chen Guangcheng’s amazing biography, The Barefoot Lawyer. Today I also came across a 2017 Providence Magazine article, A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Collapse of Communism.

I am thinking a lot about communism’s failings as we live through the coronavirus, and looking for more information on how St. John Paul II viewed the fight against communism as a spiritual battle; a battle against an anti-human ideology. I want to understand why Christianity is in opposition to communism. Recommendations?

The author of that article, Paul Kengor, also created a film that came out in the past couple years called The Divine Plan, whose trailer you can view here.

Life Abundantly

It is Sunday - the fourth Sunday of Easter, believe it or not - and this morning I “attended” Bishop Barron’s Mass. At one point he used the phrase, “life abundantly,” as in, that Jesus came so that we may have life, and have it abundantly.

It is a phrase I somewhat understand. In the past I would have connected it to the idea of interior freedom found in relationship with Jesus and knowledge of His love for us; even the idea of dying to self. Life abundantly does not mean material goods in abundance, but an abundance of what really matters. An abundance of love in particular, I think. Especially as reflected in the relationships in our lives. Maybe life abundantly means answering your unique calling.

So anyway, I was struck by the phrase this morning because life does not seem abundant these days. To the contrary, it is mightily repressed. Repressed, because death is rampant. Repressed, because people’s livelihoods are erased, and true relationships are impossible. Virtual life does not equate to abundant life.

Anyone who has experienced some sort of surging interior life right now - I salute you. In the beginning, I understood that, and if our lockdown had only lasted two weeks, I think I’d still be there with you. More time to pray! More time to be in solidarity!

I’m halfway through 7 weeks, though. But I still want to know what an abundant life looks like, even in these conditions. What do you think it is?

It must be: Gratitude. First in all things, give thanks to God. In my experience, making a true, heartfelt expression of thanks to God is the first step to opening up your own heart. To finding gratitude more easily, certainly. But also for laying the groundwork for allowing Him to work in your life - my life. That way, I am not so resistant. What we are enduring feels unfair, on so many levels. But it isn’t the end.

Further, we know that God works all things for the better. An act of gratitude toward him is an act of faith, to say “I believe that you intend abundance for me, even if I cannot feel it right now.” I know I am blessed, I know that you watch my steps, I know that you, God, will be faithful to me. Whether I am faithful or not!

Life abundant is in the illuminated greenness of the trees after soaking up this week’s rain. It is in the trip to the grocery store when I found everything I needed. It is in a laugh-filled call with friends. It is every new day, when I have the opportunity to experience God’s love again. The latter, of course, never changes, no matter what’s going on in the world.

Never be the same

I have gotten into the habit of watching Jesus of Nazareth at Easter. It is the best version because of how realistic it is (no awful wigs, more or less Mediterranean or Middle Eastern looking actors, Peter is my favorite Peter. He has a fully believable anger management problem - go to around 1:56:30 in that link).

Very shortly after the above moment, we meet Peter’s nemesis, Matthew, the tax collector. The way they are both brought into the story of the prodigal son was an incredibly decision by director Franco Zeffirelli. Matthew, the prodigal at odds with Peter, the son who always had everything the Father promised. You can see it at 2:14:37 as Peter chooses to reluctantly enter Matthew’s house and the story begins.

There is a scene after the disciples are gathered and living with Jesus as he preaches and travels that particularly struck me this time. It is a conversation at night between Peter and Matthew as they lay down to sleep around the fire (2:37:34):

Peter: I told my wife, I won’t be long. And in any case, the fishing’s hopeless, why not go away? I told her, I said, I’ll come back in the spring.

Matthew: Don’t lie to her. And to yourself.

Peter: Lie?

Matthew: Yes. You know very well. You’ll never go back.

Peter: I will.

Matthew: No, you won’t. Never. You’ll never fish again, you’ll never get drunk again. And you’ll never live in Capernaum again. None of us will. We will never be the same. And neither will the lives of everyone in the whole world. We know why, Simon. We’re the first to know.

Peter turns over and pulls his blanket closer to his face.

They both left a life behind: Peter, his fishing nets, and Matthew, as he got up from his tax collectors’ table. Matthew is right, they will never be back in those old lives, and they will never be the same again, nor will the world. The obvious application is for all Christians: once you “take up your cross,” sincerely, you and your world will never be the same.

Now, for a more secular application: I believe this scene strikes me especially this year because of the global crisis we’re living through.

When my office was about to close, we were given a couple days’ notice. I had already been working from home for nearly a week, and was relieved for an excuse to run back to the office and gather a few things. It was quiet. The one coworker I saw, he stayed in his office and I spoke from outside the door. There is a column outside my office, against one of my colleague’s work spaces. When we are working through something, or I have an idea, or a joke I want to share, I often come to that column and lean against it, and talk to her. I leaned against that column, soaking in the feeling of no one being there, and thought, it will never, ever be as it was. Even if she were sitting here - everything will be different. This becomes more clear the longer this all goes on.

So it causes me to think: what does it mean if things will never be the same? Does it mean that I think things will never be good again (cue Bill Gates or whoever saying sporting events are years off)? Does it afford me a chance instead to think about renewal, rather than ending? And do I believe Jesus when he says, “Behold, I make all things new?”

This afternoon I walked by my church - it is Sunday - on the off chance it was open. Hallelujah! It was. I nearly cried. Both, for the opportunity to be close to Jesus, but also because it felt like coming home. Seeing livestreams of my favorite parishes and chapels makes me feel like I am locked out of my own home. And it was just a return to normalcy. I have been frequenting that parish for 6 years now. We have a lot of history together.

P.s. Okay, for a more lighthearted moment, enjoy this rad 80s tune, “Never Be the Same Again,” by Lori Ruso, from the Teen Witch soundtrack. TOP THAT!!