Put God first in your life, archbishop tells business leaders

By Mike Krokos

In today’s society where many embrace a secular-­materialistic mindset “that has more or less decided that life goes on just fine without God and moral values, at least in the public forum,” it is up to people of faith to put God first in their lives.

That was the message Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein shared at the Catholic Business Exchange breakfast on Oct. 17 at the St. Pius X Knights of Columbus Hall in ­Indianapolis.

“No individual or group, no thing or theology or human experience can come before God,” the archbishop told the more than 100 business leaders in attendance. “It is a great challenge for any of us to keep Christ Jesus centered in our lives, especially in everyday business.”

A person’s real god is whatever he or she consults most often in life, the archbishop warned. “We are incorrigible god-makers. Self, money, career success, another person, movie stars [and] sports heroes are often false gods.”

People of faith do not concede to the pessimism in our world, Archbishop Buechlein added.

“To doubt that God is with us in the struggles of our times is to sin against faith.”

The archbishop offered four practical ways that people can live their Christian faith and call to holiness, and put their trust in God in everyday life. They included:

• Try to see the connection between your work during the week and Sunday.

“Ethical practice at work, in your business, is good stewardship of work,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “Your work or business is a way of responding to God’s gifts with your God-given talents.”

The late Pope John Paul II suggested that we see work as a way to cooperate with God’s creation, the archbishop noted. An intentional awareness of the stewardship of work is a big part of lay Christian spirituality.

“It is a major way in which you can become holy,” he said.

The archbishop encouraged people to bring their “week’s work and the fruits of your stewardship of work to the Lord at Sunday Mass as a spiritual offering of the fruits of your work.”

The connection with Sunday Eucharist, he said, integrates our Christian stewardship of time, talent and treasure to the offering of the Eucharist.

“If you will, it is part of your stewardship offering at Mass on Sunday,” the archbishop said. “What you put in the offertory collection is an external sharing of your treasure as a fruit of your daily stewardship of work.”

• Try to seek a right balance of family love and family wealth.

Your business profession, the archbishop said, is a significant way in which you exercise your responsibility to provide a living for your spouse and children or, if you are single, it is a way to exercise your responsibility for the welfare of the local community of extended family and friends.

“In the pressure of being effective in business, it is difficult to find the right balance,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “I encourage you to pray for the discernment to make good decisions about how much time should be given to work in order to succeed, to provide for family, and how much time and energy needs to be expended with family.

“Somehow, the priority of family love over family wealth needs to be lived in a practical way,” he added. “It’s not easy in the climate of secular cultural values that press for material wealth.”

• Try to practice presence of God in your day-to-day business life.

St. Josémaria Escriva was a great proponent of the holiness of laypeople, Archbishop Buechlein said, who emphasized the notion of what he called “practice of the presence of God.”

“By this practice, he meant intentionally making yourself aware of God’s presence in your daily life and work,” the archbishop said. “We do that by an occasional short mental prayer, such as ‘Lord, help me,’ ‘Lord, thank you for your help through a tough stretch,’ ‘Holy Spirit, guide me in this next meeting or interview or sales call.’

“Keep in mind that you received the gift of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of confirmation,’ he added. “When you pass a Catholic Church, acknowledge the presence of Jesus in the tabernacle. Some people make a sign of the cross as they pass by.”

Daytime practice of the presence of God will be even more meaningful if you begin each morning with a short prayer placing the day in God’s hands, Archbishop Buechlein said, and spend a few minutes before bedtime reflecting on the good things that God has blessed you with through the day.

“When all is said and done, there is no greater resource for God’s gift in our lives than the Eucharist on Sunday,” the archbishop added, “or better yet, attending Mass during the week as well.”

• Try not to be blind to the needy around you.

In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, the point that Jesus made was not that it was wrong to have wealth. Rather, he was teaching that it is not right to ignore the material, spiritual and moral needs of people around us, Archbishop Buechlein said.

“Every one of us has a responsibility in charity to our neighbor,” he said. “Our responsibility is measured by the blessings that are ours.”

Christian spirituality doesn’t need to be complicated, the archbishop said. “Yet, it needs to be intentional.”

Bill Montgomery of Brook, Ind., said the archbishop’s words hit home, especially the advice to take short periods each day to offer prayers of thanks.

For Montgomery, that means “trying to keep the recognition of God in front of you, … not letting it be [just] a Sunday thing.”

A member of St. Joseph Parish in Kentland, Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese, Montgomery said he read about the Catholic business breakfast in The Catholic Moment, newspaper of the Lafayette Diocese, and told himself, “I need to be there,” even though the breakfast was 100 miles away and in the eastern time zone.

Brook is in the central time zone, he noted.

“It was definitely worth it,” Montgomery said. †