A Knight's Walk in the Kingdom

theophilus July 13th, 2009

Today is the feast day of St. Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor at the turn of the first millenium.  He was a ruler who lived and ruled according to the will of God, realizing that the true ruler of his realm was Christ the King.

This morning I read part of a biography of St. Henry (from the Office of Readings) and was struck by a couple of passages.  In St. Henry’s remarks upon the establishment of the Archdiocese of Bamburg (kings got to set up dioceses, with the consent of Rome, back then), he said some things that apply to all of us, regardless of whether we rule a nation, our company or our cubicle.

“We are taught and advised to abandon temporal riches, to lay aside earthly goods, and to strive to reach the eternal and everlasting dwelling-place in heaven.”

“For present glory is fleeting and meaningless, while it is possessed, unless in it we can glimpse something of heaven’s eternity.”

“But God’s mercy toward the human race provided a useful remedy when he made the reward for earthly existence a share in our heavenly existence.”

“Not unmindful of this clemency and aware that by the gratuitous consideration of divine mercy we were raised up to a position of regal dignity . . . not turning a deaf ear to the Lord’s commandments and obediently following divine urgings, we desire to take the treasures of divine generosity bestowed on us by his bounty and store them in heaven, where thieves cannot dig them up or steal them and rust or moth may not destroy them.”

“When we reflect upon all that we have now stored up, our heart will be often drawn with longing and love.”

From these passages, we know that St. Henry got it – he realized that he did not get to be king all by himself and he wasn’t king by happenstance.  He also realized that his successes were not his alone.  And most importantly, he realized that the worth of his life wasn’t dependent upon his successes as king, but what he did to get to heaven.

It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, you need to do what God has called you to do, and you must do it knowing that God put you in this place in this time to do it.  And your successes?  They belong to God and they should be getting you closer to heaven.

Our lives need to be lived for Christ; they need to be lived so as to serve Christ.  Even in this time of economic distress, God is in control and we must live and work in a way that is consistent with God’s will for us.  We must live and work as if our eternal lives depend upon it.

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theophilus October 10th, 2008

There is a fast food joint in the Midwest called “White Castle.”  The buildings are in the shape of a castle and the joint serves up burgers, chicken patties, and fish that are the size of your palm.  It is a tradition for college kids and late night party-goers.  The food is tasty and aromatic, but is best ingested with a knowing and strong stomach.

There is a loyalty to White Castle that transcends generations.  There is also a loyalty that permeates those who work there.

I read this week in my weekly neighborhood newspaper about Jim Mundt.

According to the Pulse Journal, he started at White Castle at the age of 17, looking for money for a car.  He worked 40 hour weeks and was quickly noticed by the higher-ups.  Increasing responsibility followed as he went from shift manager to general manager to district supervisor to area supervisor to assistant regional director.  He finally hit the White Castle jackpot when he was given responsibility over 48 stores in the Southwest Ohio region.

After 45 years, he was all set to retire on September 15th.  But, nature intervened and on September 14th, Tropical Storm Ike blew through and knocked out electricity to 90% of our region; most White Castles included.

On the morning that was supposed to be his last, Jim drove to his usual White Castle to get his morning coffee and saw that it was open for business.  And that is when he saw the lines everywhere, as this particular White Castle was one of the few area eateries open.

Jim did what he should have done.  He parked his car, went into the restaurant, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.  45 years of experience meant nothing as he worked as if he was 17-years old again.

And this attitude is how we should approach our work and our life.  Jim saw a need and took care of it.  No responsibility was beneath his pay grade; no job beneath his station in life.

He served that day as the face of Christ.

Take my word for it, those in line were thankful for a hot cup of coffee and a hot meal.  The workers at White Castle, who were expecting a normal Monday morning crowd, were thankful that their “boss from regional” was in the trenches with them.

God calls us each to sanctify our work, no matter our work, no matter the day.  Each and every day, we have a job to do; and this job is God’s work that he chooses to do through us.  Our jobs should provide for our family needs; serve other people; create something of value.  We should approach each day as if the success of the kingdom of God depends upon our effort at work that day.  And if we cannot find the extrinsic worth of our jobs, then maybe we need to be talking to God about what he wants us to be doing.

Jim Mundt fed countless thousands through his White Castle years.  He provided memories and traditions.  He enabled jobs for the young and old.  And on this, his last day, despite his lofty position, he rolled up his sleeves and turned back the clock 45 years, so he could serve one last time, White Castle style.

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theophilus June 17th, 2008

I’ve been thinking about writing about Tim Russert’s death and the role that his faith played in his life and work, but I’ve been putting it off for some reason.  Maybe, it’s just my current jaundiced view of journalists wouldn’t allow my creative juices to get flowing.

But this was a rather remarkable man.  He was a Catholic through and through.  He lived his faith.  He did not check his Catholicism at the newsroom door, nor did he allow his rather lofty station in life preclude him from humbling himself before the Eternal Father and serving Christ and his neighbor.  And as he was also a devoted father and husband, I think he would have fit right in on Catholic Dads.

In any case, I was reading Pro Ecclesia and saw a link to this Newsweek article.  I think it sums up rather well Brother Russert’s life and faith.  May we all be as joyous and committed in showing our love for the Church and living our faith 24/7. 

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theophilus May 28th, 2008

Today’s gospel has one of the most meaningful passages for me in it.

In Mark 10, Jesus is instructing the apostles after James and John started asking him about sitting at his left and right when he came into his kingdom.  While rather bold and brazen of the two of them, Jesus uses the moment to teach the apostles about service.

“[W]hoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.  For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

So what is this service we are supposed to give?  Sometimes it’s difficult to know.  Who are we supposed to serve?  When are we supposed to serve?  Where are we supposed to serve?  How are we supposed to serve?  All good questions for those who care about serving others and serving Christ.

I ran across a passage from St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians that might help -

“No man should seek his own interest but rather that of his neighbor.  The fact is that whether you eat or drink – whatever you do – you should do all for the glory of God.”

And maybe that passage sums it up – we should always place our neighbor’s interest in front of our own, whether that “neighbor” is our wife, kids, fellow parishoners, those throughout the community, those in a different part of the world.  We should always place others before ourselves.  And then we will be serving Christ and doing things “all for the glory of God.”

Be a servant today, starting with those whom you love and with whom you work.  Christ will take it from there.

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theophilus May 15th, 2008

St. Isidore was quite a character. 

A simple farmer from the 12th Century who worked for the same rich guy all of his life.  He went to Mass every day, visited churches on holidays, prayed behind the plow, served the poor, cared for animals, and married a peasant girl who also became a saint herself.

Not bad for a poor guy.

One thing that is so great about his life is that he didn’t allow his station in life to interfere with his faith and the exercise of it.  But, history is full of the faithful who were without means and high positions but nevertheless lived as model Catholics. 

What makes St. Isidore so great is that he was a layperson who didn’t allow his work to interfere with his faith and the exercise of it.  In fact, his faith and work became intertwined to such an extent that one became an extension of the other.  To make this synergy happen in a nonprofit or community service environment is hard enough, but to live a saintly life without being in a public service type job  is downright impossible.

Or is it?

Why can’t we live our worklives as an extension of our faith?  Why can’t we offer our jobs up to Christ?  Rely on Jesus, Mary and the saints to guide us through each day?  To find Christ in the people we work with and everyone we come into contact with during the course of our workday?  To ensure that what we do in our work reflects well on our faith?  That we are not just 5-9 Catholics while checking our faith at the office door?

St. Isidore somehow got it that he was called to do a job and to do it well.  He got that he was called to live a seamless life for Christ – whether he was at work or doing something else.  His is a role model for each of us who comprise the laity of the Church.  We need to live each moment of each day as an offering to Christ.  We must bear fruit no matter the tasks of the day.

The Church has let us in on the fact that it considers St. Isidore’s life to be a big deal – one of emulation for the rest of us.  He was canonized in 1622, at the same time as those other Spanish lightweights – St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Philip Neri.  What incredible company for this simple farmer just trying to live his life in union with the Lord.

So, how about saying little prayers as we go about our work today?  Let’s ask St. Isidore to show us how.

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Optional Memorial of St. Isidore, holy man (Spain, 1070-1130) – farmer; married St. Maria de la Cabeza; patron saint of Madrid, Spain and U.S. National Rural Life Conference; canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV; one of the Spanish “Five Saints.” 

• God's Call , Prayer , Role Models , Saints , Workplace Faith
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