Prayer-Work-Life-Integration
Work-Life Balance is Pointless Without Prayer-Life Integration
To be a good Catholic Founder is impossible without prayer taking the right place in our lives. It’s like trying to live without blood in your veins. You don’t get very far.
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We have a problem.
We are not growing. This means one of two things. (1) You are all out of Catholic Business friends to share it with, or (2) You’re not sharing it. You’re a sociable person, so I kind of doubt it’s the first. 😉
So, help us out — share your favorite post from what we are doing with 3 people in your life who are either Business Owners or Aspiring Business Owners. 3 because of the Holy Trinity (and because it’s easy to count to 3).
Who are they? Your dad? A mentor? Your Godfather? Your brother? Whoever they are, please take a moment to share this publication and have a discussion with them to get them engaged.
So far, we have discussed a lot of things. Evangelization through work. The appropriate founder mindset. Some more tactical things like managing your calendar. But, we have not spoken in depth about the overall importance of your prayer routine.
No matter how much you want to accomplish the work of God, you can’t do this without prayer. It needs to be intentionally set into your day. And it needs to be robust.
Remember—at the end of the day (or rather our lives), the only thing that actually matters is our salvation. Our work is meant to aid us in that journey. Our work is a task we are given in this life to show God we love Him. We carry out His work through our work.
To forget prayer is to forget that Heaven is the goal.
What it Looks Like
Here is an example.
Morning prayer as soon as you wake up. I like to use these first moments of the day to recall why God put me on Earth. It keeps me in a good mood and makes me excited for the day, no matter how tired I am.
Family prayers at some point in the morning. Teaching your children to pray through example is vital. (As a side note, I believe having children is a key way in which God motivates us to follow Him because it’s their spiritual well-being on the line.)
Pre-work prayer. This helps you to keep focused on doing the work you do as well as possible.
If you have the luxury of working from home with your family, taking several planned breaks throughout the day to pray is important. If you do this, you’re signaling that nothing is more important than prayer. You keep your meeting schedule with the important people in your life, so keep your meeting schedule with God. An example of this would be to pray The Angelus with lunch.
Rosary. At some point in the day, you should say the Rosary. Some like to break up their afternoon with a walk and say the Rosary because it serves the dual purpose of stretching your legs.
Daily Mass. As business owners, we have the ability to choose our schedules, so I believe we should do our best to attend mass daily. The benefits of this cannot be overlooked. Jesus in the Eucharist fills us in a way that nothing else can. Find a mass schedule that you can fit into your day. I personally go at 12:10 on most weekdays and then have my lunch afterward.
Dinner prayers with the family. This is a great time to reflect, give thanks for the day's fruits, and consider what we could do better.
Finally, evening prayers. An examination is a great practice. If you live close to it, I’d encourage you to check out the Office of Compline as a way to close the day. It’s very beautiful.
You Have Time
Many will read this and object, saying it’s too time-intensive. It may seem like a lot. But as we have discussed in the past, we are instruments of God’s will, and our work is integral to our spiritual journey (and to those around us). Since this is the case, I think it’s pretty obvious God wants us to prioritize prayer.
By putting prayer in its right place, we are further resigning to the Divine will about the outcome of our business. We are further separating ourselves from these businesses as the ‘exceptional entrepreneur’ that makes it all happen. God is what makes it all work. God guides us. He gave us the skills. He gave us the impulse to start a business. He sustains us in everything. Yet we have the audacity to think it’s all because of our own efforts that we succeed. Ha! Very funny.
Do not be afraid to build out the structure of routine prayer in your life. God will take care of you (as he always has). If anything, it will force you to focus on what truly matters with your business.
If you’re serious about leveraging your business to retake the society for God, listen up.
Here are a few ways you can help us.
Open your heart to the way God is calling you to be part of this movement
Share one of these posts with a fellow business owner who takes their Faith Seriously
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Not One Size Fits All
The outline we have laid out is not meant for every person. There are nuances to it for each of us. We know that Jesus deals with us all individually. There is no ‘standard recipe’ that helps us along in this life.
However, I’m sure all of us would agree that we need to improve our prayer-work-life integration.
If you have not already, get a spiritual director to help you on this journey. If you’re skeptical of that, don’t be. A pro athlete wouldn’t train for a without a coach. So why should you skimp out on the most important race of your life: the race for salvation?
Once you find a spiritual director who works well with you, ensure you keep work and business in the picture. Many people separate work from personal and spiritual life, but they are all woven together. A good spiritual director will help you structure your prayer in a way that is best for your situation in work and life. A good spiritual director will challenge you when he knows you’re slacking.
(Note: A spiritual director is not always a priest. I have a priest as a spiritual director, but given the shortage of priests, it’s possible you’ll need to find another Holy person who you can trust. Here is an article I found on Finding a Spiritual Director)
Working with your spiritual director and reflecting internally on what God is calling you to will help you figure out the right amount of prayer to add to your daily routine. Just remember, this is not static. There are chapters of life, and you will sometimes be asked to step up the intensity. Be conscious of this and continually seek God’s guidance to adjust accordingly.
In summary, Find a Spiritual Director and work with them to create a robust, daily prayer routine — so that you may fulfill the calling you have in this life and through your work.
Homework: As you work on finding a spiritual director, pick one thing to add to your daily prayer life for the next 30 days. Best to start small. Best to start.
See ya next time! 👋
PS: In the comments, let us know any specific prayer practices you have. It’s not bragging. We are all trying to figure this out, so it’s helpful to learn from others in the community.
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