Last week was long, and the weekend, well I don’t know where it went. But here we are again on Monday morning. Let’s make this week a big one.
Welcome back to The Saintly CEO. Every Monday, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.
In Today’s Email:
CF Role Model: He’s achieved so much, and now he’s trying to change Canon law.
+6 more Catholic entrepreneurs (Heavenly Hustlers)
Feature Content: Embracing Business Challenges Helps You Come Closer to Christ
Miscellaneous Resources
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Heavenly Hustlers
Looking to meet other ambitious Catholic business owners? You’re in the right place.
Meet today’s Heavenly Hustlers.
💰 Tim Connors is my new hero, honestly. I just interviewed him last week (dropping this Thursday) and wow! To keep it short.
He’s been an investor for 25+ years (even made the Midas list 4x). And today, the best way to describe what he does is, he is utilizing every fiber in his body, his network, his influence, and yes, his money, to solve countless problems so that millions of people can be helped.
Among these are homelessness, hunger, challenges the poor face. Heck, he’s even trying to change Canon Law to solve parish engagement (aka retention).
This man is taking what Pope Benedict XVI said in Caritas in Veritate very seriously: Solve the need of your neighbor with your God-given skills and do it with the maximum degree of influence that you have in the world.
📣 Brendan Ellistonis the owner of Catholic Sites. He’s specializing in helping Catholics get great websites on a subscription model (works really well if you don’t have the up-front capital but want a strong web designer).
✝️ Joe Masek is building The Freedom Group to help Christians get free of p*rn addiction. He’s a fellow midwesterner with a beard that many would envy.
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Embracing Business Challenges Helps You Come Closer to Christ
Every entrepreneur knows that challenges are part of the journey. From funding hurdles to market shifts, setbacks can feel relentless. But what if we told you these very struggles aren't just obstacles, but profound gifts? It might sound counterintuitive to embrace suffering, especially when building a business, but there’s a transformative power in these moments that can draw you closer to Christ.
The Path to Christ-likeness
The primary reason to embrace these business trials is simple yet profound: they help us become more like Christ. His sacrifice on the cross was the ultimate act of love for His flock. Compared to His immense suffering, what is ours? He offered His pain for us; in turn, we can offer our entrepreneurial struggles for the good of our employees, our customers, and our communities.
This perspective allows us to better imitate God and unite ourselves, even in a small way, to His Passion. We aren't carrying the full weight of the Cross, but we are given the opportunity to carry a sliver of it alongside Him. This isn't about seeking pain, but recognizing its redemptive potential when offered with love.
God's Megaphone in Our Pain
Another powerful reason to embrace these challenges is the way God communicates with us through them. As C.S. Lewis profoundly observed:
"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
This resonates deeply. How often do we need that sharp pain, that unexpected setback, to truly turn back to Him? When business is booming and life feels easy, it's often too easy to get distracted, to miss the subtle whispers of His presence. It's not that God isn't speaking, but that we aren't always paying close enough attention until a crisis demands it.
Embracing Humility: Lessons from St. Ignatius
Finally, let's look to the profound wisdom of St. Ignatius of Loyola. In his book Spiritual Exercises he lays out the three degrees of humility, which shed light on our willingness to embrace suffering.
In the second level, we are unwilling to commit a venial sin for the whole world. We desire God’s will. We are open to poverty and hardship, but still prefer if God’s will is success.
The third (and highest) degree of humility is truly transformative. Here, we don't just accept, but desire to be treated like Jesus was on earth—not in His triumphs, but in His vulnerability, poverty, and even being despised. This isn't a natural desire; it's something we can only obtain through the grace of God. It’s something we must ask for.
How do our business challenges help us approach this incredible grace? By exposing our weaknesses, humbling our pride, and forcing us to rely on God, suffering can chip away at our attachment to worldly comforts. It can cultivate a deep desire for something beyond earthly success. A longing to align our will entirely with His, even if it means walking a path of hardship.
While reaching this third level is a lifelong journey and a divine gift, simply accepting the challenges we're given (and recognizing them as gifts from God) is a powerful first step. It's an opportunity to embrace the cross alongside Jesus, just like Simon of Cyrene did.
Embrace Your Cross, To Embrace Christ
As Catholics, the Crucifix stands as the central symbol of our faith. It is a sign of ultimate pain, unjust suffering, and death by torture. Yet, this very sign of suffering is also the glorious emblem that triumphed over death and evil.
When we internalize this, recognizing that our faith is rooted in redemptive suffering, how much more willing should we be to embrace the crosses in our own lives—especially those that arise in our entrepreneurial endeavors? Through this offering, we not only grow closer to God but also participate in His victory over sin and despair.
Action Item: Take a moment right now. Identify one specific business challenge you are facing. Consciously and prayerfully offer it up to God. See it not as a burden, but as a uniquely "hand-wrapped gift" from a loving Father – an opportunity for profound spiritual growth and a deeper union with Him.
Last week’s episode of Catholic Founders was killer. We had Daniel Egan discuss how he managed to lead a group to build the St. Joseph the Worker Mural in the heart of Detroit. Learn how you can too!
(Sorry, that’s all I’ve got for today — as I write this, it’s approaching midnight and my eyes are getting heavier than some hefty bricks.)
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