Faith at Work

Dear Friends, The following interview is from a friend that I made at my recent appearance on EWTN’s Journey Home program. Kevin Lowry’s book Faith and Work is a great read and has a few interesting points to make with respect to the kind of thing we discuss here at Catholic Spiritual Direction. Kevin agreed to provide us with a bit more insight into his motivation and perspective on living out our faith in the workplace. Enjoy!

Q: What motivated you to write your book Faith at Work?

In some ways, it was more “who” than “what.” My dad was a big influence. When I was a kid, he was a Presbyterian minister with a Ph.D. in business. He spent time in academia, the ministry, and as an entrepreneur – he and my uncle owned a technology firm back in the 80s. So talk around the dinner table frequently concerned faith and work. When I entered the working world after college (a CPA firm), I was well on my way to becoming Catholic. It soon became clear that challenges to the faith in the workplace were enormous, with rampant secularism and poorly formed consciences among some organizational leaders. 

With challenge comes opportunity, and I became convinced that in practical terms, the opportunities for spiritual growth in the workplace were even more significant. Living the Christian virtues in the workplace is a powerful concept – if we could all do it just a little bit better, it would cause a revolution of holiness. When we seek to sanctify our work, people benefit – both ourselves and others – and the Holy Spirit can use our successes and failures to accomplish what I like to call an “infinite multiplier effect.” 

 In a practical sense, living our faith in the workplace can also increase our job satisfaction, enhance effectiveness, improve workplace relationships and teamwork… the benefits are incredible. 

Q: In the chapter on “Get Me off of this Roller Coaster” you mention the value of a “plan of life” and how it can help us to integrate faith, family, and work. Can you tell us a bit about this idea?

Yes, this is one that I never seem to perfect, but continue to strive towards. A “plan of life” can sound a little daunting, but it’s really a process of prioritizing certain practices and incorporating them into our everyday routines. It’s not meant to be overly structured, but rather to ensure that we keep our lives Christ-centered, saying “yes” to His plan every step of the way. So things like quiet prayer in the morning, frequent reception of the Eucharist and penance, scripture or other spiritual reading, the rosary, etc. Just as with any relationship, an investment of time is absolutely necessary.

From a practical standpoint, our lives are dynamic, often with many ups and downs each day. There are joys, troubles, minor annoyances, successes, and major tragedies – all going on simultaneously. To think we can function in our various roles with no overlap is just plain silly. When Kathi and I had our seventh child, he had major medical problems that eventually caused me to make a career change. It had nothing to do with what was going on at the office. Instead, God used the situation to speak to us, and to challenge us to re-assess our priorities. Ordering our lives around God helps us to put our faith in Him completely, and to trust Him regardless of where life is headed next. 

Q: How is this idea working now in your own life? What does it look like for you on a daily, monthly, or even yearly basis?

Here’s an excerpt from the book on that topic:

Here’s an example of a pretty good day, at least for me. First, I get up right away and go running (physical exercise is another very important thing!). Afterward, I have prayer time, along with some Scripture reading. Then I get ready for work.

During my commute, I pray the Rosary and offer up my day’s work. In addition, I pray for any particularly difficult situations and ask for the grace to act with love and wisdom. When I get to work, I may pray over my workload and ask for God’s help setting priorities and getting things done on time. At noon, I might duck out for Mass or catch lunch with a friend or coworker.

Throughout the day, I’ll say an occasional prayer asking for God’s help, especially when things are crazy. At the end of the day, I’ll pray prayers of thanksgiving for the things that went well, and I’ll ask for assistance with those that didn’t. If I’m lucky, it will be Friday night, and I’ll have a date with my wife. Then we’ll spend time with our children, playing cards, saying a decade of the Rosary, and maybe watching a movie.

The most important part of my day is prayer, whether I feel like it or not. I must admit that I’m struggling a bit with my physical exercise (running) right now, and not putting in the kind of mileage I should. However, I’m a huge fan of the rosary, and making it to daily Mass whenever possible. During my conversion process, I used to drag poor Kathi and our infant children out of Mass early (before communion, which I couldn’t yet receive) because I had such a strong desire for the Eucharist. Twenty years later, this is still huge. I’m also a fan of the sacrament of reconciliation.

I believe it’s important to have written goals, so I tend to do this personally from a number of different perspectives – spiritual, family, health, financial, career, etc. Nothing elaborate, just simple, practical stuff. “Write the book already” was one from last year. This type of ongoing planning and prioritizing really works.

Q: One of the key principals to acquiring prudence or wisdom is to seek counsel from others. You reflect a bit on this idea in Chapter 10 on the topic of mentors and spiritual direction. Can you talk a bit about why we need spiritual direction and how it can benefit us as we seek to lead our families (current and future) and grow in grace?

In my experience, spiritual direction is essential to growth, since it provides objectivity. In addition, it’s great for peace of mind! Left to our own devices, we’re way too prone to fickle emotions or outside influences that may or may not be helpful. One of my weaknesses is the tendency to over-think certain decisions, and sometimes this can result in “analysis paralysis.” I’ve gotten better, but it still happens sometimes. Spiritual direction can break this kind of circular thinking.

Spiritual directors know our strengths and weaknesses, understand our struggles, and have some distance between themselves and the situations in which we find ourselves embroiled. Besides all that, to the extent that they’re properly trained and faithful, they also become tremendous conduits of grace. My spiritual director is Fr. Ray Ryland, a former Episcopalian minister who is also the Chaplain for CHNI. He has been a gift beyond price to me for many years.

In addition to spiritual direction, wise counsel can often be had from mentors or others who can be much more familiar with the nuances of certain situations and therefore bring another useful perspective. It’s important to be careful in selecting these types of  confidants, obviously, and we need to respect proper authority and channels within organizations. I tell a story in the book about a trusted colleague with a Human Resources background who really helped me through a difficult situation involving the termination of several employees. It was excruciating, but his counsel was invaluable.

Q: Where can folks find your book?

Anywhere where books are sold. Signed copies are available at http://gratefulconvert.com/ with free shipping, or you can visit your local Catholic bookstore, www.osv.com or www.amazon.com. Thanks Dan, I hope this book helps encourage people to find greater purpose in their work, and for organizations to become ever more faithful and effective!

More About Kevin:

Kevin Lowry is a writer and speaker on topics including faith, work, finances, and conversion. He spent twenty years in secular financial and executive-management roles, and currently serves as chief operating officer of The Coming Home Network International. Kevin and his wife Kathi are converts to the Catholic faith and have eight children. Kevin blogs at gratefulconvert.com and recently wrote a fantastic book called Faith at Work: Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck.

Prayer Primer: Igniting a Fire Within – Book Recommendation

Prayer Primer : Igniting a Fire Within – by Thomas DuBay

This is a must read for those looking either to begin, or to deepen their prayer lives. Father Dubay, with brevity and clarity, covers all the foundational elements of each type of prayer (vocal, liturgical, mental, contemplative, etc.). For those already experienced with vocal or liturgical prayer, this book will help you evaluate your prayer life and determine how to further develop your relationship with God. For those who already have a solid understanding of meditation and contemplation (within the context of the definitions provided by the Church and the spiritual doctors of the Church), you might look to “Fire Within” instead (also by Fr. Dubay). However, even with experience in these areas, this book will equip you with the perspective you need to evaluate your prayer life in each important area and to navigate deeper waters as you grow in grace.

Regardless of who you are, if you are beginning or reigniting your prayer quest – this book should be the first book you pick up. Click here to learn more.

Tattered Titles – And the winners are…

A while back we asked you, “What are the most tattered titles on your nightstand?” You answered with vigor and the responses were so numerous that we thought it might be helpful to summarize what our readers recommended. One of our amazing volunteers compiled every response and then put them into a spreadsheet. I was fascinated, surprised, and delighted to see how the top ten list emerged. The top three were 1) the Bible, 2) the Liturgy of the Hours, and 3) the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here’s the top five after the top three:

1. The Imitation of Christ – Thomas A Kempis
2. The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila – St. Teresa of Avila
3. Abandonment to Divine Providence – Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade
4. The Better Part – Fr. John Bartunek
5. Divine Intimacy – Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen

So, there you have it. The next list reflects those books that had more than one mention. From the standpoint of the sheer number of votes to any one author (across multiple titles), St. Teresa of Avila gets the top prize.

• Story of a Soul – St. Therese of Lisieux
• Introduction to the Devout Life – St. Francis de Sales
• Diary of St. Faustina – St. Faustina
• Complete works of St. John of the Cross – St. John of the Cross
• Consoling the Heart of Jesus – Michael Gaitley
• Interior Castle – St. Teresa of Avila
• Return of the Prodigal Son – Henri Nouwen
• My Daily Bread (devotional)
• I Believe in Love Jean – C.J. d’Elbee
• The Fire Within – Fr. Thomas Dubay
• The Fulfillment of All Desire – Ralph Martin
• True Devotion/Total Consecration to Mary – St. Louis Grignion de Monfort
• Life of Christ – Fulton J. Sheen
• Jesus of Nazareth Book 1 – Pope Benedict
• Daily Roman Missal
• Revelation of Divine Love – Julian of Norwich
• The Secret of the Rosary – St. Louis Grignion de Monfort
• Drinking from a Dry Well – Thomas Green
• When the Well Runs Dry – Thomas Green
• Man’s Search for Meaning – Frankl
• The Way of Perfection – St. Teresa of Avila
• The Great Divorce – C.S. Lewis
• Life of the Beloved – Henri Nouwen
• He and I – Gabrielle Bossi
• In Conversation with God – Francis Fernandez Carvajal
• Theology of the Body – John Paul II

The remainder of the recommendations all had one vote each. If you would like to see all the other book recommendations you can check out the combox of the original post and a few other posts we have done to provide recommendations for you.

I am concerned about avoiding “New Age” influence in my spriritual reading program, can you help?

Q: Dear Dan, I was inspired by Fr. John’s post on spiritual reading a while back. A friend has recommended “The Cloud of Unknowing” to me but I am worried about slipping into Catholic books that claim to be Catholic but that promote New Age thought through centering prayer and mixing Catholic prayer with non-Christian prayer teachings. Anyway, I wanted to get your advice on where I could/should start a solid spiritual reading program.

A: To get an easy aspect of your question out of the way, The Cloud of Unknowing does not fall into the New Age category. The New Age movement is a recent phenomenon and this book was written in the 14th century. With respect to The Cloud of Unknowing and centering prayer, some have claimed that it teaches centering prayer or have used it to bolster related ideas. Regardless, if spiritual reading is a new exercise for you, this book is not likely to be a good place to start. The author himself heavily (and rightly) stresses that if the reader has yet to exercise a considerable amount of time and effort in the ascetical phase of spiritual development that he or she is not yet prepared for the approach to prayer proposed. This admonition is almost always ignored by those who take a more shallow approach to the spiritual life and who also have a propensity to seek direction from sources that are far less efficacious than those who find their wisdom in the pure and deep well of faithful Catholicism.

Your concern about the New Age movement and its eclectic influence on many Catholics is a legitimate one. Many well intended Catholics have fallen into the emotional trap of using methods and techniques that cause positive physical or psychological feelings but are not appropriately classified as Christian prayer. Then Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) said this about this problematic trend:

Some physical exercises automatically produce a feeling of quiet and relaxation, pleasing sensations, perhaps even phenomena of light and warmth, which resemble spiritual well-being. To take such feelings for the authentic consolations of the Holy Spirit would be a totally erroneous way of conceiving the spiritual life. Giving them a symbolic significance typical of the mystical experience, when the moral condition of the person does not correspond to such experience, would represent a kind of mental schizophrenia which could also lead to psychic disturbance and, at times, to moral deviations. (Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Meditation, pp. 28-29)

These methods and techniques are often given names like “contemplation” but even a cursory understanding of the traditional use of this term reveals that classical Catholic usage and common recent usage are often at odds. Said another way, many modern authors and writers hijack words and redefine them rather than being faithful to historic definitions either provided specifically by the Church in the Catechism and other official Church documents or in the writings of the Doctors of the Church. Whether from ignorance or other questionable intent, the result is damaging to the souls of sincere pilgrims seeking to deepen their relationship to God.

All that aside, by your question it seems like you are interested primarily in reading on prayer. From the standpoint of faithfulness to the Catholic Church, the following is a good list to begin with. I have listed them in the order I would recommend they be read:

1. Catechism of the Catholic Church – Part Four on Christian Prayer
2. Prayer Primer – Igniting the Fire Within by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M
3. A Guide to Christian Mediation by Fr. John Bartunek, LC, ThD
4. Time for God by Fr. Jacques Philippe
5. Fire Within by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M.

As well, we recently asked our readers to provide their top spiritual book recommendations. A significant number of them responded so we are working on compiling those results and we will provide them to you some time this year.

Otherwise, if you want a fool proof way to stay within the sublime wealth and spiritual tradition of the Church, stick with the Doctors of the Church.

How can I learn more about the early Christian Fathers?

Q: Dear Dan, I saw your conversion story on EWTN’s Journey Home Program and I am very interested in learning more about the Fathers of the Church. I am a protestant and do have a personal relationship with Christ but I am trying to better understand more about the early Church. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

A: It was a joy to do the show and even more so to engage in the behind-the-scenes conversations with so many who are seeking to either deepen their relationship with Christ or to really uncover what this Catholic thing is all about. A few have posed some form of this question so I thought I would provide a few resource ideas for those exploring these important source documents. It is worth noting that one of the key turning points in my journey was when I decided to ask the Catholic Church what it meant by what it said rather than allowing those outside of the Church to dictate the entirety of my understanding.

One of the ways I did this was through reading the early Christian Fathers. After all, it seemed absurd to ignore the perspective of those who were either direct disciples of the Apostles themselves, or the disciples of the disciples of the Apostles. Not only did they live and walk with them, many were tortured and murdered because they would recant their faith. As you might imagine it was a bit odd to me that my Evangelical friends insisted on a consistent and contextual interpretation of scripture (i.e. the analogy of faith) but they readily dismissed the context from which the bible itself emerged – the Catholic Church. The scriptures did not drop from the sky. They emerged and were preserved and assembled by the Bishops of the Catholic Church. How is it that we can trust scripture and then completely dismiss those whom God used to bring it to us?

So, the best way, in my opinion, to learn about the early Church Fathers today is through two very trustworthy sources/books:

• The Four Witnesses – The Early Church in Her Own Words
• The Fathers Know Best – Your Essential Guide to the Teachings of the Early Church

Blessings to you on your journey and exploration. I pray that whatever you learn and uncover will only serve to deepen your love for God and your relationship with Him.