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Thanks so much to the inspiring talk given at our November Prayer Breakfast by Rick Olszewski of LP Building Products.  Above you will find a link to a pdf copy of his presentation.  Please review and remember that we have the ultimate mentor in Jesus Christ!

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

Isaiah 6:8

Once a year I try to write something about service.  This can be a tricky subject because it can come across many different ways, most of which sound preachy or proud.  You can tell people how they should volunteer more and use Jesus’ own words to make the point.  Or, you can give examples of your own service, how you have benefited personally and seen the results of that service.  But the message still seems stale, especially when it is coming from an organization that is looking to get you into their service.

But, that is part of the mission of the Catholic Business League: Providing opportunities for Catholic Professionals to engage in fellowship, catechesis, service, and philanthropy.  Now, everyone has different reasons for joining an organization like this.  The survey results centered around 2 main ones; “to grow in your faith” or “to meet other Catholics/network”.

Now, I submit to you, what better way to do either of these but to begin to serve.  You can always find opportunities in a leadership role for the CBL, offering your help to other CBL members, or serving your colleagues at work by being a better Christian.

Jesus upset the world’s vision of power and might.  It was a ”counter-cultural” message to tell people to die to themselves so they can serve other people.  Our natural human instinct is to protect ourselves and what is ours.  Our society reinforces it every day with a message of consumerism and self-centeredness.

But, Jesus’ (and God prophets through the centuries) message is not meant to enslave us, but set us free.  God is telling us to fight against our human nature and serve each other before ourselves.  I am sure you have seen the benefit of others doing just that.  But, what you don’t see is the internal rewards of peace and love that occur in the giver.  This is God’s promised reward for the fight.  It works every time.

Jason leads a Catholic study/prayer group for Men at Holy Family every Friday morning.  This group has served many men over the years and fostered energy into other ministries and service.

Jason is also a founding member of the Knights of Columbus chapter at Holy Family.  With a new membership of over 80 men, he chairs the activities council.  He also has participated in the Holy Family Mission Honduras project.  The team installed a new roof on a school where learning had been interrupted anytime the rain came.  The team did other labor intensive project to improve the living conditions of these kids who need so much but want for so little.

His daughter Avery created the Live WTL Ministries.  She says “it is a place where Catholic teens can come together to connect, learn, and grow in love for God.

As you can see Jason is deserving of this award because of his example of living his Catholic faith “at home, at work, and in our community”  The idea behind this award is to place a great example of a Catholic servant in front of the community here in Nashville.  All nominees have surely lived up to this standard and could be that example.

Please join us in congratulating Jason and these other nominees:

Tom Negri            Lowes-Vanderbilt Hotel
Jerry Boyle            Correct Care Solutions
Scott Mertie             Kraft CPA’s

The readings this weekend are all surrounding one question, “Where is you treasure?”  Whatever/wherever your hopes and desires are, there is your treasure, and the reward it gives.  Where do you place your dreams? What do you receive from them?

Leading up to Sunday, the readings this week were all about the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.  The Lord kept caring for them and they continued to turn away.  They betrayed Him many times over and put their faith in unreal idols.  But, God continued to be their rescuer.  You would think they would learn after awhile where the help kept coming from.  Just like you think that we would learn from where our help flows.

St. Augustine says in his famous quote “Our hearts are restless, Lord, until the rest in thee.”  We chase so many goals and dreams in our life.  Some we reach and some fade away.  If we first seek the love and comfort of our God, the goals turn into gifts and the dreams turn into thanksgiving.

So, as the Israelites could have made their journey so much easier on themselves, let us rest our hearts in Him and find the treasure that will feed us always.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

The Board of Directors will be announcing an Officer’s Election at the August meeting.  Roles of Vice President/President Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary will be slated for presentation to the BOD.  Please prayerfully consider the nomination of yourself or another member for one of these positions.

Any nominations, suggestions, or questions can be sent to: info@catholicbusinessleague.org

I am always,

Very truly yours, in Christ
Greg Mays
president@catholicbusinessleague.org

Do it for the Lord rather than for men”

(Col 3:23)

St. Paul speaks so clearly today as, I am sure, he did nearly 1950 years ago; especially to us in the business world.  The quote from Colossians gives us direction with a sense of hope and knowledge of a better way.  But, we are all challenged daily in our culture to forget about serving anything else but ourselves.

“Take care of # 1.” “Make sure you get yours.” “Winners are closers.”

These are all examples of common statements in our society.  They seem very mild when spoken in passing.  It can be seen as a virtue to see someone advance in business because of his or her intelligent strategy.  It is hard not to look on someone’s success as positive, as long as they did not stomp on someone else to get there.

So, what is wrong with those comments?  Go back to St. Paul’s quote.  Why do we work so hard?  Is it all about being the smartest or craftiest? Just the fact that you are reading this tells me that you would disagree.  We as Catholic Professionals know that there is so much more to our life than “winning” or “getting yours”.  We serve our families, friends, and children with our whole being because we know it is for a greater good.

That greater good is the Lord. By doing for Him you know that you are ultimately affecting other people and the environments around you.  But, can we extend that attitude to our work or business environment?

I have always struggled with the conundrum that we need to fight and compete to succeed, but serve others to save ourselves.  How can I support my family and myself if I give all of my whole being to others?

The “whole being” that the Lord is requesting is your “whole heart”.  In the same manner you sacrifice and serve all those in your personal life; his influence on your heart will make those decisions more clear and challenges more manageable.  With a “whole heart” you are able to keep your focus on the grace you see happen around you when truly at your best.  This is the Catholic Professional that we all are called to be.

The amazing part is that many Catholic Professionals I know that have achieved this approach to their professional life, found service first before success.  And, somehow success happened. But, not in the way they expected.  Allow Him your whole heart and together you will do it for all men.

I pray that we are able to give ourselves, or whole selves, to Him so it can b poured out on the world around to bring us closer to the Kingdom here on earth.

Please continue to keep the Catholic Business League and Catholic Professionals everywhere in your prayers.

I am always,

Very truly yours, in Christ

Greg Mays

president@catholicbusinessleague.org

“He must increase, I must decrease”

This is one of my favorite lines from John’s Gospel.  It is the ultimate statement of humility; showing a true acceptance of God’s plan for his life.  It is not about what I want.  God knows what is best for my fellow man and me. He is saying that God must be our guide.

As professionals we are used to planning our day, our week; many are called to write business plans that look out multiple years.  Most successful ventures are those that stick to the plan and follow through on the details.  Companies pay consultants big money to help them set targets and give insight from an outside perspective.  Even in our personal life.  If we do not set goals then we can never expect to improve ourselves; and those projects and people we deal with daily.

So, how does God’s plan fit into this?  It can seem quite a conundrum.  How can you be expected to plan, but then leave it to God’s plan?  You expect success.  How can He not want that for you?

The way I gain perspective is through John’s prayer: “He must increase, I must decrease”.  God does not want to plan your life.  He wants to be a part of your life.  He wants to be the influence in your planning process.  The more you go to Him in prayer and in the Eucharist; the more God will be a partner in deciding your goals.  And, what better partner could you have to advise what is best for you and those around you.

As you work through your plan, situations arise that require critical decisions to be made.  Sometimes these decisions could mean success or failure.  If He has increased in your life, you are more likely to make a good decision, based on what is truly best.  If not, your choice will be based primarily on one thing, yourself.  How do you want to affect your plan?

I have heard of some Eastern Orthodox monks that walk around, bobbing their heads, and repeating “He must increase, I must decrease” to continually focus on giving their lives over to God.  Now, I am not suggesting that you stroll around the office, chanting like a monk.  I am saying that you should increase him in your life.  He only wants what is best for you and is here to help you on that path.

As I look back on my like, the more time I have spent time with Him in prayer and in front of the Blessed Sacrament, more often I have made good plans and decisions.  They may have been tough decisions, but they were the right ones for my family and me.

Ask God to be a bigger part of your life. Ask Him to help you with your planning and decision making processes.  Pray before you plan.  Kneel before you make a big decision.  You have the best consultant that money can buy, available to you at all times, at no cost but your time.

I am always,

Very truly yours, in Christ
Greg Mays
president@catholicbusinessleague.org

Has your integrity ever been challenged in your workplace?  It is a sickening feeling to find out that people with whom you work closely have suspicions and ideas about you that you were not aware and are, for the most part, untrue.

I recently went through a similar experience.  It was, and still is, a struggle to trust those colleagues who spoke behind my back and used my own words against me.  But I am still mostly upset about my reaction to the situation, both internally and externally.

At first after hearing of the accusations levied against me, I became internally defensive.  In my mind I was going through all of the events in question repeatedly; scouring and detailing all of the “right” ways I had operated.  Is this a natural human protection mechanism?  Maybe, but it was more likely my self-centered attitude that such a “good” person as I could never and should never be accused of such things.  I wasted so much time and energy trying to repair my damaged ego.

Externally I lashed out as well.  I sent emails to lay out my position and demonstrate how I was completely blameless and the other parties were totally at fault.  In our modern communication we tend to say things in email that we would never say in person.  Somehow we become bolder when we are able to edit and craft our words for the maximum affect.  This can be good in some business dealings, but not at all when dealing with personal issues.

I went to seek support and feedback from my direct manager and some other leaders, expecting total support and defense of my position.  What I got was a real awakening.  The feedback was that my initial actions were not seen as egregious. However, the way I reacted to the challenge that needed to be addressed.  My defensive, combative manner contributed to the escalation of a situation that was really “not that big of a deal.”

First of all, I am thankful for such leaders and mentors willing to be honest with me and point out my troublesome actions.  It was difficult to hear and still took some time for me to come around.

As Christians were are called to humility.  Our example of Christ was one who treated his attackers with love and accepted his fate (cross and death) with dignity.  It is not for us to decide or control what happens to us or how people see us.  All we can do is affect our own attitude and actions.  We must control the temptation (human nature) to fight and defend.  If we follow His lead and walk with humility, we can deal with these external factors in a way that will enhance our environment and the environment of those around us.

I am not proud of how I acted but am comforted by the blessings and gifts that have been shown to me from this experience.  At work it always seems that we are in competition with everyone around us.  It is counter-intuitive to be humble and work for the advancement of others.  But, that is what we must do.  If God decides to bless us with more (success/advancement) this is not a reward but recognition that we are prepared to continue affecting our environments in new and more challenging ways.

Remember that most members are due for renewal over the next few months.  Please keep your membership current to allow us to focus on serving you, our community, and other professionals wanting to join us in community.

Continue to pray for those looking for work, the Catholic Business League, and Catholic Professionals everywhere.

I am always,

Very truly yours, in Christ
Greg Mays
president@catholicbusinessleague.org