In our capitalistic society, it is great to witness companies that have found the way to true and lasting success by benefiting their people and the greater good of society.
Mass Readings Audio
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/18_10_21.mp3
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 21, 2018
Welcome to the thirtieth episode of By Your Life. Thank you for joining me. If you haven’t already, please subscribe via iTunes, Stitcher, or on the right side of the page so I can send you notifications when each new episode is posted. And please forward to a friend you think would benefit from By Your Life.
My goal is to inspire, empower, support, challenge, and encourage you to connect Sunday, with Monday-Friday, in a secular, business world. It is my desire to help you live our Catholic faith in the marketplace, and to trust that it is good for business. I hope to offer you practical ways to go forth and glorify the Lord by your life.
In this edition, we will reflect on the readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. As is usually the case, there is a common theme in the readings. The first reading from 53rd chapter of Isaiah, the second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, and the Gospel according to St. Mark all remind us that success comes through suffering. No pain, no gain.
When I was a kid, I took piano lessons. I loved to listen to people playing the piano and I wanted to be one of them. But, I hated practicing. I never got the hang of reading music, so I struggled through it. After four years, I quit.
My father-in-law, on the other hand, studied piano, then taught it, and performed his entire life, until he retired. He plays beautifully, as any professional would. Once he retired, he stopped playing. I often ask him, “Why don’t you just play for fun?” He usually responds, “That’s work. It’s not fun.”
The difference between my father-in-law and me, in addition to the sound we make when we sit at the keyboard, is that he suffered to play beautiful music. I didn’t. I quit.
17th century poet, Robert Herrick authored a short poem entitled, “No Pains, No Gains” in which he wrote, “If little labour, little are our gains; Man’s fortunes are according to his pains.” How true this is.
“If little labour, little are our gains; Man’s fortunes are according to his pains.” ~ Robert Herrick (1591-1674)I can’t think of one story of success where there wasn’t a lot of hard work that went before it. Think of actors who waited tables while going to audition after audition, or, athletes who were up at 4:00 am throughout their youth to hit the gym or the pool before school, or, entrepreneurs who poured their heart and soul, long hours and every dime to their name into the start-up of their businesses. Why do they do it? How do they persevere?
They must have a dream and the passion to pursue it.
Merriam-Webster defines passion as an intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction; a deep emotion of either anger or love. What is interesting is that Merriam-Webster says an obsolete definition is suffering. For Christians, that definition is not obsolete, rather it is how we define Jesus’ suffering from the Garden of Gethsemane to his death on the Cross. The word passion – from the Latin word “pati” means to suffer. And anyone who has ever followed their “passion” has certainly suffered along the way.
We often suffer to achieve positive little things in life. I think back again to my youth when I would mow the lawn or shovel snow. As a kid, I thought we had huge lawn and our round drive was also longer than most. Sometimes I’d do my chores with a minimalist mindset. I’d cut the grass but not bag the clippings or shovel the drive, but only enough so the car could get in and out. I was never really satisfied with myself when I looked out at those results.
On the other hand, when I did a thorough job, and the clippings were bagged or the entire driveway and sidewalk were cleared, it felt good. There was a great sense of accomplishment, a sense of satisfaction that came from doing my best work, even though it took a lot more effort.
The message of this Sunday’s readings is much more important than just working hard and persevering through the tough times. It is about self-sacrifice for the good of others. A lot of people work hard for their own benefit. Jesus is calling us to something greater than that. In fact, he is calling us to something radically different than that. He tells us, “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant.” (Mk 10:43)
“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant.” (Mk 10:43)This concept is a challenge in our capitalistic society, but it is the way to true and lasting success. In fact, there are many companies that incorporate benefit of the greater good into their business models and they are very successful, both financially and morally. The article, The Top Twenty Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives for 2017 lists just a few of a variety of different practices of organizations that seek to benefit others, not just seek profits. Some are blended into the core of their operations through sourcing Fair Trade Certified ingredients, supporting sustainable farming, and adopting “green” manufacturing and packaging. Others embrace social responsibility through philanthropy, promoting volunteerism and concern for the environment.
There are also companies that are known for their ethical practices related to their employees including such things as offering fair wages regardless of minimum legal requirements, to hiring ex-convicts, to programs that support families. These kinds initiatives often don’t get the headlines they deserve, which is too bad because they can be an example for others to follow. Leaders of these companies do not use people as tools to benefit their companies, rather, they view their companies as tools to benefit people.
I had the privilege of interviewing and writing a story for TwoTen Magazine about one such leader, Dina Dwyer-Owens, the co-chairwoman of Neighborly Board of Directors. I was introduced to Dina by a colleague who knew we shared a passion for values-centered leadership. I sent her a copy of my book and we hit it off.
Her company, Neighborly, was formerly known as The Dwyer Group and was founded by her father, Don Dwyer. It began as a one-brand franchise company and has grown into the holding company of 21 service-based franchise organizations that provide a variety of specialty services through nearly 3,500 franchisees, in nine countries.
Dina’s father founded The Dwyer Group on core principles that include believing in the untapped potential of every human being. They know that every person they help achieve their potential fulfills their mission. When her father’s untimely death at age 60 caused Dina to take the reigns of the company, she relied first on her Catholic faith and secondly on these values to guide her.
In 2012, Dina went undercover on Season 3 of CBS’s reality show The Undercover Boss. While her original intent was to confirm the Code of Values was being honored throughout the franchise organization, Dina soon recognized that God had intended something much more important.
Throughout the filming, Dina was touched by the people she encountered. She was overwhelmed by the awesome responsibility God had given her to lead this company. She said, “I am responsible, in some way, for so many lives.” In accepting this responsibility, she receives the greatest satisfaction from the success she sees others achieve. She is a success in business because she and the company she leads have helped people become a success in theirs.
Dina now spends most of her time helping other companies develop values-centered cultures by sharing how Neighborly has done it. She has also written about it in her book: Values, Inc. How Incorporating Values into Business and Life Can Change the World. I was honored to be asked to preview the book before it was published, and I was happy to endorse it because she begins her book by writing, “Love [is] the purpose of life and there always should be room for love wherever you are, including at work.”
“Love, it’s the purpose of life and there always should be room for love wherever you are, including at work.” ~ Dina Dwyer-Owens from Values, Inc. @DinaDwyerOwensAnother example of a leader who used his organization for the benefit of his people is told in the movie Schindler’s List. This movie is based on the real life of Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party, industrialist and opportunist. Schindler initially viewed the Jews as cheap and skilled labor to be exploited for his personal profit, but ultimately, he used his businesses to shield them from harm and eventually spent his entire fortune bribing the Nazis in order to save the lives of his workers.
At the end of the war, his workers gave him a ring made of gold from their dental work. It was inscribed “Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world.” In the movie, Oskar Schindler, who was now penniless, looked at the ring with regret that the gold wasn’t used to save the life of one more. Schindler certainly wasn’t perfect, but he was an example of what Christ meant when he said, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45)
When I watched Schindler’s List, I was horrified by the vivid depiction of atrocities of the Nazis, but the contrast of this one man’s self-giving love gave me hope. We all should be such a source of hope for others.
In the Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” (Mk 10:42-44)
We know that those who were Nazis lorded over the people, especially the Jews, and made their authority over them felt. But it was not so for all. Oskar Schindler was one among many who throughout World War II gave their lives in service for others. We recognize these heroes as being great among us. For his sacrifice, Schindler was honored with a carob tree planted on the Avenue of the Righteous, being named Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel, given the German Order of Merit, and finally laid to rest on Mount Zion, the only member of the Nazi Party to be honored in this way. I doubt he did it for the honor, rather he did it out of love for the human beings he encountered whose humanity had been disregarded by those in charge.
One last thought… In the Gospel, when James and John ask Jesus for places of prominence when he comes into his glory, Jesus responds, “You do not know what you are asking.” (Mk 10:38) We too don’t understand what we are asking when we make a request of the Lord. Often our prayers are not answered in the way we expect, rather in the way we need them to be answered. You, like me, may know that the greatest gift God has given you is the personal growth that has come through suffering. Let us be open to accept it, knowing that God is there to see us through.
Let us ask the Holy Spirit for the grace of mercy so we may see others in need. Let us pray for the grace to help us suffer for their benefit and let us pray for the timely help we will need to follow through.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth.
May God bless you abundantly and may you glorify the Lord by your life. Amen
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