How much faith do you have in the name of Jesus?

In Acts 3, Peter and John are entering the temple by the Beautiful Gate at the same time a man who had been crippled form birth is being carried there to beg. He asks them for money and Peter responds, “Look at us…Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3: 4, 6) Peter then takes his hand and lifts him up. His feet and ankles instantly become strong, he jumps to his feet and he begins walking, jumping and praising God. When the people recognize him as the man who had always been begging they are filled with wonder and amazement.

When Peter said, “Look at us,” he wanted to get the man’s attention because what he was going to do was not the usual response of throwing a coin in a cup. This time was going to be different. Peter was going to give the man not what he asked for, but what he needed. He needed Jesus and healing. Peter gave him both.

How much faith do you have in the name of Jesus? On a personal note, I have seen prayers in the name of Jesus: heal a hole in the heart of our daughter, Emily; restore vision loss in me from glaucoma; find wonderful Christian spouses for our four married children; hold my prostate cancer in remission despite a doctor’s prognosis; to name just a few examples.

In the workplace, I have seen prayers in the name of Jesus: turn a negative work environment into a positive one; enable a person to forgive a business partner who defrauded him of thousands of dollars; result in a company deciding to forgo short term profits for the long term good of the company and its employees; heal a colleague’s brain tumor; lead a legal adversary to surrender his life to Christ before he died.

Jesus says, “I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” (John 14:13) When we pray in the name of Jesus we create an opportunity to bring glory to the Father.

Bringing glory to the Father through the name of Jesus is not something that is confined to the early Church. Jesus’ words are meant for us today as well.

Pray for something in the name of Jesus today and bring glory to the Father!

Throughout human history, people have been searching for meaning and purpose for their lives. Even ancient civilizations seemed to sense that there had to be more to life than food, shelter and clothing. Their observations of the natural world around them indicated a power and force greater than themselves.

In Jesus’ parables about the kingdom of God, he says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)

The fine pearl is Jesus. Are we willing to sell everything we have to acquire a friendship with Jesus? Selling everything may include giving up old ways and acquiring new ones. The list can be long and varied. Changing our focus from self to others, finding balance between the demands of career and family, stepping back from gossip and engaging in right speech, listening more and speaking less are just a few examples.

When I met Jesus in a personal way in my mid-thirties, many of my priorities began to change, particularly with respect to balancing the demands of career and family. Previously, career had usually taken precedence. One habit accompanying the dominant concern for career was joining work colleagues at a local watering hole after work on Fridays instead of going home and having dinner with my family. Thereafter, I gave up that habit. Several months later I joined them once again, and since I had been very open in sharing about my renewed faith, one colleague sarcastically asked, “What are you doing here? You don’t belong here.” I said, “You’re right,” turned around and left, never to engage that habit again.

If the pearl is friendship with Jesus and coming to know God, then there are also some new things we need to take on. Friendships don’t just happen without time together and coming to know the person involved. Previously, my time in prayer was confined to Sundays at mass or saying grace at meals. Subsequently, God gave me a desire to spend time with him every day, and I changed my schedule to spend about 30 minutes with him every morning before breakfast. Over the last 37 years, we have been meeting for coffee nearly every morning. Previously, I hardly ever read the Bible. Now it is a part of each day’s prayer time. While I am still very capable of sinning, reading Scripture daily helps me come to know God better and take on the mind of his son.

The irony in all of this is that the things I have given up to acquire the pearl of great value — Jesus’ friendship — do not seem to be all that much of a sacrifice. Instead, as the parables say, there is great joy in finding the treasure.

Does busyness choke out your relationship with God – spending time with him in prayer, reading scripture and seeking his will in your lives? In explaining one aspect of the parable of the Parable of the Sower, Jesus says, “Still others, like seed sown among the thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word and make it unfruitful.” (Mark 4:18)

There are many kinds of thorns – worries, ambition, wealth, recognition, position, possessions and busyness, to name a few. The Roman soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head, but he did not let the pain of them deter him from his mission.

Busyness, as much any other circumstance, makes the word in many of us unfruitful. We rush to get dressed in the morning and have our breakfast before we rush to work. At work, there is often more to do than the time available, so we rush from one task to another. After work, we rush to take our kids to practice or a sporting event. We then rush home for dinner because we have a meeting after dinner at church, school or some other place, or we need to help the children with their homework, or we have a brief case full of work. Even when we are not in fact being rushed, we have a sense of being rushed.

All of this rushing crowds out God. Intimacy with him is sacrificed. The noise of busyness keeps us from hearing the whisper of the Holy Spirit and understanding the Spirit’s call each day. Notice that Jesus says the outcome is that the word in us becomes unfruitful. The rich guidance of the word goes unused. Jesus’ desire for us is just the opposite – “I chose you and appointed you to bear fruit, fruit that will last.” (John 15:16)

Life will always have its demands. Do we let these demands choke out God’s word and presence in us, or do we invite him to join us in their midst? I used to pray a lot in hallways and elevators as I went from one meeting to another, acknowledging God’s presence and asking him to go before me. There seemed to be more fruit when I did and less when I didn’t.

God’s presence is available to us in the midst of our busyness. Offer up your schedule to him at the beginning of each day. Remember his words, “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20)

Have you ever experienced a colleague who challenges you at every turn? He or she always questions your ideas and suggestions, attempts to upstage you in front of the boss and gossips with co-workers behind your back. I had such a colleague.

In my prayer time, I asked the Lord what I should do and was led to Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the dark powers of this world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” It occurred to me that my problem with this colleague was not necessarily him per se, but with the spiritual forces of pride and division that were working between us. I started to pray and ask God to bless this person and our relationship. Over the next few months, the discord, dissension, petty sniping and competitive nature of our relationship faded and we began to work together in a more cooperative and professional manner.

In 2 Chronicles 20, we read that Jehoshaphat, King of Judah was facing a vast army from Moab and Amon that was coming against him and all of Judah. Jehoshaphat declared a fast and inquired of the Lord. The Lord said, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Ch. 20:15) Jehoshaphat instructed his men to sing and praise the Lord. Suddenly the men of Moab, Amon and Mount Seir turned on each other and began to destroy one another. When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooked where they were to do battle, they saw only dead bodies. There was no army left to battle.

When we face conflicts with people that involve pride, division and deceit, whether coming from the other person or us, or a combination thereof, the likelihood is that spiritual forces are at work stirring the pot of conflict. As a result we should seek a spiritual solution of praying against pride, division and deceit. For the battle is God’s, and he is equipped to handle it if we seek his help.

St. Paul goes on to say that we should fight these conflicts with the “full armor of God,” including truth, righteousness, faith, the word of God and the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 6:13-17) In other words, we should not try to fight pride, deceit and division in others with our own pride, deceit and division, but rather with prayer, truth, righteousness, faith, God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit, which is Christ in us.

How difficult it is to handle success without pride overtaking us!

In my 38 year career for a large international oil company, I saw a number of good men who experienced success, only to see a pride build up in them that led to overreach in the exercise of their authority. I too, struggled at times with pride in how I related to others, and in allowing my position to define who I was.

In Second Chronicles, Uzziah became king of Judah when he was 16 and reigned in Jerusalem for 52 years. At first he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He sought God through the prophet, Zechariah. He built up the defenses of Judah, raised a large army that defeated the Philistines and constructed public works. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.

“But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.” (2 Ch. 26:16) He then presumed to enter the temple to burn incense, a duty reserved to the descendants of Aaron. They challenged him, he became angry and as he was raging at them, leprosy broke out on his forehead, which caused him to be isolated for the rest of his life.

Even the disciples, James and John, sought the position of sitting at Jesus’ right and left. The others became indignant, but Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…for the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” (Mk. 10:43, 45) The reason Jesus said it was easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than a rich man into the Kingdom of God is because of the pride that often accompanies wealth and success.

Our daughter, Emily has Down syndrome. I have learned so much about humility and the love of God from her. She does not presume any special position, only to love her family and friends and to experience our love in return.

One of the problems with how we handle success is its definition. The world views success in terms of position, authority, power and wealth, while God views success by whether we are fulfilling his will in our lives. If our focus is on seeking God’s will, we might be better able to handle the outcome, whether wealth or poverty.

In my morning prayer I often recite a Litany of Humility given me by a friend. “O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, deliver me from the desire of being esteemed, loved, extolled, honored, praised, consulted or approved. Deliver me from the fear of being humiliated, despised, forgotten, ridiculed or wronged. Grant me the grace to desire that others might be loved more, esteemed more, chosen, praised, preferred and become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should.”

How do you deal with success and pride in your life?

A couple of years ago, a friend and I went out on the Potomac River south of Washington, D. C. Our intention was to go down river a few miles to a crab house, but the wind became so strong that we could not dock safely, so we decided to return to the marina. The Potomac widens to about three miles in this area so the wind has room to kick up.  Our boat is a cruiser with a flying bridge and a canvas Bimini on top, so there is sufficient bulk for the wind to impact the steerage of the boat. My friend, Bud, an experienced sailor, estimated the wind at 35 to 40 miles per hour with white caps everywhere.

I recalled the story of when Jesus and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. A furious squall came up with waves breaking over the boat. The disciples woke Jesus who was sleeping, exclaiming that they were going to drown. Jesus gets up “and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.” (Luke 8:24) The disciples were seized with amazement and fear, asking one another, “Who is this: He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

I said to Bud, who is a strong Christian brother that we needed to start praying because the wind would hit us broadside as soon as we started to turn into the alleyway of the marina, causing us to crash into the boats adjacent to our slip. We started praying, “Lord Jesus, you calmed the wind and waves on the Sea of Galilee; calm these winds.   The wind did not abate.   I asked Bud to go down to the stern with a boat hook (pole) to try to keep us from hitting the other boats. We both kept praying, “Jesus, calm the wind, Jesus calm the wind!” The wind kept blowing.

As we approached the alleyway, I told Bud, “I need to come in fast to control the boat.” I was so focused on controlling the boat and yelling instructions at Bud, I didn’t notice what was happening. Bud yelled back, “Bill, the wind has stopped!” I proceeded to pivot the boat and backed into the slip without difficulty. As soon as we tied up and secured everything, the wind resumed its fury.

There are many ways we can experience high winds in life – a spouse or child who is critically ill, the loss of a job, a life-threatening illness, a boss who cannot be satisfied, a child who struggles making friends, the backbiting of a competitive work colleague, the birth of a child with a disability, a tax deficiency notice from the IRS — the list is long and varied.

Jesus is available to calm the high winds, whatever form they take. Do you call on Jesus when you encounter the winds of life? Do you have faith that he will come to your aid?

In the early years of our marriage, I took up golf and enjoyed the game and the camaraderie of the men with whom I played. I would play every Saturday morning, not getting home until 2 PM plus once during the week after work. There was also the occasional visit to the driving range. At the time, my wife was looking after our two daughters under five with no car since we only had one at the time. I was a young attorney who had to work late some evenings and travel from time to time.

I had made golf an idol that was taking an inordinate amount of time away from the love of my wife, family, and responsibilities that should have taken a higher priority.

A couple of years later, right after the Kansas City Chiefs had won Super Bowl V, we seized the opportunity to get season tickets as the Chiefs were moving from their old stadium into the larger Arrowhead stadium. At first it was exciting, but it grew to become a project every Sunday on which there was a game. It took nearly the whole day, including the time for transportation, traffic, parking, etc. We had to get a baby sitter for our daughters for nearly the whole day. In addition to the time, it was also becoming rather costly.

I had acquired another idol, a professional football team, again to the detriment of my love and responsibilities to the family. There is nothing inherently wrong with golf or being a fan of a professional football team, but when they detract from loving your spouse and family, and expressing your love for God on Sunday, I was in danger of creating and serving idols over more important relationships and responsibilities – God and family.

The people of Israel seemed to suffer from this tendency when the Bible reports in 2 Kings: 17:41, “Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols.” This eventually led to their exile in 722 BC, by the king of Assyria, after more than two centuries of unfaithfulness to God who had raised them up as a people and nation. Later, a teacher of the law would ask Jesus which was the most important of the commandments. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31)

Loving God and the people he puts in our lives with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, is a consuming task. It impacts every moment and facet of our lives. In Old Testament times, the idols people worshiped included false gods and their images. Today, our idols include entertainers, professional athletes, public officials, hobbies, careers, material things like cars, homes, jewelry, retirement accounts, etc. None of these are inherently wrong in themselves, but they can become idols if we make them so.

Do you have idols in your life that compete with your love of God and the people he puts in your life?

We recently returned from a vacation touring parts of Greece and Turkey. As you view the ruins of ancient Greece and Turkey, you can’t help but marvel at the accomplishments of these ancient civilizations. At the same time, however, they also reflect a never-ending cycle of progress and decline. As historian Will Durant says, all civilizations begin, flourish, decline and disappear.

One of the places we visited was ancient Ephesus, outside of modern Kusadasi, Turkey. Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the Roman Empire, after Rome, Alexandria and Antioch. One of the things that it was most noted for was the Temple of Artemis (Diana), one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. Today, there is only one pillar standing for what was once a 127 columned temple larger than a football field. Our guide said that one of the causes contributing to the decline of Ephesus was that many of the people who lived there or who came there to visit the temple and worship the goddess Artemis, stopped doing so due to their conversion to Christianity from the preaching of St. Paul.

The Book of Acts reports that Paul preached in Ephesus for more than two years, “so that the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured.” (Acts 19:10-12) Further proof of Paul’s effectiveness was marked by a near riot which was started by the silversmiths of the city who were losing their livelihood of selling silver images of the goddess, Artemis, because people were turning away from the worship of Artemis as a result of Paul’s preaching. (Acts 19:23-41)

Throughout human history, we see empires and nations rise and then fall, usually conquered through bloody war and conflict. Even some of the Crusades, whose purpose may have been noble in their origins, resorted to the sacking, pillaging, massacre and destruction of anyone or any place that got in their way.

For a brief moment in history, St. Paul changed this pattern in Ephesus. He conquered it without siege or sword, but with the word of God and the example of his life and the lives of his early Christian converts — a worthy model still appropriate for us today.

On the day of Pentecost after the disciples experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit, Peter is trying to explain to people who had heard them praising God in various tongues and languages what was happening.  He says, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.” (Acts 2:32)

The disciples had experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit as Jesus had told them in Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.” Four hundred years earlier, the prophet, Joel foretold, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people” – young and old, sons and daughters, men and women, even servants and slaves.” (Joel 2:28)

Acts 1:15 indicates that there were 120 present following the ascension of Jesus.  Paul reports in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that Jesus appeared to “more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time.”  All of these were witnesses to Jesus and his resurrection.

God invites all of us to meet the resurrected Jesus in a way that is unique and personal to each of us, and then like Peter and the several hundred disciples who saw Jesus after his resurrection, we are called to witness to the resurrected Jesus in our own life – that we have met him, that he lives in us and that he is real.  Thirty-seven years ago, I met Jesus one October evening during a healing mass, and he took some disorder and sin from my life and offered me a new life if I would accept his healing, forgiveness and love.

I accepted his offer.  For 37 years I have been trying to witness to his resurrection and presence in my life and the life of my family and others.  I don’t always do as good a job as I should, but the reality of his presence is there nevertheless.  I have spoken about him to my family, business colleagues, bosses, subordinates; to people individually, in small groups and large groups; sometimes to strangers.  I have spoken of his love, his forgiveness, his provision, his guidance, his revelation of scripture, his presence in the sacraments and his presence in others.  The greatest challenge is being his witness not in word, but in conduct.  That takes constant prayer, God’s grace and awareness of his presence through the Holy Spirit.

Have you accepted the offer of the resurrected Jesus to live in you, and have you been a witness to this fact?

How should Christians respond to hostility to their faith in the workplace?  Some people believe that faith should be private, not to be shared or otherwise evident in the workplace.  Others object to hearing talk about Jesus, complaining that they do not want Christians imposing their beliefs on them.  They contend that the workplace should be a religious free zone.

St. Paul has a beautiful and comprehensive definition of love in his first letter to the Corinthians.  He says love is patient and kind, does not engage in envy, nor boasts of being proud. It is not rude or self-seeking, easily angered, or keeps a record of wrongs; love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth.  He says that love should always protect, trust, hope and persevere.  (1 Cor. 13:4-7)

There is no law against love in the workplace.  There is no employee handbook that can object to conduct exhibiting these characteristics.  If as Christians, we adhere to these actions, we will stand out; people will notice that we are different; they will seek our counsel and advice on both business and personal matters.

When I worked at Mobil, there was a certain executive who, when he learned of my affiliation with a Christian ministry called Christians in Commerce, would mock my Christianity when we were with other colleagues, but when we were alone would ask me numerous questions.  With others present he would contend that Christians in Commerce was an oxymoron, but privately, he would ask me what we did, and seek my opinion on things in the Bible he did not agree with.  Whether he realized it, he was searching for God, and because of the credibility established in our relationship over many years, the Lord may have given me the opportunity to plant some seeds.

Our initial witness to Jesus Christ is usually better accomplished with conduct than words.  The conduct establishes the credibility and opens the door for the words to have more impact when the opportunity arises. The expression, “talk is cheap” applies to Christians too.  If you want the opportunity to witness to Christ with your words, witness first with your conduct.  Hostility to Christians in the workplace is often a reaction to words that come before the credibility of affirming conduct.

What workplace can object to patience, kindness, humility, forgiveness, truth, protection, hope, trust, perseverance – in other words, love?