“What good is it…if someone has faith but does not have works?…If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it (James 2:14:17)?”   Those are the words of St. James in his letter circulating around the house churches in the early days of Christianity.  James’ letter goes far beyond being donors, volunteers, caregivers, and ministers.  It goes directly to the heart of spending our day in the marketplace – those places we where we live, work, study, and play every day.

During a state of the company address in my former life, our CEO presented his thoughts on what it would take to be successful given the global economic crisis at the time.  He said “we must continue to look for ways to be smarter about the projects we bring forward for approval.”  Now that made sense, but I didn’t see projects fail because we weren’t clever enough to know they were bad deals.  I saw projects failing because of greed for personal gain or hastened to meet company goals.

Faith and economics rarely encounter each other in the business world.  St. Pope John Paul II recognized this when he wrote “…on the one hand, [is] the all-consuming desire for profit, and on the other, the thirst for power, with the intention of imposing one’s will upon others.  In order to characterize better each of these attitudes, one can add the expression: at any price (Sollicitdo Rei Socialis §V.37.)”  He argued that accumulation of profit and power cannot be measures of success in business unless they are reinvested back into society to promote the social, cultural, and spiritual well-being of people (§II.9).  In other words, making better projects and business deals is not so much about being smarter as it is to be grounded in our faith.  Making business decisions which consider the greater good, instead of personal gain or maximizing corporate profit, far benefits the company, the employees, and the community as a whole.

For the Christian leader in the marketplace, faith and works are not an “either/or” option.  They are a “both/and” necessity for ethical business life.  To tell an employee “have a good weekend” rings hollow when that same employee is facing low wages, long hours, no insurance, or loss of their job.  Being a Christian leader in the marketplace takes prudence, planning, wise counsel, courage, and compassion.  Daily decisions involving cost cutting, maximizing profits, optimizing equipment maintenance, business unit performance, and product value tradeoffs are a reality in the business world.  But then so does God’s expectation that our faith and works become one.  Ethical life for a Christian in the marketplace is a reflection of Christian discipleship.  For Faith without works is me meaningless.

Deacon John

“Rejoice in the Lord Always! Finding joy at the foot of the cross.” That was the theme of the annual retreat I attended last weekend with over 80 men at the St Paul of the Cross Retreat Center in Detroit.  It was a great way to escape from the world and spend some quiet time with God.  Finding joy at the foot of the cross is not easy.  After all, how often do we feel like rejoicing when life isn’t going our way?

Finding joy at the foot of the cross means we look beyond the world, beyond our human feelings, and focus on knowing God is with us through it all.  That is the mystery of our Christian faith – finding joy in our sorrow, comfort in our pain, and new life through death.  Its a mystery we may not understand, but a mystery we can experience if we believe.  Because joy is not found in what we do, it’s found in our attitude toward life.

Rejoicing in the Lord brings us joy in 3 ways – by remembering what God has done for us, being in sync with what God wants for us, and putting ourselves into His hands to see what He will do with us.   Joy is the first characteristic of Christian life.  It is not a by-product of following Jesus.  Joy is the reason we follow Jesus.  Rejoicing is the mark of a Christian even at the foot of our crosses.  It simply means to remain mindful of our ever-present and loving God to find joy through the peace He brings.  A kind of joy that far overshadows anything of the world that makes us happy.

That is the model for Christian living St Paul gave us when he wrote: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!  Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near.  Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.  Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things…Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9)”

 After a weekend of praying and reflecting on how to “Rejoice in the Lord, always”, I re-discovered finding joy at the foot of my crosses.  God reminded me that even during my trials of pain, sorrow, disappointment, failure, and difficulty I can find joy through His love and blessings I treasure the most –  my family, my friends, my prayer, and my ministry.

What brings YOU joy?  Rejoice in the Lord, always! and the peace of God will remain with you.

Deacon John.