Most of us work at least a 40 hour week (often more) in some type of office environment. For many of us, we spend the majority of the day in front of our computer in a cubical or office and in various meetings. A few years ago, I felt a calling to get more in touch with my faith at work, but I wasn’t sure how to make that happen. The first thing that God reminded me of is that I don’t make anything happen by myself! I started praying to the Holy Spirit for guidance and lo and behold answers started coming. What I’ve listed here are prayers and strategies that I utilize throughout my work day. These are just a few ideas based on my interests; so of course, there are tons of other ways to get in touch with your faith at work and make prayer a constant in your life.
Password
A few years ago, someone from our IT department told me that usually the longer a person’s user password for their personal computer, the more difficult it is to crack. I was thinking about a sentence I could use as a password and then realized that my favorite Bible verse, along with a combination of numbers/symbols that I could remember, might be just the thing. As it turns out, it’s been very beneficial to not only start my day by typing in my favorite Bible verse, but also having to re-login with it throughout the day!
Morning Offering
After I enter my Bible verse password and am waiting for my computer to be fully operational, I say the Morning Offering (which I have printed out and hanging right by my computer). The Morning Offering is an excellent prayer to start off our day. “Pope Saint John Paul II once said that the practice of praying the Morning Offering is ‘of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful.’ It is a daily reminder to make our entire day, our whole life ‘a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God’ (Romans 12: 1).” In doing so we are also joining our sacrifice with that of our Lord both in His Passion and in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!” There are several variations of the Morning Offering Prayer–here’s my favorite:
O Jesus,
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer You all my prayers, works,
joys and sufferings
of this day, for all the intentions
of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world,
in reparation for my sins,
for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,
and in particular
for the intentions of the Holy Father.Amen.
Faith Nook
Every workplace is different as far as their rules regarding what you can/can’t hang around your office or cubical. I have a little faith nook in which I’ve hung several inspirational items. I already mentioned that I have a copy of the Morning Offering hanging up. Additionally, I have my parish calendar to keep up with holy days and saint’s anniversaries. I also have an awesome picture of Pope Francis kissing the feet of prisoners as he washes them. Finally, I have a couple of different Bible verses and holy cards that are special to me and provide me comfort when times get tough. Most of us probably know a couple of Bible verses that have special meaning to us when we’re facing various obstacles.
Inspirational Email
Over the years I have signed up for quite a few faith-related emails, and they have proven to be true a blessing. This is a long list, and I certainly don’t sit down and read all of these emails at once. Instead, I find that they offer a much needed respite from work at different points in the day and help to center me and re-calibrate my focus. Here’s my list along with the website I used for each to sign up to be part of the email group:
Daily Emails:
- Gospels in a Year: A new Gospel passage is emailed daily and after 365 days, you’ve read all four Gospels. ( https://uno.flocknote.com/list/154076)
- Catechism in a Year: A new section of the Catechism is emailed daily and after 365 days, you’ve read the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church. (https://uno.flocknote.com/note/301567)
- Divine Mercy Daily: Daily reflections from the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. ( https://uno.flocknote.com/note/303158)
- Henri Nouwen Society Daily Meditation: Daily excerpts taken from the writings of the late Henri Nouwen. (http://wp.henrinouwen.org/daily_meditation_blog/)
- Catholic Spiritual Direction: Articles and reflections regarding Catholic spiritual direction. (http://spiritualdirection.com)
- United State Conference of Bishops Daily Readings. An easy way to read and reflect on the day’s readings—especially if you don’t have time to make it to daily Mass (which I often don’t). (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011215.cfm)
- Pray More Novenas: A new novena each month with daily reminders and the associated prayers. (praymorenovenas.com)
- Catholic Pulse Update: Daily news related to the Church, national, and international headlines as well as Catholic opinion pieces. (http://www.catholicpulse.com)
Diocese Groups:
- Our Lady Queen of Peace Retreat Center. (http://olqpretreats.com)
- Catholic Charities of West Tennessee. (http://www.ccwtn.org/)
- West Tennessee Catholic Internet Edition. ( http://www.cdom.org/CatholicDiocese.php?op=Article_142080094429141)
- Bishop Steib Messages. ( http://www.cdom.org/CatholicDiocese.php?op=Bishop_Steib)
- Lumen Civitatis. (http://lumencivitatis.com/)
Miscellaneous Emails groups:
- Brandon Vogt. (brandonvogt.com)
- Word on Fire (Father Robert Barron). (wordonfire.org)
Evangelization at Work
This last strategy is going to sound pretty obvious, but one of the best things we can do to evangelize our own faith is to treat others with respect and to radiate joy and peace. Depending on how stressful your job is, this might be incredibly difficult on some days or in dealing with certain people. The thing I always struggle to remember is to see the face of Christ in every person I meet. That’s not something we should just do when we are at Mass or hanging out with other Catholics, it’s just as important to do so in our daily work lives.
~ Jessica Scott is a member of the young adult community in Memphis and a member of St. Anne Catholic Church. She can be reached at jscott410@gmail.com
