How to Pray About Business Concerns
By Peter Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Jul 19, 2010
As a business owner and CEO, I often find myself bringing my business concerns and ambitions to the Lord. I'm in need of so many things: light, inspiration, courage, self-discipline, empathy, etc. All people need to pray well, and that includes those in business.
Those who have read me for a while know that I don't resist any opportunity to bring up St. Francis de Sales. When we pray about things that concern us, particularly when we are unhappy, how ought we to pray?
St. Francis has many wonderful thoughts on the subject, but I most like what he has to say on the subject of how we ought to receive Holy Communion (from Introduction to the Devout Life).
After you have received him... reflect that he is within you and has come there for your happiness. In fine, make him as welcome as you possibly can and conduct yourself in such a manner that by your actions all may know that God is with you.
That applies not just to right after receiving communion but to all areas of our life, in our constant prayer. St. Francis goes on to say:
If worldly people ask you why you receive Communion so often, tell them that it is to learn to love God, be purified from your imperfections, delivered from misery, comforted in affliction, and supported in weakness.
Tell them that two classes of people should communicate frequently: the perfect, because being well disposed they would be very much to blame if they did not... and the imperfect, so that they rightly strive for perfection; the strong lest they become weak, and the weak that they may become strong; the sick that they may be restored to health, and the healthy lest they fall sick. Tell them that for your part you are imperfect...
Tell them that those who do not have many worldly affairs to look after ought to communicate often because they have leisure to do so and those who have great undertakings because they have the need to do so, since one who labors hard and is weighed down with troubles should eat solid food and do so frequently.
Again, this is applicable not just to how often we receive the Eucharist, but also to how often we pray and what our demeanor should be towards our need to pray.
Peter Mirus is a business, marketing, and technology consultant with more than 20 years of experience working with companies and nonprofits, ranging from start-ups to large international organizations. From 2004-2014 he contributed articles on the Catholic Faith, culture, and business to the CatholicCulture.org website.
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