Archive for the ‘Work & Career’ Category

Giving Back To Get

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

A few years ago, I was riding a bus to work in the early morning, and it was crowded. I was sitting in one of the front seats of the bus, one of the side rows that faces into the main aisle. Well, at one stop, a woman got on, and, trying to be polite, I got up and offered her my seat. “Oh, thank you,” she replied, and she took my seat. I continued to stand, thinking it’s good for me because I’ll be sitting most of the day at the office anyway.

Well, several stops later, the man sitting next to her got up to get off the bus. Then the woman did something amazing.

So kindly, she moved over to the guy’s old seat, and offered me back my original seat. I couldn’t believe it. It was such an unexpected and moving gesture. So, I took my old seat back, and we sat together and talked a bit until she got off. I thought, what a privilege to be next to such a person. I’ll never forget it.

Why did she do that? I think it’s because she appreciated the giver more than the gift. Why do I think that? Because she was willing to give up the gift to be with the giver.

What inspired the disciples to leave all the good gifts God had given them and follow Jesus? What moved them to give back to God their families, their careers, their possessions?

They appreciated the Giver more than the gifts.

And so they got to be next to Him, they got to be with Him and speak with Him. They got to be with the Son of God Himself and form a bond with Him that He never forgot. They got a share of His Life: eternal life.

The Lord offers us His seat along the way of life. He offers us the gift of His place. He gives us all His best things: our family, friends, possessions, career. It’s great to receive all these things, He’s very pleased when we do.

But there’s a problem. When we keep those things for ourselves, we can’t be next to Him. But if we offer them back to Him, we get even better:

We get Him.

“And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” (Mt 19:29)

Signature First Name 2

Definitive

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

A few months ago, a new friend of mine Clare invited me to her graduating cello recital at the New England Conservatory of Music. I got the invite at the last minute on the day of the recital. That day I had a lot of other things going on, and I was meeting someone earlier that evening. But I decided, “I’m going to accept the invitation. I’m going to go.”

So, I eventually drove my car to the T and took the train to the school. After a few questions along the way, and sifting through a few hallways, I finally found the room. But I was late.

I stopped at the door to the recital room, and I could hear beautiful music. I looked through the door, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. There was a guy playing the piano, and there was Clare, who always seemed quiet and reserved, pouring her whole heart into her cello music. I had never seen her like that before – I was amazed.

So, after the first intermission, I made it in and found a seat near another friend of mine that I saw. We sat there and listened, and I tell you, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing. There were times when she was playing the instrument with the bow, and then with just her fingers, all with such an energetic and fast pace. And the piano player! He was going a mile a minute, too, with his hands all over the place. I was just in awe. To me, what they were doing was impossible.

At the end of the recital, while everyone was giving the fourth curtain call, I turned to my friend and said, “I don’t think I’ll ever see anything like this for the rest of my life.”

So, a lot of people got in line to congratulate her, and one of her classmates and I got to chatting and I asked him, “Is she the best in the school? Or do all you guys play like that?” He looked at me funny. “You don’t know ‘The Clare’? Tonight, you’re seeing ‘The Clare’. Definitive.”

I was seeing one of the best cellists in the world in all her glory, in the event that defines who she is. What a privilege! But when I accepted the invitation, I had no idea what was in store. There was no bragging, no air about her that made me think that she was a world-class artist. That greatness was completely hidden.

Remember when Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John on top of the mountain? There was Moses and Elijah speaking with Him about His coming Passion. Now, Moses represents the Law, and Elijah represents the prophets, so that the apostles would understand that Jesus was in agreement with the law and the prophets. This defines who Jesus is, a fulfillment of the law and prophets. The Passion? That was the event that would also define for the world who Jesus is, the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And, as if that weren’t enough, after the conversation, Moses and Elijah disappeared, and Jesus was left alone as the Father Himself defined who He is in the most clear words: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Mt 17:5)

These apostles were getting to see Him in all His glory. That day, they knew Him truly as “The Lord”. Definitive.

See, Jesus kept His glory and greatness hidden. There was no air about Him that He was divine. They got to see His glory because of one reason:

They accepted His invitation.

Jesus’ glory and greatness are completely hidden from us. He wants to reveal them to each of us, because it’s only then that we can truly know Him. He offers us a free invitation, and even if it comes at the last minute, even if you have other things going on, let me offer you a piece of advice:

Accept it. Go.

Then, you’ll know Him as “The Lord.”

Definitive.

The Purpose Of The Pits

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Over the last month or so, some friends and I had the privilege of bringing a missionary image of Our Lady of Guadalupe around the Archdiocese of Boston. One of the stops I had the privilege of being at was a county prison. The prisoners at Mass each had a chance to approach the image and express their devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Afterwards, I was talking with one of the prisoners. You could tell he was one of the leaders, and he thanked us for being there and for what we had done. I said, “Oh, it’s a privilege. I hope it gives you guys some hope and inspiration.” He said, “Yeah, some inspiration to get out of here and never come back.”

Prison is the pits. It’s one of those few places that God sends us to so that we’ll want to get out and never come back. It’s a place where many people cry out to God. And it’s also a place of second chances.

Jonah ran away from the Lord and ended up swallowed by a giant fish – maybe you remember the story? But God gave him a second chance after that, and by Jonah’s preaching, the whole city of Nineveh was saved, more than 120,000 people.

What did Jonah do in the belly of the fish?

I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me for ever; yet you did bring up my life from the Pit, O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. (Jonah 2:6-7)

If God has put you in the Pit, don’t despair, it’s not over. It’s so that you’ll want to get out and never go back again, so you can fulfill the great plan He has for you. Remember Him and cry out in prayer to Him.

He will give you the inspiration to get out and never go back.

Receiving Is The Only Way

Saturday, April 11th, 2009

On the Annunciation last month, I was on my way through a mall to get to the church for Mass, when I saw a little kiosk stand selling matryoshka dolls. These are the Russian dolls that come in sets of five, where smaller ones nest inside bigger ones, until they all fit inside the largest one. Well, I noticed a very small set, the littlest one, that had images of the Madonna and Child. The biggest one is only about an inch tall. I ended up buying it, I’m thinking, “This is a good example of how grace is mediated. This will come in handy for teaching some day.”

So, the Mass was a special celebration of the Annunciation, where about fifteen more men and women consecrated themselves to Jesus through Mary. It was a great evening, and afterwards, on the way out, I showed some friends the little matryoshka dolls. So while we’re looking at them, little Therese comes out. Now, Therese is the littlest child, the littlest one, at the whole Mass.

“Oh, she’ll love this. OK, Lord, now I know why I got these. Now I get it.”

So I sat down, and a big crowd gathered around. First, she saw the biggest doll, which is already pretty tiny. I popped that open, and out came the smaller doll. Therese was so surprised and excited. Then the next one, the next one. Finally, we got down to the next to last one. Now, this little guy is small – only a quarter of an inch at best. It has a little, tiny emblem of the Madonna and Child, and Therese thought it must be the last one. It’s impossible that there could be a smaller one. I struggled and struggled to open it (this thing is tiny). Finally, it popped open, and the smallest little matryoshka doll you could imagine popped out.

Therese leaped and screamed with joy.

And I got a little kiss from the littlest one.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the littlest one. In the Annunciation, we celebrated the great moment when she received God and His Kingdom with her whole being. In thanks for her gift, she declared her Magnificat, her exclamation of praise for God.

There is only one way to enter the Kingdom of God. We can’t enter by studying theology and religion. Helping the poor won’t get us in either. Living a good and virtuous life won’t get us in. Doing great projects in the Church doesn’t do it. We cannot enter by fighting for political and social justice. And there is no special prayer we can say.

There is only one way:

We receive it like the littlest one.

Like Mary.

Like little Therese.

“Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mk 10:14-15)

Let Him Make You New

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

When I worked as a research engineer, I was given the gift of working on new technologies, especially using new “smart” materials that had been developed by some very smart people. This was exciting for me, because it gave me a chance to exercise all the creative juices in my noodle and to use all the things I worked hard on learning in college. I wanted to invent something brand new that had never been done before.

Well, we had one project where we were working with the US Navy to help them with their torpedo shells. If the torpedo makes too much noise, it can be detected and then intercepted. So, the Navy asked us to help them with this problem.

Great. Something that had never been done before.

So, I did some very advanced analysis on the vibration of the torpedo shell, and helped the Navy to understand it. Then, I noticed something very peculiar about how the torpedo vibrated. Then a great idea came to my mind. I thought, “this would a great opportunity to use the new high-tech ’smart’ material. It is a perfect application. This is revolutionary!”

Excited, I presented it to my boss, who was also excited. It was a great breakthrough for using the material. It had all the qualities of an ingenious and simple design. All my awards in college, in grad school, all my growth in the field, my budding reputation were coming to fruition, I thought.

So I went patent searching.

Guess what? After five minutes on the internet, I found that someone had already done the exact same thing, and patented it.

What a blow. It seemed every other time I thought of a “great” idea, a great invention, someone had already done it. And this, I thought, finally was it. I thought, “This is the best I can do.” I thought, “Everything that I do has already been done.”

What has been done, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun. Even the thing of which we say “See, this is new!” has already existed in the ages that preceded us. (Ecc 1:9-10)

In the world, in our neighborhoods, in our families and our own lives, we live under the sun. Under the sun, we have problems, and there is always the temptation to do something new, something that has never been done before. But there is nothing new that we can do. Under the sun.

But the Lord comes from above the sun. And He leaves His abode and comes to join us under the sun. Why? Why, if He is Creator and can do everything, would He limit Himself and enter somewhere where nothing new can be done?

Because under the sun, He is not making new things. He is making things new. And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Rev 21:5)

You are precious to God. In your mistakes, failures, and sins under the sun, He is not looking to make a new and improved person to replace you. He is not interested in coming up with a clone, or a genetically modified version of you, or an upgraded version of you. He is not looking to replace you with someone without your outdated weaknesses and your track record. He is not interested in making a new you.

He wants to make you new.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. (Jn 3:16-17)

Changing The Mission

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

My friend Nate came over last week to help me do some work in the attic space in my father’s house. I had moved everything out and sorted it, and after we stripped everything out, there was a bare attic space.

Now, when I say bare, I mean bare. It is an unfinished attic – actually, it’s an unfinished second-floor room that acts as an attic. It had no electrical outlets and no heating pipes before. Now, it has nothing but the bare walls of the roof and the very basic wooden floor boards.

Now what?

Well, we noticed that some of the house had been re-insulated several years ago by some insulation experts. Nate and I weren’t quite sure what their insulation plan was, but we needed to know in order to know what to do about insulating the attic. The house has to fit together as a system. So, we poked around the background spaces on the second floor.

We found that there were spaces between the walls of the second-floor rooms and the outside roof of the house, spaces that someone could walk through and store things. We affectionately came up with a name for this space:

Gnome space.

The gnome space was very cold (our imaginary little friends are out of luck), but the walls of the inner rooms were insulated. This way, the warm inner rooms were separated from the cold gnome space. So, I thought that the attic would be separate from the gnome space, too, but I didn’t check. Nate made a quick closer check and thought the same thing. So, we thought, with some insulation, the attic could be prepared just to save some heat and to prep for finishing some time in the future, if someone wanted to.

It seemed simple. We decided to insulate the attic.

We went and bought the insulation, and after we came back, I finished cleaning out the old, rotten insulation near where the attic joins the gnome space. As I dug more and more, I suddenly noticed something: the separation between the attic and the gnome space seemed to be very flexible. In fact, with one last push, I realized something:

The separation was no separation at all. It just looked like a separation.

The attic was connected to the gnome space! The attic was gnome space (our imaginary little friends are in luck)!

Not only that, but once I peaked from the attic into the gnome space, I understood in an instant everything that the insulation experts had done, why they did it. I understood why there was one less air vent on one side of the house, why there was so much insulation on one wall in the attic, all the subtle things that had made me wonder. Everything now made sense.

Now we knew what had to be done.

No insulation for the attic.

Now we were going to complete the unfinished floor of the attic. Floorboards for the attic.

You know, the whole, entire mission changed on that one discovery. It changed one hundred and eighty degrees. What had started out as an insulation job became a floorboard job.

When John and Peter came to the empty tomb after the Resurrection, it wasn’t until they went into the tomb and looked closely that John got it. See, the burial clothes harden into a cocoon because of the one hundred pounds of burial goop that was used in putting them on. It’s like a hardened mummy-shell. So, in the dark on the next morning, a person peaking into the tomb would vaguely see the cocoon and very reasonably suppose that the body was still there inside it. It wasn’t until they could get up close and see that the cocoon was empty that John understood.

There was a cocoon – but no body.

How can you have the cocoon intact and no body in it? Only God can do that.

In that instant, he understood the Resurrection. And, he understood everything that God had done, the coming in human flesh, the teachings and healings, the discipleship, the crucifixion and death. Once he got the Resurrection, He got it all. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. (Jn 20:8-9)

And for John the whole mission changed one hundred and eighty degrees. It was no longer an insulation mission, locked away in fear. Now, it was going forward in confidence, finishing the base that the Lord had started.

The Lord invites us to go into the cold, neglected places in our life. Not to just peek in, but to go in and investigate, up close. He wants us to see something very important. He wants to show us a miracle. He wants to personally show us the Resurrection.

Why?

Because when you get that, all His work makes sense.

Then, life’s mission changes.

It’s no longer an insulation job. It’s a floorboard job.

An Offer You Can Refuse

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

When my mother was sick with cancer, we had to find new food for her to eat. Some of the great food supplements that she liked were the nutritional drinks like Ensure and Boost, you know, the ones that are like a little meal in a bottle.

So, I went to the supermarket to buy some, and, as I always do, I looked for the store-brand equivalent. It doesn’t have all the flashy advertising and bells and whistles on the outside like the name brand. In fact, it’s plain boring on the outside. But on the inside, what really matters, it’s actually the exact same thing – and it costs less.

So, I found the store-brand pack for $6 and the Ensure pack for $7. That’s a no-brainer.

Well, at the checkout, because of the little store cards that the cashiers scan in, the Ensure people know that I bought the store-brand. So, the check-out machine printed me out a nice coupon: $4 off two Ensure packs.

Great, I thought, now the next two Ensure packs would cost $10, whereas the next two store-brand packs would cost $12. That means the Ensure is $1 better than the store-brand for each pack. I’ll get two Ensure packs the next time.

So I did.

When I passed through the check-out this time, I got another coupon: $2 off one Ensure pack.

Great, I thought, now the next Ensure pack would cost $5, whereas the next store-brand pack would cost $6. Again, that means the Ensure is $1 better than the store-brand for that pack.

But, I can’t get two this time, only one.

So I got the one.

When I passed through the check-out this time, I got another coupon: $2 off two Ensure packs. I almost didn’t notice the word “two”, and when I did I thought, “Wait a minute, that puts it at the same price as the store-brand. I would be paying the same price for what really matters, plus I’d have to be hunting down coupons. And what is next, but to end up buying it without the coupons?”

What a scandal!

So I went back to the store-brand.

And I still get the coupons for $2 off two. And I throw them out.

So, do you see?

Do you see how, by offering me a discount for what really matters, the people at Ensure want to lead me to forget what really matters and replace it with themselves? They want to get me to believe that I need them instead of what really matters. They want to scandalize me.

If anyone offers you a discount on the cost of discipleship, don’t buy it. “So likewise every one of you that does not renounce all that he possesses, cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:33) They want to replace what really matters with themselves. They want to scandalize you.

But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal comes.” (Mt 18:6-7)

It is an offer you can refuse.

Only For You

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

When the Lord called me about 6 years ago, I had to make a big decision. On the one hand was intimate discipleship with Jesus in the Eucharist. On the other was, well, a lot. So, I took some good advice from a priest and did a retreat to listen and decide.

I was drawn very powerfully to Jesus’ words, His Person, His Love : “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.” (Jer 15:16)

But He was asking me to leave a lot.

First, I was dating a wonderful woman who I thought might be “the one”. We were very close, and it had many signs of marriage. Our hearts were the same. I had money set aside for a ring.

Second, I had a career in engineering and business that was growing. See, I had succeeded in college and grad school in engineering and math and finance, and God had blessed me with all the big academic awards. I had developed an impressive reputation in the field, and I made very good money in investing. I had begun to work with a close friend and co-worker at starting our own consulting business. We both had the expertise and credentials, and the respect of our contacts. We had business cards, contacts, a mailing address. We were getting set to go and put a lot of money and time into it.

Third, I had recently bought a condo in the Back Bay of Boston, and had turned it into a home. It is in one of the prime locations of the city, across the street from the Charles River. All of downtown Boston was in walking distance, and at the Fourth of July, the big Boston fireworks display would go off across the street from my home!

Fourth, I had many, many good friends. Friends from youth, from schools, from work, from other friends. The same group of guys that used to hang out together when we were young still got together. People still stayed in touch, and we shared so many great memories through the years. They were all like brothers to me.

So, in the retreat, when I looked at married life with this woman, I thought, yes!, this is what I want. It was beautiful and I wanted it.

Then, I looked at the Lord. I knew what He was asking. And I wept.

I said to Him, “Only for You.” I thought, “For no one or anything else would I leave her and having children and a family and a house and a career and everyone and everything else. For no person, no family member, no friend, no money, no fame, no position, no possessions – nothing.” I said to Him, “Only for You. ONLY for You.”

………………………..

These days, since my mother’s death over a month ago, I have been busy caring for my father and putting things in order around his house. There is a lot to do, and in between I find some time to reflect on what has happened the last two years of my mother’s life.

The Lord sent me home to my parents’ house two years ago, and He gave me the gift of being His servant in His shepherding my mother home to His eternal Life. I had the privilege of becoming my mother’s de facto spiritual director, of leading her through conversion, through reconciliation with her resentments, through the pitfalls of the end of life struggle, to finally experience the great Mercy of Jesus’ Heart. No one but she and I and heaven know all the things that transpired. When she became sick in March, she looked at me frightened and asked, “Will you stay with me all the way?” I took her by her hand and smiled at her, and said, “I will.” In the end, she died in my arms. Now, I still pray with her, and I have Masses said for her progress in purgatory. We are still going home together.

Although I naturally mourn for her physical loss, words can’t describe the happiness I have underneath it all because of this. As I thought about it the other day, I thought, “Who has this happen to them? Who gets to do this? I can’t think of anyone having something like this happen to them, being Jesus’ chosen servant for Him to shepherd their own mother home to eternal life, all the way through her very last breath. Hardly anyone is given to understand these things, never mind actually do them. Presidents, business moguls, sports stars, Hollywood actors, professors? Popes, bishops, priests, religious? In my limited knowledge of the lives of the saints and martyrs, I don’t know of any – but I don’t think even St. Augustine received such a gift.

So why me? I have no status – I’m not on the radar screen of all those positions. Because I gave up everything to follow Jesus, I’m a nobody when it comes to the political world, the entertainment business, the worlds of technology and business and medicine and academia, and even Church affairs. How did I get to do this?” And as I thought about, I became, you know, a little frightened at the immensity of the gift and the honor.

And then, I heard the words of Jesus, “Only for you, Jerome. ONLY for you.”

And every one that has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. And many that are first, shall be last: and the last shall be first.” (Mt 19:29-30)

Don’t be afraid to give up everything for Jesus and be the lowest. Believe His words: you will receive a hundredfold.

And His Life.

Don’t Be Afraid of Doing The Big Things

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

I was out walking and doing some errands yesterday when I passed by the little local art and framing shop. The shop is owned by Donna, and she is the one who generously framed – and re-framed – the large Divine Mercy image.

After some greetings, she gave me her condolences on my mother’s passing. I told her how appreciative we were of her framing the image, and how that image was so important in the last days of my mother’s life here. I told her how special and precious she is to Jesus for framing the image. I told her that He will reward her greatly, that she is very blessed.

Now, times are tough for little local businesses, especially art and framing businesses. So she is a little worried these days for her livelihood.

“Do you think Jesus is really doing something for me?” She asked.

“Well, you did something very important for Him. That image has affected a lot of people and will affect a lot of people’s lives.” I told her that she has nothing to worry about with her little business, that Jesus rewards greatly those who do the littlest things for Him.

“Really? I only did what I do.”

“Not everyone would do what you did.”

“Well, that’s true. Some people wouldn’t have.” Then she said something that made me stop.

“See, I’m not afraid to do the big things.”

Whoa!

When God came to Mary, He knew that she was not afraid to do the big things. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.” (Lk 1:31-32) When Jesus came into Peter’s life, He knew that Peter was not afraid to do the big things. “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” (Lk 5:4)

There is no one Jesus loves more than little ones who are not afraid to do the big things. Mary is one of these. Peter is one of these. Donna is one of these.

Are you?

Completing the Job

Monday, September 1st, 2008

One of the joys – yes, joys – for me is to do the yard work around my parents’ house. I’m no landscaping expert, but there’s a good feeling to doing gardening, trimming, mowing, and digging in the warmer months. Maybe it’s being outdoors in nature, maybe it’s the satisfaction of building or putting a mess in order. Well, today I think it was both – it was one those days a long time a-comin’. The grass in the back yard was getting deep.

So, I started mowing, and when I was done in the front of the house, I looked around. Now, in this yard, we have these weeds … well, to make a long story short, they fan out and lay low, so the mower doesn’t really get them. And at the edge of the grass they spread out into the sidewalk space. For a long time I’ve ignored them, and so, as you might imagine, the sidewalk has been shrinking. Today, I decided, “That’s it. They’re going.” Today, I decided to claim back the sidewalk space.

Today, I did the edging.

I took the weedwhacker and trimmed all the edges of the sidewalks around the house. When you do the edging, you have to go slow – you know, a few wandering moves and you cut up the lawn. And it adds to the clock, too. It probably tripled my mowing time. But the yard – even with the crabgrass – looked beautiful when it was complete. I never knew we had so much sidewalk.

Anyway, when I was finishing cleaning up, my father opened the front door of the house, looked around, and said:

“A complete job.”

Then, for the first time in as long as I can remember, he made me lunch.

Why did God raise His Son up from the dead? Why did He seat Him at His right hand and give Him all that is His? Why does He serve His Son?

Because Jesus always did the edging. He always did a complete job.

I have glorified you on the earth; I have finished the work which you gave me to do. And now glorify me, O Father, with yourself, with the glory which I had, before the world was, with you.” (Jn 17:4-5)

It’s easy to “mow the lawn” in life. It’s easy to do “good enough” and walk away. But if you want to be raised with Jesus, then that won’t cut it. You’ve got to do the “edging” in life, too. You’ve got to complete the job. It’s more work and more time – but the reward is worth it.

When you complete the job, your Father will serve you.