Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2009 / Unemployment and the spiritual life
Unemployment and the spiritual life
by Fr. Michael Verschaeve special to The Michigan Catholic
Published January 16, 2009
We live in difficult times in which worries over finances and the loss of meaningful work weighs heavy upon people. The stress caused by a lay off, job loss, home foreclosure or personal bankruptcy can be immense. It also may have a deep impact upon one's spiritual life and relationship with God.
When trouble comes, there may be a tendency to draw in, to feel shame, and even to get depressed. We don't want to speak about it to those we love or even to bring it to God in prayer. How do we deal with such a difficult moment in life? How do we pray about it or come before God when our livelihood is threatened or taken away? Here are a few suggestions.
First of all, in a time of crisis, we should cry out to heaven and freely pour out our complaints and feelings to God. This is a terrific way of praying and we find models for this in the Old and New Testaments.
The Bible gives us some wonderful examples of prayers that are complaints to God – out-loud cries for notice and help. Many of the Psalms and the Book of Lamentations can be prayed while shaking a fist at heaven. Jesus Himself cried aloud to his Heavenly Father as He wept over Jerusalem and in the garden on the night before He died, He cried aloud in sorrow to God. From the cross He screamed the words of Psalm 22: "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" If we are hurting or disappointed, we need to let God know about it. Besides, we can't hurt God – God is God – and praying this way is good for the soul.
A second thought – when we lose a job and cannot provide for our family, we inevitably question our sense of worth and even our identity. We can become at odds with ourselves, and unfortunately, with others, especially with those we love. It is good, then, to remember the words of Jesus from His Sermon on the Mount found in St. Matthew's Gospel. Jesus announced that the poor in spirit, the lowly, the sorrowing and the broken-hearted are blessed in God's eyes.
Our worth and value does not come from wealth, job, or position, but from God. We are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and have infinite value. Jesus reminds us: "Do not worry about your livelihood, what you are to eat or drink or use for clothing. Is not life more than food? Is not the body more valuable than clothes?" (Matthew 6:25) He goes on to speak about the birds of the sky and the lilies of the field that do not toil or work but are taken care of by God. Jesus says, "Are you not more important than they?" At a time when one's self worth is threatened, it is good to return to this powerful message of Jesus and try to place one's trust in God. And this leads to a third thought.
Our faith reminds us that we are never alone. We are connected to one another in the Body of Christ and we do not have to bear our burdens alone. This truth flies in the face of the American ideal of "rugged individualism" and self-sufficiency. But, we don't have to go it alone. We can call upon others for help.
It is a deep Catholic belief that we are bound together and dependent upon one another. It is with others that we find strength in times of trial. It is with others that we discover God to be present with us as well. Further, we believe that we are joined together in the "communion of the saints." The examples of the saints, and of our deceased ancestors and relatives, many of whom have survived great trials and distress, can inspire us. They remind us that we are not alone and that we too can find a way to put our trust in God.
Lastly, at the heart of our faith is what we call the "Paschal Mystery" – the death and the resurrection of Christ. This reality assures us that life comes out of death-dealing situations. It is only in the light of Jesus' rising from the dead that the suffering of the cross makes sense. Sometimes when we look back over a traumatic event in our life, like the loss of a job, we may come to see that there was a reason for it. I have heard people say, in retrospect of course, that losing a job was a moment of grace. A new opportunity opened up, a new direction was presented, or a new challenge to grow emerged. While this isn't always the case – sometimes it is!
As believers, the suffering, death and rising of the Lord is the lens through which we look at our own defeats and victories, the reality through which we understand our own lives. This faith perspective is reflected in the lyrics of the Leonard Cohen song, Anthem. The song writer sings: "Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Fr. Michael Verschaeve is the pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Lake Orion. This is an edited version of a talk; the complete version is available on the St. Joseph Parish Web site.
Related Link:
|
