This is the traditional “Bless us O Lord” prayer in Latin from my Latin Prayer Podcast.
Click the Play button above to pray/learn this prayer. The words are below.
Benedíc nos Dómine et haec Túa dóna quae de Túa largitáte súmus sumptúri. Per Chrístum Dóminum nóstrum. Ámen.
If you do like this podcast, consider leaving a review as it will help other’s find it on iTunes and PodBean. Know that if you are listening to this podcast, that I’m praying for you. Please pray for me and my family also.
There’s a scarf made of itchy wool that was made for me with love by my wife’s nona, and this scarf accompanies me most days as a form of mortification. I love wearing it! It causes me discomfort but I love the fact that secretly (or not so secretly now) I get to offer my sufferings to our Lord.
I fast 5 days a week from carbs, coffee and anything with sugar particularly as a form of mortification that I can offer up to our Lord. The health benefits are a bonus.
When I remember, the last 30 seconds of my morning shower I turn cold for the same reason I stated above – to offer my sufferings and mortifications to our Lord.
As a side note, the biggest business benefit that all these self induced sufferings can offer are that if by sheer will you can handle these difficulties, then no matter what your day throws at you, you’re going to be fine. Not only fine but you’ll CRUSH your mediocrity causing oppositions!
Reflecting this past Sunday, as I was sipping my cup of french pressed coffee with milk and sugar (Saturdays and Sundays are Cheat Days) – I let out a sigh, simply resting and relaxing in the good. And a horrible thought occurred to me. I had offered my sufferings and mortifications to our Lord but not consciously offered Him my joys! Why ever would I not want to do so.
And so even though I pray the prayer below every morning, from now on I will consciously give away all my joys for Him who loves me and you beyond all comprehension! Pray with me and for me.
God love you!
Oh my Jesus, I give Thee thanks for having preserved my family and me this past night. May all my thoughts, words and deeds be pleasing to Thee this day. I wish to gain all the merits and indulgences attached to them and I offer them in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated upon all of the altars throughout the world this day; joining with it all my prayers, works, joys, sufferings and mortifications to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, that she may best apply them in the interests of Thy Sacred Heart.
Why do we have to be accountable? Us to others and others to us…
When I have others report to me, its more for them than it is for me. I’ll get various answers and in various formats. We are all works in progress in business and in life but again with out the purpose of a thing the energy spent pursuing the thing itself is wasted and we may never hit the mark.
It’s taken me a long time to discover this although I’ve heard words before, I had not until recently understood the message. I am accountable to someone else because I need it. Not them. We are accountable for 3 reasons:
for us to know what we’ve done.
for us to see how much more we have to do.
to keep others in the loop.
First, to know what we’ve done toward the end. If we do not have an end clearly defined, we are wasting time. To ask ourselves whether we could have or should have done more. It allows us to reflect – do our actions show that we are really serious about hitting the targets we’ve set for ourselves.
Second, to remind ourselves what still needs to be done; not so that we can be discouraged but to recognize that perfection in business and life is a process. A <always getting better it> kind of thing. And also to show us that we’ve made movement along the line toward the end in the bigger picture.
Third, to keep others in the loop – there’s not much more to be said about this other than they need to know, so you have to let them know. Their job is to make sure we are on track and that we’re making progress. Don’t hate them for asking, or pushing us. Instead, hate inactivity or average or mediocrity. Hate anything thats not worthy of our time and energy most especially the things that distract us from the goal. We MUST desire to show them (whom ever we are accountable to) our VERY best.
Tip: make sure you include the end goal in your text, report or email to your boss, accountability partner etc. It speaks more as a reminder to you than to them but it also shows them that you’re aware of where you’re going, or if your off the mark. They wouldn’t be able to encourage you, push you or help you otherwise.
Keep striving to achieve GREATNESS in your business and in your life. It’s what God demands of you and your business – namely PERFECTION.
Become the best version of yourself. Your family and future self will thank you.
In a fallen world there will always be problems. When things go south, limited thinking and unhindered inaction breeds like a bacterial infection. We make lists of problems and all we want to is to be justified; for someone to hear our side of the story, someone to understand. The first problem on the list is sufficient to stall us indefinitely. Why bother coming up with problem 2, 3 and so on? Are we that trained to immediately come up with all the opposition against ourselves? So few of us rise to combat our fallen nature and our imperfect self.
Sometimes we look to our peers and leaders who should know and do better than us, and we are left disappointed for they themselves chicken out for fear of the repercussions of waging war.
Ugly exists in this world and I shouldn’t be contributing to it nor dwelling on its depressing and often unhelpful worldly lens. Something MUST be done; It needs to be fought by men and women of courage holding high the banner of Beauty!
O Beauty! Where did you go?
The most beautiful things in life are often the hardest to look at.
The Family is Beautiful and we must be willing to die to protect our [marriages, our children, siblings, parents, grandparents and out of obedience to our Blessed Lord, our neighbour.]
Show me stories of self sacrifice and I’ll show you beautiful. Show me suffering for the sake of another and I’ll show you beautiful.
So let us die for [them] and really live, rather than exist in this life only concerned about ourselves and our problems.
Luke 18:22-23 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ 23 But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich.
Probably one of the biggest dangers entrepreneurs and business owners face as they are building their businesses is making “too much money”. We may get caught up in it all and think we’re actually better because we’re making more than we’ve ever made before or we might get complacent and risk loosing all that we’ve worked so hard to build.
We’ve all heard it, from friends, family, acquaintances… when they see us putting in long hours months at a time, and sacrificing things like cable and movies and parties, what [they] see is [us], chasing money. Is that really true? Is that the only reason we build our businesses?; to make the moo-lah and lots of it? A high school friend of mine asked me where does it stop, when will you have made enough?
Sadly what they don’t see behind the “what” we do (relentless long hours), and the “how” we do it (the sacrifices) is the “why’ we do it.
I will not lie and say that I’ve never dreamed of a big house, fancy car(s), nice suits, and several behemoth size watches, in fact that may be some of the reasons I got into business in the first place. But it’s certainly not why I’m still here building today. I make more than enough money for all those things currently and have none of them. Surprisingly, making a buck-fifty, I’m still not in the income range to satisfy my why – looking after my family. It’s a big why and it needs big income to bring it into reality. Some of us have greater family financial responsibilities than others.
I’ve learned that the root of all evil is not money. The love of money is the root of all evil. The danger is that we may fall in love with money and use people to make more. Rather, love people, and use money to help them. Make lots and lots of money; Abraham, Jacob, Solomon, Barnabas and many others did. And they did great things for their families and for their nation. I want to do great things for my family and my Church. Forgive me if I throw away, working out, movies, cable, music, concerts, bars, partying and all the other passing things for the financial stability to spend time with my family and to further the kingdom of God.
24 Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’
26 Those who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ 27 He replied, ‘What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.’
There are certainly things crazier than a camel to go through the eye of a needle; how about a man rising from the dead and ascending into heaven…? or if that’s too much, how about 12 uneducated jewish fisherman, tax collectors, and cowards alike conquering the Roman Empire and establishing a Church that built Western Civilization… ( don’t believe me? – well if you’re daring enough read/watch Dr. Thomas Woods book and youtube videos)*
God Love You!
Click Image to learn more about this Book and it’s Author
Practicing Roman Catholic Husband, Father, Brother & Friend who holds onto the Barque of St. Peter - It is my desire for you to become a Saint. Is it possible to be a practicing Roman Catholic, raise a large family and build a large, lucrative business for the greater Glory of God? I believe so.
These are the writings of one who is pursuing Heaven by loving people and using money.
THE CATHOLIC BUSINESSMAN 