Thanks so much to the inspiring talk given at our November Prayer Breakfast by Rick Olszewski of LP Building Products. Above you will find a link to a pdf copy of his presentation. Please review and remember that we have the ultimate mentor in Jesus Christ!
May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
Isaiah 6:8
Once a year I try to write something about service. This can be a tricky subject because it can come across many different ways, most of which sound preachy or proud. You can tell people how they should volunteer more and use Jesus’ own words to make the point. Or, you can give examples of your own service, how you have benefited personally and seen the results of that service. But the message still seems stale, especially when it is coming from an organization that is looking to get you into their service.
But, that is part of the mission of the Catholic Business League: Providing opportunities for Catholic Professionals to engage in fellowship, catechesis, service, and philanthropy. Now, everyone has different reasons for joining an organization like this. The survey results centered around 2 main ones; “to grow in your faith” or “to meet other Catholics/network”.
Now, I submit to you, what better way to do either of these but to begin to serve. You can always find opportunities in a leadership role for the CBL, offering your help to other CBL members, or serving your colleagues at work by being a better Christian.
Jesus upset the world’s vision of power and might. It was a ”counter-cultural” message to tell people to die to themselves so they can serve other people. Our natural human instinct is to protect ourselves and what is ours. Our society reinforces it every day with a message of consumerism and self-centeredness.
But, Jesus’ (and God prophets through the centuries) message is not meant to enslave us, but set us free. God is telling us to fight against our human nature and serve each other before ourselves. I am sure you have seen the benefit of others doing just that. But, what you don’t see is the internal rewards of peace and love that occur in the giver. This is God’s promised reward for the fight. It works every time.
The 2011 recipient of the “Catholic Professional of the Year” is Jason Grant, Treasurer and Board Member of Catholic Charities of Tennessee. Jason is a lifelong example of service and sacrifice that exemplifies the vision of the Catholic Business League; “To connect, develop, and inspire Catholic Professionals to live their faith at work, at home, and in their community.”
Jason leads a Catholic study/prayer group for Men at Holy Family every Friday morning. This group has served many men over the years and fostered energy into other ministries and service.
Jason is also a founding member of the Knights of Columbus chapter at Holy Family. With a new membership of over 80 men, he chairs the activities council. He also has participated in the Holy Family Mission Honduras project. The team installed a new roof on a school where learning had been interrupted anytime the rain came. The team did other labor intensive project to improve the living conditions of these kids who need so much but want for so little.
His daughter Avery created the Live WTL Ministries. She says “it is a place where Catholic teens can come together to connect, learn, and grow in love for God.
As you can see Jason is deserving of this award because of his example of living his Catholic faith “at home, at work, and in our community” The idea behind this award is to place a great example of a Catholic servant in front of the community here in Nashville. All nominees have surely lived up to this standard and could be that example.
Please join us in congratulating Jason and these other nominees:
Tom Negri Lowes-Vanderbilt Hotel
Jerry Boyle Correct Care Solutions
Scott Mertie Kraft CPA’s
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