- 14 March, 2025
March 13, 2025: Lent is a season of reflection, sacrifice, and spiritual growth — not only in our homes and churches but also in our workplaces. Since we spend much of our time at work, it becomes a valuable place to practise self-denial and cultivate virtue. By embracing sacrifices and striving for holiness in our professional lives, we can draw closer to Christ while positively influencing those around us.
Here are seven practical ways to practise sacrifices and virtues at work during Lent:
1. Embrace Patience in Stressful Situations
Workplace stress is often unavoidable—whether due to demanding deadlines, challenging colleagues, or unexpected disruptions. Instead of reacting with frustration, choose to sacrifice your impulse to complain or retaliate. Each time irritation arises, silently offer your frustration to God. Practising patience helps us imitate Christ’s gentleness, even in difficult moments.
How can I respond with calmness the next time frustration arises?
Virtue to Practise: Patience
Sacrifice to Offer: Resist the urge to vent or respond harshly.
2. Show Charity in Hidden Ways
Lent invites us to increase our acts of charity — and this doesn’t have to involve money. At work, charity can mean taking on extra tasks to support a stressed colleague, offering a word of encouragement, or simply being a good listener. Acts of kindness, especially when unnoticed, become powerful spiritual offerings.
Who at work might need my quiet support or encouragement today?
Virtue to Practise: Charity
Sacrifice to Offer: Give up your comfort or convenience for another’s benefit.
3. Cultivate Humility in Success
When you achieve success at work, there’s a natural desire to seek recognition. Lent is an opportunity to sacrifice this need for praise by practising humility. Instead of taking full credit, acknowledge the contributions of others or silently offer your success to God. This act of self-denial cultivates gratitude and detachment from pride.
How can I redirect praise toward God or my teammates today?
Virtue to Practise: Humility
Sacrifice to Offer: Choose silence instead of seeking credit or boasting.
4. Offer Your Time Generously
Time is one of the most valuable resources we have. During Lent, challenge yourself to offer your time generously. This might mean helping a colleague with a task, staying late to assist with a project, or mentoring a new employee — even when your own schedule feels tight.
Where can I offer my time to ease someone else’s burden?
Virtue to Practise: Generosity
Sacrifice to Offer: Sacrifice your personal time to serve others.
5. Resist Gossip and Negative Talk
Workplaces can easily become environments of gossip, backbiting, or criticism. Sacrificing these habits requires self-control and a commitment to charity. Each time you resist gossip or steer a conversation toward positivity, you reflect Christ’s peace and kindness.
How can I change the tone of conversations at work?
Virtue to Practise: Self-control
Sacrifice to Offer: Fast from gossip and unkind speech.
6. Reject Office Politics and Unethical Advancement
The pressure to succeed can tempt employees to engage in manipulation, flattery, or undermining others to get ahead. Lent invites us to reject these behaviours, even when they seem beneficial. Instead, practise honesty, fairness, and trust in God’s plan for your career.
Am I willing to trust God’s timing instead of compromising my values?
Virtue to Practise: Integrity
Sacrifice to Offer: Refuse to participate in unethical tactics, even when it feels easier or advantageous.
7. Celebrate Others’ Successes
Ambition can sometimes stir feelings of envy when others are recognised or promoted. Lent calls us to combat this by rejoicing in others' successes. By genuinely celebrating a colleague’s achievements—even if you feel overlooked—you practise detachment from pride and cultivate gratitude.
When was the last time I sincerely celebrated someone else's success?
Virtue to Practise: Gratitude
Sacrifice to Offer: Offer a silent prayer of thanksgiving when someone else is honoured or promoted.
Practising sacrifices and virtues at work doesn’t require dramatic gestures — small, intentional acts can become powerful offerings to God. Each moment of patience, humility, and integrity shapes your workplace into a place of grace. This Lent, see your daily tasks not as burdens but as opportunities to reflect Christ’s love to those around you.
By Catholic Connect Reporter
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