Sunil: The Retiree, 6M

Sunil retired a year ago after a career as a psychiatrist. / So what do the six M's of fruitfulness look like for him?

Sunil was praying that in his so-called retirement, / God would work through all his training and life experience in new ways. / But how? God said to focus on friendships and life coaching.

Of course, there were lots of things other people wanted him to do. / So modeling godly character required a lot of self-control and gentleness to stay on track.

For him, making good work is about nurturing relationships with friends and family, making time to play badminton with his son, and getting beaten more and more comprehensively as the weeks go by. It also means preparing really, really well for every client.

Sunil ministers grace and love by working hard to help clients discover their real underlying issues.

Molding culture doesn’t mean growing a big client base as most coaches would, but setting boundaries: just three people at a time, even as he seeks to offer his wisdom to a broader audience through writing and podcasts.

Being a mouthpiece for truth and justice means that, when a client asks for his opinion, he’ll give the biblical answer. Even if he doesn’t quote the verse.

As a messenger of the gospel, he makes it clear to clients that, if they have no interest in God, then he’s probably not the coach for them, because when you’re offering life coaching, questions of meaning and purpose are bound to bubble up, and they do.

What does living the six M's of fruitfulness look like to you? 1 Modeling godly character

2 Making good work.

3 Ministering grace and love

4 Moulding culture

5 Mouthpiece for truth and justice

6 Messenger of the gospel

Every day God sends us

Every day

God sends us his people,

young, old, and everyone in between,

out into his world

to the places we normally go

—work and school,

gym and shop,

field and factory—

to the people he's put us alongside,

to do good work

that brings good to others.

Ministering love and grace,

snuffing out injustice,

and speaking truth with kindness,

sharing Jesus in word and deed,

to see brows unfurrow,

hearts soften,

wounds heal,

people set free,

Home, school, work, and nation

changed day by day.

One another, Sunday32B

November 10, 2024

1 Kings 17:10-16; Psalm 146 (145); Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44

Let us now join our hearts and voices in prayer to our heavenly Father for all our brothers and sisters in Christ:

That we may build our Church and parish into a community of disciples through our humble and compassionate service to one another: let us pray to the Lord.

That our bishops, priests, deacons, and ministers may imitate the humility and selflessness of Christ, the Servant of God: let us pray to the Lord.

That all nations and peoples, all Churches and communities, may be dedicated to the work of peace and justice and the elimination of oppression and persecution from our world: let us pray to the Lord.

That we may seek out and treasure the insight and wisdom of the senior members and elders of our families and communities: let us pray to the lord.

That, like the poor widow, we may respond to the plight of the hungry, the homeless, and the unwanted, not from our surplus, but from our want: let us pray to the Lord.

That those who have died in the peace of Christ [especially _________], may be welcomed by the angels and saints into the kingdom of God: let us pray to the Lord.

That God will hear the prayers we now offer in the silence of our hearts [Pause...]: let us pray to the Lord.

May the prayers we offer, O God, not be for greater things and talents to astound the but for greater love and compassion to enrich the Hear our prayers for the peace of our human family prayers we offer to you in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024w, November 10). Thirty-second Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111024.cfm

-Cormier, J. (1995). Lord, Hear Our Prayer: Prayer of the Faithful for Sundays, Holy Days, and Ritual Masses.