The flaw in the new-age law of attraction, prayers for supplications, and gospel of prosperity

Matthew 7:7-12. Ask and it will be given to you

“Ask and it will be given to you.”

I confess: I was a sucker for the new-age version of the so-called “law of attraction” (LOA). The “ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find…” verses have been used to justify LOA’s claim that a person merely has to think and intend good thoughts to manifest a good reality.

This is dangerous, because it places the burden of good things happening mostly on the “universe” or a Higher Power. I also disagree with the perspective that faith (without action) alone can save. (Enter irresponsible Christian anti-vaxxers claiming that faith in God alone is sufficient to eliminate the coronavirus! I’d much rather prefer the interpretation that God granted grace, intelligence, and wisdom to our medical doctors to come up with reasonably good vaccines against COVID-19!)

When we pray for supplications, I find it inauthentic to say: Lord, bring me success! Is it God’s responsibility to spoonfeed us so we can flourish? It’s more authentic to pray: Lord, if you will it, please grant me the wisdom and fortitude to overcome this challenge. Miracles happen through God’s mercy; but they are extraordinary, i.e., not normal. It is irresponsible to abandon personal agency and test God by burdening Him with removing our struggles.

A strong faith is an active faith; thoughts manifested through concrete works. Intelligent and reasonable insights validated through responsible action. The new-age law of attraction underplays the role of action in manifesting good intentions.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”

Put another way:

“Love your neighbor.”

The golden rule is a way to operationalize the new commandments of Jesus through concrete actions.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 69: MARCH 10, 2022]

If we know that we cannot fully know, should we stop from attempting to know?

Luke 11:29-32.

“There is something greater than Solomon here.”

This verse resonated with me as an educator and researcher. Solomon represents the one who is blessed with the highest form of human wisdom. Jesus claims that there is something or someone greater than Solomon; wiser than the wisest.

Even the wisest man is not immune to sin, and there is Someone who is wiser even than the wisest of men. Our understanding will always be imperfect and limited. It’s easy to ask: what’s the point?

What’s the point of taking courses?

What’s the point of writing research?

What’s the point of quenching our curiosity when this thirst can never be fully satisfied?

I find solace in the difference between “perfectionism” and “excellencism”. The former talks about being flawless, but the latter acknowledges weakness but still being a better version of ourselves despite our weaknesses.

Maybe we can learn from Olympians on what virtues and flourishing means. World records can be broken and it also involves a lot of luck. But isn’t that more motivating? Those who come before us can build foundations; on their shoulders, we can stand. Humanity’s progress is built on the insights of those who came before.

There’s something romantic in creating a virtuous cycle, an infinite flourishing. “Human perfection” (if it exists) is boring; human excellence and virtue is more captivating.

If we know that we cannot fully know, should we stop from attempting to know? My answer is a resounding no!

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 68: MARCH 9, 2022]

How can we know God’s will?

Matthew 6:7-15. The Lord’s Prayer

“In praying, do not babble.”

The most common prayers are the formulas. When we do pray spontaneously, we usually spend time asking for supplications — dictating to God what we want.

This is in contrast to the purpose of prayer: dialogue with God. Do we listen? Do we inquire? Do we ask what His will is?

Or do we impose our will and our preferred narratives?

If we spend time dictating instead of inquiring, how can we know God’s will?

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 67: MARCH 8, 2022]

20-mile march, consistency, and virtue

Matthew 25:31-46. Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me

Jim Collins, in Great by Choice (as a follow up to Built to Last and Good to Great) contended that great organizations are those that consistently perform a 20-mile march, whether the conditions of the field are favorable or not.

The call to virtue means a call for consistency regardless the situation and suffering; whether friend or foe. Suffering and temptations are tests. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer that we may be brought away from tests, but such is the condition of our lives. We don’t and shouldn’t seek temptations, but they will come.

Resilience is a popular buzzword during the pandemic, but what does it really mean? Taleb also talked about antifragility, or entities that thrive in conditions of extreme volatility. How can we be resilient and antifragile?

I find insights in this gospel: a sober awareness of our controllables and adapting our activities without losing our authenticity. We are meant to be good but we have different ways of being good. We are all meant to help the least of our fellow, but we have different ways of helping.

A useful maxim is: Hope for the best, expect the worst. Prepare for both graces and curses. The prayer for serenity, courage, and wisdom and insight guides us towards being the best version of ourselves.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 66: MARCH 7, 2022]

Why does God allow temptations and suffering to exist?

Luke 4:1-13. The temptation of Jesus

The devil can quote the Scriptures, cite superficially, but bastardize the meaning to lure us. This is why reflection and discernment is crucial, because the same words can be interpreted or misinterpreted, and this can lead to both good and bad.

For the sake of convenience, we rely on snap judgements and actions. Without reflection, we may not discover our unconscious biases and inadvertently promote systemic injustices even with our good intentions.

Another depiction or characterization of Satan is that of an “adversary”, which somewhat resembles our appreciation of a “devil’s advocate” role in meetings or deliberations. Some scholars intepret the devil in the story of Job as a devil’s advocate, rather than the horrific and satanic monster that terrifies our imagination.

An “uncomfortable” insight I have on why God allows suffering and Satan is that somehow, a greater good can arise from these challenges. As readers, we better appreciate Jesus and Job’s fortitude as they overcome temptations and suffering.

Perhaps the invitation is to find our unique way of being authentic. We all have different strengths and flaws. The season of lent is a call to master ourselves or what Lonergan calls as self-appropriation — to gain insight of our tendencies, and how we can pursue virtues in our unique ways, suffering and temptations be damned.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 65: MARCH 6, 2022]

(Errata: I used the March 5 gospel for my reflections yesterday. I will use the March 4 gospel for my reflections today).

The fasting of the body should be about the nourishment of the spirit

Matthew 9:14-15. Can the wedding guests mourn?

If we approach fasting only as a ritual or as an appearance of being devoted to religion, are we really nourishing our spirit?

If we only appear to do hard work to impress our bosses, are we really letting our work become a form of vocation that nourishes our spirit?

If we choose to punish ourselves because of a misguided notion that “Hey God, I’m deliberately punishing myself now, better reward me later!” — are we really nourishing our spirit?

If to grow in spirit means to grow in love and goodness, then perhaps the call to fast is a call to deprive one’s self of earthly pleasures; then, the pleasure we deprive for ourselves could be given to those who need more than us. Fasting is a reminder of our privilege; of what we can live with and what we can live without.

We can live with one less meal a day… so what if the meal we deprive ourselves of can be given to those who have no meal to eat?

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 64: MARCH 5, 2022]

Including the marginalized

Luke 5:27-32. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners

In the classroom, it’s definitely easier to favor the already intelligent and the dilligent; those who actively recite, submit high-quality learning outputs, and seek high-impact consultation sessions. Maybe my own bias can be expressed this way: why let my concern for non-performing students steal opportunities from those who seem to have more potential?

There’s something very gratifying in coaching motivated high-potential students, and maybe this was the feeling of Steve Kerr when he first coached the then-blooming Warriors in 2015. #StrengthInNumbers.

Yet, the Warriors system (inspired by the Spurs’ beautiful basketball that beat the Heatles in 2014) moved away from merely focusing on Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The system espoused ball movement, and Draymond Green said his initial puzzlement in a podcast hosted by JJ Redick: why move the ball around and reduce touches for the team stars?

Moving the ball around meant that even the non-stars got the opportunity to embrace their roles and earn their spots. It sparked energy to do good and embrace a sense of purpose beyond individual glory. With Curry being one of the most unselfish stars in basketball, the #StrengthInNumbers system allowed the Warriors to be a dynasty.

Why let my concern for non-performing students steal opportunities from those who seem to have more potential? Maybe this is precisely the vocation of a professor: to include the marginalized. To provide opportunities and light a fire in the unmotivated.

Perhaps in my frustrations, limitations, and immaturity, I fell to the trap of the “tyranny of the or”, preferring a certain segment over the other.

The message of lent is repentance, and God provides opportunities for lost sheep to seek Him. If I want to become like Christ as my Lourdesian education taught me, maybe I should embrace this mindset more. Provide opportunities, but do not spoonfeed.

In doing so, I pray that I can be more authentic in being a Lasallian educator: accompanying the least, the lost, and the last.


[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 63: MARCH 4, 2022]

We must learn to pay our dues before we can be the best version of ourselves

Luke 9:22-25. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?

“… he must deny himself and take up his cross daily…”

The season of lent is a reminder that suffering and sacrifice are mainstays in life. If God Himself underwent suffering and death, why should we humans be exempt or pray otherwise?

Instead of praying that we avoid suffering, isn’t it better to pray for grace to withstand suffering? We all have crosses to bear, and maybe it is better to pray for strength or to ask for our own Simon of Cyrene in helping us bear our crosses.

This season is also a reminder that we are not meant to live our lives based on instinct or the desires of the flesh alone. We have to honor our gifts of insight and discernment. We have to master ourselves instead of being slaves to our hunger and thirst.

It seems simple, but actually, it feels deeply profound to undertake a virtuous journey, a journey of authenticity, a quest to be the best version of ourselves. Our talents and tendencies differ, and therefore, we have different crosses to bear.

We must learn to pay our dues before we can be the best version of ourselves.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 62: MARCH 3, 2022]

Perception is real and the truth is not…?

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them

“Pictures or it didn’t happen.”

“Perception is real and the truth is not.”

Businesses spend millions on advertising and public relations, documenting their corporate philanthropy activities for the world to adore. Politicians spend millions (hopefully, private money and not public money) to campaign and produce highlight reels (hopefully, highlight “reals”).

In a sense, we live in a world where documentation and perception are very important. But the tragedy is when we reduce reality to mere perceptions, or hyperfocus on appearances without accounting for what may be unseen but remain true. It is easier to live in a world of appearances, perhaps because it’s easier to control and manufacture.

But is this the way we should live our lives? Chasing rewards?

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi had an insight about flow or being in the zone. This is when the activity is the reward in itself, akin to a performer losing one’s ego — becoming one with the act itself. How wonderful would it be if we could enter a state of “good flow”, as in, doing and being good for goodness’s sake?

… Could this be how we can approximate God as the True Good?

For Catholics, today is Ash Wednesday, and we show to the world a sign of our faith through the ashes on our foreheads. May we do this not for appearance’s sake, but for goodness’s sake.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 61: MARCH 2, 2022]

Should we do good to be rewarded?

Mark 10:28-31. Many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.

Should we do good to be rewarded?

The preaching is charity and unconditional love. My reservations about doing good because we want to be saved is that this reasoning is ultimately consequentialist; with regards to an anticipated reward. Isn’t this conditional?

Perhaps the message is simple yet profound: we should do good to be good. Doing good is to be authentic to who we are, embracing our natural curiosity and predisposition towards flourishing.

The story of the philosopher’s stone seems like a paradox: the one who lusts for the stone is most undeserving, yet the one who seeks but is reluctant and humble is the most deserving.

If we do things because we expect salvation and the eternal life after our worldly death, then this may distract us from the point of the commandment of love: love by default. Loving for loving’s sake.

I have a somewhat “uncomfortable” insight on faith: what it means to have faith is not to expect reward from the other who we have faith on. Expectation and entitlement dilutes gratitude.

Faith is about doing and being good without regards to consequences. The miracle is that if every person embraces this principle, then the world will be like the Kingdom of God. But humans inevitably have flaws; so the challenge:

Can we keep the faith, keep on loving, and keep on being good despite the flaws and suffering we will inevitably encounter? Are we willing to get uncomfortable?

If yes, then maybe we are truly one step closer towards salvation. Or at least, we honor who truly are: good.



[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 60: MARCH 1, 2022]