vladimirgrebenar 
According to the teachings of the Church, the sacraments are visible signs of God’s invisible grace and always work according to the theological formula “ex opere operato”. In other words, it means that they act by themselves, that is, by the power of their holiness, with only one condition, that the rite of their assignment be performed in all things according to the rules of the Church. The sacramental grace ex opere operato works regardless of the state of mind of the one who has the power to share the sacraments. For example, a priest may be in grievous or mortal sin, but the sacraments he has given to people have Divine grace by the power of their holiness, not by the piety and spirituality of the priest who shares them.
Many people wonder how this is possible? But such an authoritative power of the sacramental rite according to God’s law bears great resemblance in examples such as may be found in human provisions and public laws. For example, a judge who renders a judgment may be extremely corrupt, a person who takes bribes or trades his influence, but his judgments must be enforced as long as he is a judge representing the state and the decisions he makes cannot be revoked by his dismissal. God is perfectly just and will not withdraw His promises or graces to the people, even if the priest sins gravely. That is why the priest is accountable to God, not to the people, for the state of his spirit and his ministry.
That is why many people who justify themselves by not wanting to go to Holy Mass on Sundays and holidays, or receiving the sacraments for the life of a priest, actually condemn themselves, because they justify with God that his Law and the teachings of the Church are not righteous. But, on the other hand, the same ones who measure by the measure of justice commit injustices in their lives and take more from society than they give. Instead of accepting God’s mercy and the grace bestowed by the Church on all priests in the sacraments, they themselves invoke the court of justice and argue with God by rejecting so much of God’s goodness and forgiveness.
The Lord Jesus warns us that the time of mercy has its end, and after it comes the time of righteous judgment. Man cannot survive before the judgment seat of God, the only way to be saved is to live according to the Decalogue, regular prayer, doing the will of God, the mercy of God and sacramental grace.
“The sacraments of the New Law were instituted by Christ; there are seven of them: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Order and Marriage. ”[1]
God speaks to man in his own way through sacramental grace in each of these sacraments. When it comes to daily life, work and entrepreneurial activity, the three sacraments are especially important: Baptism, Confession and the Eucharist.
“Holy baptism is the foundation of the whole Christian life, the entrance into the life of the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua) and the door that opens access to the other sacraments” (Catechism 1213).
If a person is baptized and does not have an intimate prayerful relationship with God, then baptism as a gracious gift of the Holy Spirit is completely blocked in that person. However, if it is open to the initiatives of the Spirit, baptism is the foundation and door of the human spirit through which it receives God’s inspirations and graces. A baptized man has the Holy Spirit in him and only because of that are some decisions during his life inspired by the Spirit. Of course, it is not enough to just be baptized, but you need to work on your personal growth and growth in faith.
Faith in God the Father revealed by the Lord Jesus by the Holy Spirit is not possible without baptism. Jesus is unequivocal and clear about the need to baptize all the nations of the world and to become Christians so that every man can do the will of God: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age ” (Mt 28:20).
When this commandment is placed in a real context, such as entrepreneurship, it is not possible for non-Christians to trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit in making business decisions. People who are not Christians can rely on their rational and natural abilities that are the same from God, but are at a lower level of knowledge than Christian spirituality that is influenced by the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a sacred benefit in entrepreneurship, but also in the daily life of all Christians.
That is why cultures and societies that are Judeo-Christian are so clearly different from societies influenced by other religions. The civilizational progress of the world as we know it was encouraged by Judeo-Christian civilization. If Christians were more Christians the way Jesus called us, the whole world would quickly become Christian! The responsibility for what people around the world believe in heresy is a reflection of our weak Christian faith and the lukewarm spread of the Good News.
Reconciliation or confession is such a grace that guarantees peace to the heart after confessing sins before a priest of the Church, because sin has brought unrest that one cannot live close to God and make decisions that are in accordance with God’s will. Business people often bring to the sacrament of confession intricate business relationships that cannot be unraveled rationally even after prayer and that make them restless and exhausting because they cannot discern whether they are unconsciously making a mistake before God.
However, even more God speaks in an extraordinary way through the priest and gives an answer that illuminates the whole situation and thus removes the burden from the one who begs forgiveness of his mistakes from the Church and gives him the peace he needs. For example, an entrepreneur denies paying taxes to the state by paying workers part of the wage on hand and another through the minimum wage to pay the minimum tax to the state. In this way, the state’s income for public needs is denied, but also the potential of the future pension to the worker is weak considering the minimum payment of contributions, which is not usually considered. Such a practice is certainly a sin before God and the state, and it violates Jesus’ command: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Mt 22:21).
Why did Jesus give such a command to disciples who cited excuses for not paying full taxes as many employers do today? Both complained about the injustice of the government and how it would be completely fair in those circumstances to be exempt from paying full taxes to the unfair government. But Jesus teaches us: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:20). Jesus sends the message that the blessing of the kingdom of heaven is greater and stronger than any injustice of any earthly authority.
In this way, Jesus says that God’s omnipotence and the influence of God himself are manifested in greater degrees of righteousness, who will not allow the righteous to fall, but God has promised for himself that the righteous will survive and the unrighteous will perish: “See, the rash have no integrity; but the just one who is righteous because of faith shall live” (Hab 2: 4). Therefore, a priest in confession by adhering to the Scriptures and allowing the Spirit to guide him can give clear advice to entrepreneurs that they must not violate public laws and withhold taxes from the state for fear of declining efficiency, but must pray harder, testify for God before workers and stakeholders. Trust more in God, who will only then give greater blessings in the work, because he promised that “the one who is righteous by faith will live” (Gal 3:11).
The Eucharist or Holy Communion is an extraordinary grace of union with God himself and immersion in the depths of God’s love through the eating of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The feelings during the reception of the Lord in this visible piece of the living Body of Jesus Christ and up to fifteen minutes after that act are the feelings of renewing life and receiving the grace of creative action in concrete life circumstances. God is the Creator, and we are like God in that ability He has given us, so by receiving the Body of Christ we actually receive creative power and inspiration for work and life: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (Jn 6:53-54).
For entrepreneurs and people who are creative, this sacrament is a source of inspiration for creative ideas and the strength of spirit to turn ideas into concrete results. The potential for entrepreneurial creativity and innovation can be greatly increased when the sacrament of the Eucharist is received in a humble heart. The inexhaustible power of this sacrament works as much as the man who receives it is humble and ready to do the will of God.
In other words, if the believer has an open heart to cooperate with Jesus through concrete life circumstances such as making business decisions, then receiving this sacrament has a great effect and thus God’s omnipotence is manifested in humble man. Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament and those who have an open heart for the word of God can hear the voice of Jesus who wants to speak to each of his children about specific life circumstances.[2]
[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, CROATIAN BISHOP’S CONFERENCE, Zagreb, 1994 (Catechism 1210).
[2] The article was published with minor changes in: Veritas. Glasnik Sv. Antuna Padovanskog. Croatian Province of St. Jerome of the Franciscan Conventuals. Zagreb. Sveti Duh 31. No. 4. April 2022. p. 30.