by Joe Bollig
joe.bollig@theleaven.org
WEA — Ray Reuter takes Chapter 5, Verses 16-18, of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians very seriously: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
Reuter, a member of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Wea, is the owner of Kaizen, Inc., a training, coaching, consulting and personal development company. Kaizen is a business philosophy that means “continuous improvement.”
If improvement can be continuous, so can prayer.
When he wakes up, he typically says three prayers: the Ignatian Suscipe, the Ignatian Generosity Prayer and the Prayer of Jabez. Next, he turns to the daily readings and reflection from the “Give Us This Day” prayer devotional. He and his wife Julie also embrace and pray together before they leave the house.
If exercising, he uses Hail Marys to count repetitions — one Hail Mary counting for roughly 25 reps.
And Reuter prays before all his meetings.
“If it’s a one-on-one coaching meeting, I at a minimum pray in advance of the appointment,” he said. “With several clients, we will pray either before or after the appointment together. Usually, after, I pray for the things that came up during our coaching session. If it’s a training situation, if at all possible, I will circle the training room three times [in honor of the Holy Trinity] in advance of the session.”
Prayer before all meals is a given, and when his head hits the pillow, it’s time for the Daily Examen.
Even using tech is a time for prayer.
“All my codes use a version of the Sign of the Cross,” he said. “So whenever I need to unlock the screen on my phone, iPad or whatever, I am praying the Sign of the Cross.”
