I went to a local business recently, and was blown away by the service. Everyone was courteous, professional, friendly. It was a standout. When I was there, a man came into the store who looked homeless, and preceded to sit down and empty the contents of his bag out on the floor. He then put on surgical gloves and got a needle out. An employee walked over to him and calmly asked him what he was doing. While they were speaking, a Sheriff’s car pulled up and two officers came in. The employee helped put all the contents of the bag back as the officers escorted the man out of the building.
            After everyone had left, I went over to speak to a man who appeared to be the manager and asked him what had happened. He told me that sometimes after patients from a local psychiatric hospital are released without place to go, they end up at his business. He shared with me four different examples of four different ways he has handled similar incidents in the past. They were very colorful stories! He said:
            Today’s case was a bit extreme. When there’re drugs or a weapon involved, I don’t engage the person directly—but rely on the police to handle it. Because I feel like I’m not dealing with the person as much as I am with the mental illness or drugs. But the first thing I do is pray. I ask God to give me the wisdom to respond the best way possible. The goal is the safety of my customers and staff, but I want to do what I can for them.
       If the person seems reasonable and ‘here’ [he waved his hands over his eyes], I’ll ask them what kind of help they need or if I can help them out. And I ask them to consider inviting Jesus into their life. But if they are in a psychotic state or high, and realize that I am not dealing with the person, as I said, I don’t go there, I just pray.
            “Well,” I said, “this place breathed with your faith the moment I walked in. You can feel it. Thank you for making a place like this for your customers.” He thanked me and said that he has owned this business for nearly twenty years. “I love what I do and try to hire people who love working with us.” We then went on and talked a bit about the abysmal state of mental health care in Florida.
            Two weeks before this, I had a similar experience at a car repair shop. I went there because it had an excellent reputation for service and for being honest. I got into a conversation with the owner as I waited on my car and asked him how he had built the reputation that brought me to his shop. He said:
            I stated working for a local family-owned business, but when they got bought out by a national company I decided to start my own shop. They had lost that feel of family, and of caring for their customers. It became all about profit margins. Since leaving, I have worked hard for over thirty years at trying to keep the family feel, giving customers what they need, and making sure my employees see this as their business. I tell them, our success depends on each of us doing our part. An employee who doesn’t do his part drags everybody down with him. We can have a happy work place if everyone is all-in, motivating each other. The guys push each other, tease each other, we have each other’s back.
            As we were speaking, he said, “Excuse me, I have to make a call.” He called a local restaurant and asked what the daily special was that day. Then he yelled out into the garage area where the men were working on cars and yelled, “Hey guys, the special today is beef brisket. Who wants some?” After they’d answer, he told the person on the phone the order and then hung up. I said, “Do you order food for them often?” He said, “Yeah, like once a week I buy everyone a nice hot lunch for a job well done. Like I said, we’re family. God’s been good to me. I want to spread it around.”
            As I was preparing for Mass reflecting on these two men, I couldn’t but help thinking of that line from Lumen Gentium #34: “Thus, as those everywhere who adore in holy activity, the laity consecrate the world itself to God.” I left each of those business uplifted by their contagious consecration.