This article was originally published in Our Family magazine in March 2024
It has never happened that the author of this article, Matic Konc, a guest in today's People of Good Will, has been seen in a bad mood or with a frown.
Even if he may be pensive, worried for whatever reason, he very often finds a touch of humour in it, always looking for the rational, most sensible way to resolve the situation as simply as possible.
Originally from Gorenjska and now living near Sostro, one of Ljubljana's districts, he is a successful entrepreneur who continues the more than 30-year tradition of his father Ivo. With Smrekovit ointments and creams made from spruce resin, he relieves pain and helps many people. His education bridges both the pharmaceutical and sports fields. You can talk to him about anything—prayer and the media, recreation, politics and music, business and family life. At this stage of life, however, his greatest focus is his family with his wife Urška and their five sons.
The early hour
How does he manage? "I get up early and usually finish by early afternoon. When things pile up, I prefer to start work at 5 a.m. rather than drag it out into the afternoon. I am grateful to God that I have this opportunity. In my opinion, 'me time' is overrated," concludes the 40-year-old.
He means "me time" as in escaping from family into excessive sports, workaholism and the like. He works on the principle of "better a live dog than a dead lion" and sets realistic goals, otherwise he would burn out. He includes prayer in his working routine at every opportunity.
"Part of my work keeps my hands busy but leaves my mind free—for example, filling jars with ointments. During those times, I pray the rosary. I count the Hail Marys in my mind and, along with my other intentions, I add a prayer that the Lord may watch over my work," he says.
Matic Konc works to live, not the other way around
"I am truly grateful to have a job that I can easily do in line with my values. But I believe that any job can be done this way. In my opinion, one and the other are not mutually exclusive, as long as you follow only one Master. No one can serve two Masters: either he will hate one and love the other, or he will cling to one and despise the other. We cannot serve God and mammon (cf. Mt 6:24). It is probably greed in business life that can lead us away from our own values, if we do not recognise it and resist it."
"Time for yourself is overrated in my opinion"
"If you are constantly chasing profit, hiring, and expanding your business, you end up sleepless. My motto is that I work to live, I don’t live to work," says Matic, who has a very well-thought-out and, above all, experienced view on this.
"Multipractitioner"
Matic is a true "jack of all trades" in the company, which also employs a few freelancers. He is the director, owner, and a production worker all at once.
"Jesus is the Director, I'm just the Acting Director," he smiles, "I've recently come to a new realisation that this is indeed the case. I often say: 'Jesus, you're Jewish and you Jews are good with money. You'll know how to do this thing by now."
"Whenever possible, I try to spend time with my children in a way that is also enjoyable for me. Of course, it doesn't always work, but it's all the more fulfilling when it does.
There will be time for basketball, chess, reading and other similar activities that I love. Lately, I am very happy that my eldest son is ready to play basketball with me."
On solid ground
Not every day is rosy. He, too, is coming to understand what a midlife crisis means. Our interlocutor is also realising what a midlife crisis is. "When you are young, you have some ideals of what a family should look like, how we will pray together, how we will sing together at Christmas, how, if you observe your faith, your children will undoubtedly have the same faith, etc. But when you are 40 years old and the oldest children are in puberty, God puts you on real ground. He shows that things are far from ideal. That you are not the very good father you thought you were. I think at this point in your life, God expects you to humble yourself, to admit to yourself that only God is a good Father, that you are a bad parent, that we are all bad parents, but we should strive to try to be better every day than we were yesterday. It is probably the same with people who have no family.
A priest is likely to be challenged by the ideal of what a parish will be like under his leadership. Equally, he must admit to himself that his efforts are futile without God, that the parish may be rotten, whatever his efforts."
Make it last!
Matic leads the Omnes Unum choir in the parish of Sostro. "We begin every rehearsal with a short prayer and an invocation to Saint Cecilia, and it truly bears fruit. We have also broadened our repertoire. My personal favourites are African American spirituals and Taizé chants, but we also perform contemporary Christian music, since I try to take into account the musical tastes of the choir members. I enjoy it greatly, and may God grant that this story continues."
I try to leave the helm to the One who alone knows the way.
He and his wife talk a lot, weaving a precious marital relationship. "We try to pray at least one rosary every day, once a week before the Blessed Sacrament. Several times a day, when we pass each other, we hug and kiss, we have a nice word for each other, but I don't see it as coddling."
"Once a week, we pray the rosary with one other family before the Blessed Sacrament and receive Holy Communion. Most of the time it's just the adults, the children are not very enthusiastic about it - I am very happy when one of them is willing to pray at least ten rosaries with us. There I am spiritually recharged. Sometimes I am very moved by some thoughts from certain books, especially the Bible, The Way of Imperfection and Five Minutes with the Holy Spirit."
The Calvary that changed their lives
Matic Konc’s childhood was profoundly marked by the death of his brother Anže, who was killed in a bicycle accident at the age of 17: "I was only six at the time, so I didn’t experience it as an adult would, but it was a very significant event for our family. Before that we were an atheist family, but after this tragedy, my parents went through years of calvary and eventually found Jesus at the summit." He was baptised at the age of twelve, went to Confirmation with his father and consecrated himself to the Immaculate Heart of Mary: "My youth and early adulthood took me to all sorts of places, of course, but I never lost my faith."
Descent into Imperfection
Despite all the commitments, tasks, and challenges of life, Matic and his family always keep the most important thing in sight: "I try to hand over the helm to the One who alone knows the way. The key to this is praying the rosary, fasting, and making a daily effort to descend into my own imperfection—to recognise that without God I am nothing, and to strive to remain humble."
He points out, "It is utopian to think that man is in control of anything except his actions." Unfortunately, we have seen this quite concretely in our society in recent years, for example during the coronavirus epidemic or during the floods.
"I think it is essential to find humility in this," says Matic Konc. Let the unearthing of his many talents not end!
Lojze Grčman