FAMILY MATTERS

I just don't understand how being a Christian has anything to do with one's job. I can see that I should be honest, and I can see how it impacts my personal life and my family life. But business is business and what does religion have to do with it?

We are tempted to see the spiritual as divorced or tangential to the reality of everyday work. It's as if we're saying to God: “Thanks for all you've done; I'll take it from here. Should I get into a tough spot, you'll be the first person I call.”

Handing God the Don't call me; I'll call you dismissal is a frequent covert temptation. It's a way to relegate God to the margins of your life. Just as we think we shouldn't mix business with friendship, we figure we shouldn't mix the faith with our professional lives.

That perspective sees the “spiritual” as irrelevant to the “practical.” An analogous situation is where successful business pros don't want to worry about anything other than making their mark, winning more business and keeping enough customers happy. They dismiss other work aspects as “soft skills” that don't mean anything. They think that the soft skills like communications, interpersonal abilities and fairness are niceties that are not critical to the bottom line.

But if a sharp, otherwise-successful person starts to communicate sloppily, hurting people in the process, the bad manners can cost him his current position or worse.

Just so, failing to integrate spiritual considerations with our business life can seriously compromise our effectiveness. So how can Christ be a player in that arena? If we're going to be practical, don't we have to keep religion out of it?

But Christ was practical. After all, he has a very specific mission that has to be carried out in time, amidst extreme resistance. In Matthew 7:21 he tells us that the virtues of doing his will are that we too become wise and practical. We don't become practical if we ignore his will. We have to do his will, which makes Christ present, in order to be practical and wise.

Otherwise we live our life with a shaky, sand-like foundation instead of the solid rock that is Christ. This practical wisdom is a product of building our lives on Christ, the rock. Anything else is unsteady, no matter how inviting.

Living out the will of God doesn't always translate into powerful profits, great leadership or tremendous economic growth — though it can. But it does provide a steadiness that builds competence and confidence. And those traits are surely assets in the business world. Ditto honesty, integrity, charity and dedication.

That's why the most prudent saw-sharpening we can do may be a 15-minute daily meditation on the Gospels. The most energizing motivational meeting might be a noon Mass. The best consultation could occur in spiritual direction. And a critical aspect of preparation for that oral presentation could be the Holy Spirit prayer.

Art Bennett is director of Alpha Omega Clinic (aoccs.org).