A different take on business.
Any comments?
1. In my experience, if you behave in a Christian manner at work, it makes a difference and people notice. You don’t have to be annoying about it. Just make it known who you are. I have a friend who used to represent injured workers trying to get disability. She told them up front that she was a Christian and would be praying for them. Not one ever objected. Soon, other attorneys started pulling her aside before hearings and asking if she would pray for some situation they were in or ask her thoughts on a moral issue. I had the same thing happen to me in my office life, which was some years ago. People knew I was a practicing Catholic, and occasionally, they would slip into my office, close the door and tell me they had something they needed to run by me, since they knew I was Christian. I worked in government, so it was officially a secular workplace, but many people of faith were there, and it helped to have that in common. I have good memories of going to mass together during lunchtime on Holy Days of Obligation, dragging with us some of the most lapsed and “cafeteria” Catholics.
2. I must mention that my brother, a former small business owner, gave up on doing business with people who used the Christian fish symbol in their business cards or brochures. He said, instead of it being a sign of above average integrity, it was a sign that, when it was time for them to pay the bill, they were going to say, “please cut me some slack, dude, after all, we’re all Christians here.” There’s probably a Scripture quote about people like that, but I don’t know what it would be.
3. Our parish has a business networking group. They host Sunday donuts occasionally. I doubt they do anything as far as developing a spirituality of work. I once met a Legionaries of Christ priest who said he wanted to talk to me about the Catholic faith in the workplace. I never got around to having that conversation. I think I was concerned that he was going to talk about Opus Dei, a direction which I am not attracted to. I wonder if there are some great books for reflection or growth of our faith in the work context.