Workplace Spirituality: Finding God in Your Work

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Workplace SpiritualityFinding God in Your Work

• Mary Joseph Retreat Center
• Fr. Mark Bandsuch, S.J.

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Welcome
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Workplace Spirituality Hopes for Finding God in
Your Work

1. The retreat will introduce a Spirituality of Work
   as understood in Catholic Scripture, doctrine and
   tradition.
2. The retreat will take a closer look at the
   Spirituality of Work through the lens of cultural
   knowledge.
3. The retreat will allow reflection on ones
   personal and communal experience of workplace
   spirituality.
4. The retreat will offer a spiritual framework and
   practices for further growth in workplace
   spirituality.
5. Look, Listen, Learn and Love.

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Retreat Schedule Workplace Spirituality

• 1000 Welcome and Opening Prayer
• 1005 1st Talk Constructing a Spirituality of
  Work from perspective of Catholic Scripture
  Tradition Values
• 1030 Individual Reflection/Prayer
• 1050 Group Sharing
• 1115 2nd Talk Deconstructing Workplace
  Spirituality via lens of Cultural Knowledge
  Practices Relationships
• 1135 Individual Reflection/Prayer
• 1200 Group Sharing
• 1230 Lunch
• 100 3rd Talk Reconstructing Workplace
  Spirituality in light of Personal Experience
  Vocation and Calling
• 130 Individual Reflection/Prayer
• 200 Group Sharing and Final Questions
• 230 Eucharistic Liturgy
• 300 Closing Prayer and Departure
• Director available for brief meetings
• during prayer periods

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Workplace Spirituality

• 1st Talk Constructing a Spirituality of Work
• from perspective of Catholic Scripture Tradition
  
• Values and Beliefs
• 2nd Talk Deconstructing Workplace Spirituality
• via lens of Cultural Knowledge
• Practices Relationships
• 3rd Talk Reconstructing Workplace Spirituality
• in light of Personal and Communal Experience
• Vocation and Calling

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Opening Prayer

• Dear Lord,
• I beg for your grace that
• all my intentions, actions, and operations,
• all my thoughts, words, deeds, and (even)
• all my innermost motives, desires emotions
• be directed purely and completely to
• the praise, reverence, service, and LOVE
• of you and others.

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1st Talk Constructing a Spirituality of WORK
from the perspective of Catholic Scripture
Tradition

• Spirituality
• Work
• Workplace Spirituality
• Spirituality of Work in
• Catholic Scripture and Tradition
• Ignatian Contemplatio to Attain Love
• ?s

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Spirituality A Brief Pre-Note

• Religion Creed, Code, Cult and Community based
  on a Transcendent Other
• Spirit the word spirit (ruah in Hebrew and
  pneuma in Greek) implies essentialism and
  dynamism of God, humanity or its subject)
• Spirituality beliefs (values), rituals
  (practices) and community (relationships) in
  connection with an ultimate value (God, nature,
  money, etc..)
• Workplace Spirituality is the way of being,
  believing (values and morality), behaving
  (rituals and practices) and relating (community
  and relationships as to work in relation to an
  ultimate value or purpose

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Of Work A Brief Pre-Note

• Work encompasses all forms of creative effort
  of mind, body and soul to impact the world
• Work Manifestations includes manual labor,
  intellectual research, professional practice,
  family responsibilities, community service, and
  more
• Work Essence may be the essential and dynamic
  component of our creative energies
• Work Quality the above concept of work may mean
  that we could sometimes perform a job or other
  tasks without it really reaching the level of work

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Spirituality of Work in Scripture

• The word Labor and Work in Hebrew (melaka) and
  Greek (ergazomai) contained multiple and mixed
  (positive and negative) meanings from a very
  early time
• God labored (and labors) in Creation (Gen. 22)
• Humanitys first labor was and IS to work with
  God in creation (Gen. 126-28, 215)
• Gods work was and is good (GN 131)
• Work was NOT a punishment for original sin, but
  sometimes difficult and unrewarding work was a
  consequence (Gen. 316-19)
• The word labor used for challenging work and the
  pains of childbearing (a result of sin) (Gen.
  316-19)

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Spirituality of Work in Scripture

• Yet, work was still honored as good (Pr.
  3113-27, Ex 3520 God inspires the Temple
  maker)
• The rest of the Sabbath highlights the value of
  work
• Mtt. 1128-29 (Come to me those who are weary)
• Jesus labored as carpenter, disciples as
  fishermen, Paul as tentmaker
• Idleness is a sin
• We are co-workers with God in building the
  Kingdom (Rom.163-12), just as Jesus, the Son, is
  a co-worker with the Father (Jn 517)

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Catholic Social Teaching about Work

• Slavery and oppressive treatment of workers an
  issue of Jewish and early Christian history
• Industrialization created an oppression and
  devaluation of humanity that led to a Christian
  demand for justice
• Rerum Novarum (1891)
• Work both penitential and fulfilling
• Partnership between owners management with
  employees (like that of God and humanity)
• Quadreagesimo Anno (1931)
• Mater et Magistra (1961)
• Principle of subsidiarity encourages freedom and
  responsibility in the workplace
• Inherent dignity of work and worker
• Rights and Responsibilities of Workers
• Gaudium eet Spes (1965)
• Co-creators and stewards with God
• Work as source of charity and common good
• Populorum Progressio (1967)
• Laborex Exercens (1981)
• Centisimus Annus (1991)
• Economic Justice, Solidarity with all humanity,
  Option for the poor

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One Jesuits View of WorkIgnatian Contemplatio
to Attain Love
Gods creation of world for us, All good gifts
come from God Consider how God dwells in all
creatures, in the elements, giving them
existence, in plants, giving them life, in the
animals, giving them sensation (SE, 235) and of
course in human beings God continues to labor and
work for us in all creatures, elements, plants,
fruits, cattle, heavens (conserving and
concurring) people
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Reflection Suggestions Three Questions

1. What thoughts and emotions do the different
   scriptural readings on work evoke in you?
2. With which scriptural perspective of work do you
   most identify? And why? With which one do you
   want to be able to identify? Why?
3. Which of the primary principles of Catholic
   Social Teaching most resonate with your work
   experience? What do you do at work that
   really seems to coincide with Catholic Social
   Teaching? What suggestions do you have for
   things to do at work to help cultivate Catholic
   Social Teaching?

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?Questions?
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Group Sharing

• Please share with the group something in relation
  to each of the reflection questions.
• Please give each person a chance to share within
  the given time.
• You may take the questions one at time (giving
  each person a chance to say something before
  going on to the next question),
• Or you may have each person address each question
  before moving on to the next person.
• Look, listen, learn and love.

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2nd Talk Deconstructing Workplace Spirituality
via lens of Cultural Knowledge Practices
Relationships

• Philosophy and Theology
• Social Sciences and Natural Sciences
• Organizational Behavior, Positive Psychology,
  Human Resource Management
• Personal and Organizational Levels Values
  (beliefs)
• Practices (rituals)
• Relationships (Community)
• All three dimensions of spirituality should be
  employed in a clear, coordinated, comprehensive
  and continuous manner.

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Theologians on Work

• Post-Biblical Tradition saw work as a way to
  develop virtues, more than good in itself
• Penitential view of work still remains due to
  experience of work (but does not dominate due to
  good experience of work)
• Work is the classroom for our relationship with
  God and one another (both a conduit and
  foreshadowing of the Kingdom)
• Monastic life showed work in balance with prayer
  and intellect
• Industrialization created an oppression and
  devaluation of humanity that led to a Christian
  demand for justice
• Work, like all aspects of life, is infused by the
  grace of God
• And we are called to share in and cooperate with
  Gods grace through work
• We are co-creators with God of the many
  incredible goods of this world
• Work is way to self-realization, it helps form
  who we are and who meant to be (realize our
  potential)
• Work is intended for the good of humanity (not
  individual consumption)

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Workplace Spirituality
Workplace Spirituality

• Workplace Spirituality
• is the way of being, believing (values and
  morality),
• behaving (rituals and practices) and
• relating (community and relationships)
• as to work
• in connection with an ultimate value or purpose
  (God or Other)

Ultimate Value
Values/Beliefs
Practices/Activities
Relationships/Community
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Workplace Spirituality Personal and
Organizational Levels

• Personal and Organizational Values, Practices and
  Relationships interact in the Workplace
• Personal Spirituality is somewhat integrated into
  the workplace
• Organizational Culture and Climate influences the
  workers
• The interaction results in a workplace
  spirituality (whether knowingly cultivated and
  managed or not)

Organizational
Personal
Workplace Spirituality
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Workplace Spirituality Values

• mission statements, codes of conduct, company
  histories, advertising campaigns
• Mercks stated purpose is to preserve and
  improve human life,
• The H-P Way aspires to make technical
  contributions for the advancement and welfare of
  humanity

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Workplace Spirituality Practices

• Workplace Spirituality Practices practices that
  cultivate the fundamental values
• Hiring for mission
• Inculturating orienting and establishing values
  
• Reinforcing solidifying and evolving through
  rewards, punishments and assessment
• Ritual - Sacred gesture with sacred object in
  sacred place at sacred time with sacred meaning

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Workplace Spirituality Practices HIRING

• Hiring for Mission
• Hiring people that share from beginning in values
  
• Dollar General has devised an unusual interview
  process, which includes candidates writing their
  own personal mission statement (Marcic, 2000,
  198).
• Procter and Gamble uses an exhaustive
  application and screening process implemented by
  an elite cadre of interviewers who have been
  selected and trained extensively via lectures,
  videotapes, films, practice interviews and role
  plays to identify applicants who will
  successfully fit in at P and G (Robbins, 1993,
  610).

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Workplace Spirituality Practices TRAINING

• Inculturating orienting and establishing the
  values through formal (culture) and informal
  (climate) rules and activities
• Production of objects (e.g., company products,
  official reports, internal newsletters,
  buildings) engagements in organizational events
  (e.g., meetings, company picnics, award banquets,
  office parties) participation in discourse
  (e.g., formal speeches, informal conversation,
  joking).
• Service days, retreats, conferences, training
  programs

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Workplace Spirituality Practices OBJECTS

• Ritual - Sacred gesture with sacred object in
  sacred place at sacred time with sacred meaning

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Workplace Spirituality Practices REWARDS

• Rewards Reinforcing and solidifying and
  evolving through rewards, punishments and
  assessment
• Example Practices Include compensation based on
  adhering to company values, employee of the month

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Workplace Spirituality Relationships Leadership

• Leadership
• Influence of leaders on values
• Formal and Informal leaders

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Workplace Spirituality Relationships Co-Workers

• Treatment of Employees is critical to
  establishing environment
• Southwestern
• Firms that provide childcare, eldercare, job
  sharing, flex-time, sabbaticals and leaves,
  social events, picnics and parties, exercise and
  dining facilities help employees feel valued as
  members of a community
• Ownership and input

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Workplace Spirituality Relationships Other
Stakeholders

• Other Stakeholders
• Customers and others you serve and help or who
  serve and help you
• Community outreach
• Trinity and Church as community

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Reflection Suggestions Three Questions

1. What are the primary values in your workplace?
   What are your primary values as to
   work? Do the values correspond or conflict?
2. What are activities or practices that your work
   does that seem to correspond with the above work
   values? What practices seem to conflict
   with them?
3. What values do the leaders in your workplace seem
   to convey, embody and manifest? What type of
   values do your peers and other employees seem to
   convey? What type of values do other
   stakeholders (like customers, suppliers, or the
   community seem to convey and manifest?

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Workplace Spirituality Quiz?

• Q1. On my way to work, I
• 1. Walk with a spring in my step. I look forward
  to it.2. Stroll. I like work but I'm in no hurry
  to get there.3. Practically sleepwalk. Another
  day, another dollar.4. Trudge. Agony awaits.
  Q2. I work late hours
• 1. Too often. Help!2. When necessary. Ugh.3.
  All the time. I can't get enough.4. Rarely.
  Life's too short. Q3. My job generally
• 1. Gives me the opportunity to use my whole self
  -- mind, spirit, and imagination.2. Challenges
  me but leaves little room for creativity.3.
  Wears me out.4. Makes me wonder why I was
  born.Q4. At dinner with friends, I
• 1. Talk about work with pride and enthusiasm.2.
  Share the ups and downs of my workday.3. Mostly
  vent about work.4. Who wants to talk about work
  after hours?

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Workplace Spirituality Quiz?

• Q5. The song title that comes closest to
  representing my relationship to my coworkers is
• 1. Welcome to the Jungle (Guns N' Roses)2. You
  Can't Always Get What You Want (Rolling
  Stones)3. With a Little Help From My Friends
  (Beatles)4. Good Vibrations (Beach Boys) Q6.
  My spiritual practice or faith
• 1. Is an uplifting part of my workday
  routine.2. Can be a lifesaver in difficult
  moments at work, but doesn't help me with the
  daily grind.3. Supports me in my personal life
  work is another story.4. I never pray, meditate,
  or even just take a deep breath at work. Q7. In
  long meetings, I fantasize about
• 1. Taping "kick me" signs on my boss.2.
  Anything but work.3. That cool project I want to
  do.4. Actually, I enjoy engaging in meetings.
  Q8. My job
• 1. Is a perfect match for my soul's desires.2.
  Isn't perfect but gives me room to express myself
  and grow.3. Is nothing special but enables me to
  do the stuff I really care about.4. Is a way to
  pay the bills.

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Workplace Spirituality Quiz Results.

• Here's how to interpret your score
• 8 - 15 Yikes! Your soul is starving. Drop
  everything and try to meditate or pray. Then
  apply these tips to that job search you should be
  doing...
• 16 - 23 Mixed results. Your soul is managing,
  but there's room for improvement. You can try
  thinking of your current situation as spiritual
  practice, or try probing deeper to find your true
  calling.
• 24 - 32 Congratulations! Your soul is inspired
  by work. Share with others what you're grateful
  for.

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?Questions?
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Group Sharing

• Please share with the group something in relation
  to each of the reflection questions.
• Please give each person a chance to share within
  the given time.
• You may take the questions one at time (giving
  each person a chance to say something before
  going on to the next question),
• Or you may have each person address each question
  before moving on to the next person.
• Look, listen, learn and love.

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3rd Talk Reconstructing Workplace Spirituality
in light of Personal Experience Vocation and
Calling

• Gods work of creation, salvation, and
  glorification.
• Vocation and Calling
• Ignatian Examination of Blessings
• What is your Spirituality of Work?

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Workplace Spirituality Gods Work of Creation,
Salvation and Glorification

• Gods entire essence and activity is an
  outpouring of love directed at humanitys
  creation, salvation and glorification.

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People (others, poor, self)

• Created in the image and likeness of God (GN
  126-31 Ps 13913-18)
• Forgiveness and Redemption and Salvation -
• Gift of Holy Spirit and Temple of Spirit (Rm 55,
  catechism)
• Children of God (RM 814-17)
• Brothers and Sisters of Christ
• Glorification (1 Cor 1549, RM 828-30)
• Poor and less fortunate (Mtt 542, 108,
  2531-40, Lk 620-22)

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Workplace Spirituality Vocation and Calling

• Vocation was initially rooted in language to be
  called by God to serve God directly as religious,
  etc.
• Abram, Moses, Saul, David, Isaiah (491),
  Jeremiah, Peter, Paul, disciples (mk 116-20)
• Human vocation find fulfillment
• Christian vocation - Universal call to holiness,
  service and love rooted in baptism
• Specific vocation individuals unique way of
  using unique gifts to love and serve God and
  others (including in work) (Jn 2115-19)
• We are each called to individually and communally
  cooperate with and contribute to Gods activity
  of and plan for creation, salvation, and
  glorification of humanity.
• The early Christian Church began to use the same
  words for religious ministry (preaching, etc.)
  that were used for manual labor (i.e., good works
  of Jesus and of his disciples).
• Evil works of the flesh (Gal. 519-21)
• Good works rooted in and reflection of the grace
  of God

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A Response to Gods CallIgnatian 1st Principle
and Foundation and Preparatory Prayer

• Dear Lord, I beg for your grace that
• all my intentions, actions, and operations,
• all my thoughts words, deeds, and (even)
• all my innermost motives, desires and emotions
• be directed purely and completely to
• the praise, reverence, service, and LOVE of you
  and others.

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Love and Serve God and OTHERS

• 1 JN 4 7-12, MTT 2235-40,
• 1Cor 124-7, 31, 131-7
• Remember, focus, surrender (suffer)
• Goodness, presence, humility
• Gratitude, trust, obedience
• Praise, reverence, service
• Hope, faith, charity (generosity -shares what one
  has with those in need, what and when they want
  and need it)
• Joy, peace, love, (inclusive)
• Patience, forgiveness, kindness
• love ought to manifest itself more by deeds than
  by words
• Especially to the poor
• MTT 2531-40 Const. 250

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Love Yourself

• Dont forget how much you are loved by God
• Ps 13913-18
• Love yourself
• Allow yourself to accept love from God and others
• Let yourself be loved

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Ignatian Considerations of the States of Life
Advice on how to use ones experience to choose
best how to praise, love, and serve God and
others in imitation of Christ, under the standard
of Christ, in all humility and poverty, in your
work and all aspects of your life.

1. Unquestionable and Confirmed Mystical Experience
2. Clarity and knowledge from a period of
   discernment involving consolations and
   desolations
3. In utmost tranquility and freedom (indifference),
   utilize the gift of reason under utility, rights,
   justice care, and other
4. How would you advise a good friend (or stranger)
   for whom you want nothing but the best
5. Imagine being at the point of death, what choice
   would you have wished you made and done
6. Imagine standing before God and the heavenly
   court on judgment day, what choice would you hope
   you have wanted to make

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Discernment of Gods Will and of Spirits and
Spiritual Consolation

• Courage, strength, consolations, tears, genuine
  happiness, tranquility, inspirations to do good
  (to love God and others in actions)
• Not about just feeling good (consolation can be
  attributed to some challenging emotions like
  grief, regret)
• An increase in hope, faith, charity, joy and love
  that attracts person to do good (love God and
  others in actions)
• Luke 2427-34 again

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Ignatian Examination of Blessings

• Finding God Video (1 Kings 1911-14)
• Look, Listen, Learn, Love
• Blessings particular to one owns life
• all good gifts come from God
• Recall all the personal gifts and talents that
  God has bestowed upon you
• Recall the gifts of creation, forgiveness,
  redemption and glorification
• Recall the special people that God has placed in
  your life
• Recall those special moments of blessing in your
  life
• Recall those places that were sacred and special
  to you
• Reflect on life and ordinary events of day to
  recall moments that God was present in your life,
  communicating Gods love and care to you
• Respond to God for all of these gifts in
  gratitude and love or as your heart feels moved

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Material for Reflection/Prayer

• Ask God for the grace to recall the blessings in
  your life
• Reflect on your life (year to year, major
  periods, occasions, people) and recall the
  blessings in your life in connection with work,
  experiences, people
• Reflect on life, work and ordinary events of day
  to recall moments that God was present in your
  life, communicating Gods love and care to you
• Respond accordingly
• Luke 2427-34 again
• Write down on a sheet of paper any blessings that
  you want to thank God for

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Material for Reflection/Prayer

• What blessings have I experienced with and in my
  work?
• What values (gifts and talents) with work have
  been a blessing?
• What activities (events, experiences, creations,
  and developments) with work have been a blessing?
• What relationships with work (friends and those
  you help and serve or who help you) have been a
  blessing?
• Thank God for these blessings or pray to God as
  moved.
• This is a glimpse of your Spirituality of Work.
• 2. What have I done for God and Others with my
  work?
• What am I am doing for God and Others with my
  work?
• What do I hope to do for God and others with my
  work?
• Focus on the positive.
• You have done, continue to do, and will do very
  much good for God and Others.

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?Quick Questions?
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Group Sharing

• Please share with the group something in relation
  to each of the reflection questions.
• Please give each person a chance to share within
  the given time.
• You may take the questions one at time (giving
  each person a chance to say something before
  going on to the next question),
• Or you may have each person address each question
  before moving on to the next person.
• Look, listen, learn and love.

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Final Questions
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Workplace Spirituality

• 1st Talk Constructing a Spirituality of Work
• from perspective of Catholic Scripture Tradition
  
• Values and Beliefs
• 2nd Talk Deconstructing Workplace Spirituality
• via lens of Cultural Knowledge
• Practices Relationships
• 3rd Talk Reconstructing Workplace Spirituality
• in light of Personal and Communal Experience
• Vocation and Calling

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Eucharistic Liturgy

• Readers
• Eucharistic Ministers
• Music
• Homily
• Petitions

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Workplace SpiritualityFinding God in Your Work

• Thank You and May God Bless You!
• Fr. Mark Bandsuch, S.J.