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This article gives ideas and suggestions as to
how the Catholic teaching, "charity begins at home", can be practiced
and extended to the setting of a Catholic family business.
- Charity is of God's Spirit
- The advantage of everyone being Catholic
- Charity expressed in generosity of help
- Charity expressed in generosity of goods
- Charity expressed in generosity of service
- Charity expressed in self-sacrifice
- Charity expressed in listening
- Charity expressed in service to the parish
- Charity expressed in acts of mercy
- Charity expressed in "denying oneself, taking up one's
cross, and following Christ"
Charity is of God's Spirit
Since charity has its source in God, then the way to obtain this
spiritual fruit is through a life of prayer. Fr. Peyton always
tells us through his Family Rosary Crusade that "the family that
prays together, stays together." And true to our experience as
Catholics, when we place God and prayer above everything we do,
charity shall be the spirit that will lead the family more and more
towards faith and hope in God. When the family embarks on its
work as a Catholic family business, it is not really the
money that will bind them together, nor the ties of blood that
they share with one another; rather, it is the spirit of charity
that they share in their common faith as a Catholic family,
journeying together in laughter and tears, in fights and peace-making,
in sorrow and joy, in hard times and prosperity, in problems
and good times, and in sickness and health, that will eventually
help the family progress and develop, both in spiritual and
material terms.
The advantage of everyone being Catholic
It is an established fact, although it does not always apply
to all, that when a family is totally Catholic, there is a
greater direction for it to become "of one mind and of one
heart". This reality helps the family to know how they
are to be governed by a common morality, a common set of
values, and an ethic which they can apply to their Catholic
family business. When members of the family need to make
decisions with regard to anything within the home or as
regards the Catholic family business, having a set of
norms from the Church to guide them in decision-making is
important. Even if they disagree with certain points
of a problem or issue that needs their attention, what
eventually would be the common ground for arriving at
a common solution is often rooted in the very morality in
which the family was born, brought up, developed and
continuously taught: Catholic ethics.
Charity expressed in generosity of help
When there is a spirit of mutual help in the home or
household, it is likely that this spirit shall also
extend itself to the Catholic family business. Problems
usually occur in the home, and in the family business,
when the spirit of mutual help decreases, or is
undermined by the thinking: "what will it cost me?"
When members of the family always think of helping
"without counting the cost", then this spirit will
give life to the spirit of charity that has really
given birth to the family in the first place. It
is especially the elders of the family,
who have the responsibility, as it were, to
keep the "fire of charity" burning
in the home. And when the "fire of charity" dwells
in the home, this extends very much into the services
done to customers and clients of the Catholic family
business.
Charity expressed in a generous giving of goods
This is perhaps the best expression of charity that
everyone understands: generosity in giving and in sharing
material goods. In the Acts of the Apostles, we are
told that the first community of Christians were made
"one in heart and one in mind" through their common
prayer (Acts 2:1). As they were praying and living as one,
the Spirit came down upon them and inspired them to
an even greater charity: that of faith in Christ
and the willingness to give their very lives to
witness to his teaching and truth. Also, they had so much trust
in God that they saw their possessions in light of
those who had less or none. Eventually, they gave of their
many possessions, to those who had less, until everyone
in the community was not in want. It is this spirit
practiced by that first Christian community in the
Acts of the Apostles that we are called to imitate
in the family and in the operations of the Catholic
family business. Its practical application in the
family business, must not of course, be to the extent
of "giving away the business" or "making the business
a losing proposition". One must also be aware of
the accounts of the business and the demands of
a business venture.
Charity expressed in generosity of service
This is perhaps the expression of generosity that
anyone can do, as it involves our health and strength.
What is important though, is that we do not compromise
our health or strength for the long-run or the long-term.
We can give of ourselves so totally to each other in
the family, and to the customers and clients of our
Catholic family business, but we should do so if
we know that we will not be damaging ourselves - in
a way that will not make us serve longer years! Let us
not exert ourselves so much in the short-term, if
in our doing so will only cost us little money. What is
more important is to decide always to extend our
generosity in a way that will stabilize the family
and its business enterprise for the longer term. If
we do so, we will be providing not only a legacy
of service to the younger generations of the family,
but also to our customers and clients, who
eventually may be interested to "franchise" our
Catholic family business style and continue that legacy
of service in their own families.
Charity expressed in self-sacrifice
This is perhaps the hardest expression of charity
to be practiced in the family. Usually, everyone
in the family is tempted to seek his or her own good.
When this happens, the foundation of love from which the
family is built, is very much undermined. This
direction will not also make the Catholic family
business work. However, when the direction of family
members is towards the good of the other, then
the family's situation and its business enterprise
will be directed always towards the solution.
Self-seeking activities will always lead the
family to degeneration, ruin, and eventually,
to disintegration. If every one will seek what
is good not only for himself, but also what is
good for the other, then this direction of charity
will help bond family members together and make
the Catholic family business more cohesive in spite
of hard times or despite downward financial trends.
Charity is expressed in listening
One cause of problems in the family and in the
family business is when family members stop
listening to each other. When this happens,
the communication process is often only one-way:
each one talks and wants to have his word said.
This is very dangerous. In reality, it is a
volatile situation. It can lead to great conflict
and strife within the family. And if the family
nucleus is in itself burdened with conflicts and
strife, then its Catholic family business
extension will suffer also much from this. The
Catholic family business has its branches rooted
in the family members. If family members do not
listen to one another, then what would prevent
them from not listening also to their clients
and customers? The solution then is to always
be open and have an attitude of listening to the
other. In this frame of mind and heart, we are
more attuned to the pains, the aches, and the
problems of the other: both in the family and
in the Catholic family business. So, it is always
good to check on our ability to listen. Listening
solves many, many problems: others, clients and
customers, and also our own.
Charity is expressed in service to the parish
A family is bonded well by its connection to the
Catholic Church. For a family to gain the understanding
that true service and true generosity lies in that
which "seeks nothing in return", it needs to volunteer
its services to a Catholic parish. This is the kind of
service and generosity that will truly purify all the
services and generosity that is being practiced in the
family and in the Catholic family business. Although
not all members may be inclined to such service, if just
a few of the family members readily give their services
in utter generosity and charity, then this is enough
for the family to gain that right spirit of charity
and generosity that is needed to build and develop
itself and its Catholic family business. Giving oneself
to God in this service to the Catholic parish may take
many forms. It is up to those family members who take
up this parish service, to balance their time with the
parish obligations, the family obligations, and the
obligations and responsibilities of the Catholic
family business they operate.
Charity is expressed in acts of mercy
There is a saying that says: "Love is never having
to say you're sorry". This works for families who
express more their actions through deeds of
service and acts of generosity. It is a reality
that not all the time, every one is in good stead
with each other. Communication sometimes, and often
times, breaks down. When this happens, feelings
get hurt, actions are misunderstood, words are
misinterpreted, and many, many more things that
create communication gaps and lack of understanding.
The way to revert this of course is to talk it out.
But the best way of communicating, is to perform
acts of mercy and of charity in the family. Actions,
in a way, speak louder than words. Now, this is also
true for the Catholic family business. And this is
more important, because family members do not have
as much contact and interaction with customers
as they do with each other. It is thus very
important to express, in a strong way, but
very sincerely and humbly, acts of mercy and
kindness to our customers: especially when we
have wronged them or feel that they may have
been slighted by our word or action in the
business transaction.
Charity expressed in "denying oneself, taking up
one's cross, and following Christ"
This is perhaps the epitome of what has all been
said above. It is the perfect charity by which all
of us are called to practice and do. It is not
easy, but it is possible. What makes it possible
is our attitude. Let us always take up that
Catholic attitude that will strengthen our family
bonds and stabilize our Catholic family business
for the younger generations. When we follow this
spirit and ideal, we need to translate it also
into the practical world and business way of thinking.
It does not mean that we have to follow it until
our business is bled dry by too much generosity
and charity. We also have to admit that there is
a limitation to the business system that makes
charity stunted in its spirit when applied to
our Catholic family business. We have to be humble
to accept that a business is not only spirit but
also a system that engages tangible assets. But we
need both: the spirit and the tangible assets.
What we can do, is to operate and lead the business
in a way that institutionalizes the spirit of
charity, but also safeguards the tangible assets
so as not to lead the business towards a downward
financial loss. Let us not forget that old
Catholic maxim and adage, "It is in giving that
we receive." And this holds true also for our
Catholic family business, when the right mix
of charitable spirit and tangible assets are
blended well together. And beyond our expectations,
we will reap rewards of income we have never
really thought possible.
Other related articles:
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Catholic Family Business Principle: "Charity Begins at Home"
