Author probes for spirituality to be found in the workplace

That's what many people believe about their jobs -- and what Joseph Allegretti hopes to change. To that end, the business law professor from Siena College in Loudonville has written "Loving Your Job, Finding Your Passion: Work and the Spiritual Life."

In it, he states that "if all of life is sacred, then we need to wake up to the holiness of the office, the factory, the kitchen table, the movie theater and the bedroom."

Faith and job

While appearing on radio talk shows and leading workshops to discuss his book, he was asked the same question over and over: "Why limit bringing your faith to work to lawyers?"

"Most people I've talked to struggle with their work," he told The Evangelist. "We all have good days and bad days; it's getting hard for people to get grounded."

Peace at work

First of all, he suggests, people should drop the idea that there's one perfect job out there waiting for them, and that if they get it, it won't even be work.

Implying -- as many career-planning books do -- that there's a perfect job for everyone also implies that "if you're not in the right job, it's your fault," said Mr. Allegretti. "A good self-help book gets you thinking about who you are, helps you get to the stage of making good choices."

Besides, he added, "a lot of people have the sense that the right job is a job that doesn't feel like work. All work is work. On the other hand, if you're in the right place doing the right work, hard work becomes easier. The drudgery becomes easier to handle."

Middle ground

Instead, Mr. Allegretti hopes people will begin to think about what he terms "the spirituality of work," to apply "how I respond to those deeper dilemmas of life -- to serve, love, care -- to the workplace."

He believes that no one place is holier than another, and that a workplace is as good as a church for addressing issues of spirituality.

"In the Incarnation, God became a human being, and that sanctifies human life," he pointed out. "It isn't as if a church is the only [holy] place. Our life is all one; we're called to respond to God in all that we do."

Passion for life

In his book, for example, he tells of a carpenter who envisions the people who will live in the house he builds, and a banker who tries to assuage the nervousness of those applying for a loan. Such employees find the spiritual part of their work by realizing that even indirectly, they're helping people.

The author also spoke of employees who don't like their jobs, but do the work to support their families. "The mere fact of getting up every morning and going to work to bring home some money -- that's an extraordinary step," he noted.

"I just need to realize that my work is part of my spiritual life, no matter what else I do," he concluded. "It will mean how I treat people at work does make a difference. It will [also] mean that certain jobs aren't for me."

Work space

"I don't like to leave the impression I've forgotten about prayer or liturgy," he cautioned, explaining that those elements and others -- like retreats or meditation -- are necessary to give people time outside of work to reflect on their lives.

"Loving Your Work" includes many other exercises and questions to spark a new understanding of spirituality in the workplace. The author noted that "where I am today is where I experience God. God finds us where we are."

("Loving Your Work, Finding Your Passion" is available from Paulist Press for $14.95. Call 1-800-218-1903.)

(06-22-00) [[In-content Ad]]