COSTA RICA, Manuel E. Hernández, Rudolf Sauter. Pope Francis furthers the process of the Second Ibero-American Congress of Schoenstatt Businessmen and Executives CIEES 2013’s conclusions through the Apostolic Exhortation the Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium).
In the second chapter of the Joy of the Gospel (52), the Pope mentions some of the challenges of today’s world and he tells us:
“In our time humanity is experiencing a turning point in its history, as we can see from the advances being made in so many fields. We can only praise the steps being taken to improve people’s welfare in such areas as health care, education, and communications. At the same time we have to remember that the majority of our contemporaries are barely living from day to day, with dire consequences. A number of diseases are spreading. The hearts of many people are gripped by fear and desperation, even in the so-called rich countries. The joy of living frequently fades, lack of respect for others and violence are on the rise, and inequality is increasingly evident. It is a struggle to live and, often to live with precious little dignity. This epochal change has been set in motion by the enormous qualitative, quantitative, rapid, and cumulative advances occurring in the sciences and technology, and by their instant application in different areas of nature and of life. We are in an age of knowledge and information, which has led to new and often anonymous kinds of power.”
The leader in business – the good Shepherd
Today’s world requires that as Schoenstatt executives or businessmen, we live consistent to the faith in our work, in the family and in society. That as business leaders, we promote human dignity and promote the common good.
A Kentenich leader makes authority a virtuous exercise according to the demands of the voices of the times and of Father Kentenich’s thinking. In exercising leadership, this businessman or executive should be congruent with his personal and business life. He understands that he has a vocation that has been given to him by God and that these qualities and virtues to exercise leadership have also come from God.
Some aspects that resulted as part of the preliminary conclusions of CIEES present this leader as the Good Shepherd, who takes the father figure in the business, who gives priority to the human factor seeking the common good, is open to change, participates and ensures that the business is consistent with its ideals.
Undoubtedly the work involved determining the ideology of the Schoenstatt businessman or executive will require an intensive process of analysis and review of all the aspects posed during the Costa Rican congress.
For this reason, on May 17th, there will be a conference of the participants from Costa Rica about the subject, it will be extended to participants from Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, the United States and Spain via Skype.
After studying the important points of the Apostolic Exhortation the Joy of the Gospel, the question that remained at the end of the Congress is repeated: How is my performance as a Schoenstatt executive or businessman permeated by the Covenant Culture? How is it reflected?
Original Spanish: Translation Celina M. Garza San Antonio TX USA
