LOVE: At heart, LOVE is service and sacrifice. A sense of "oneness" and solidarity with another, and with the other's needs, to such an extent that one offers his or her own true self for the benefit of another.
JOY: JOY is "balance," an abiding contentment, that comes from one's inner assurance of being aligned with God's will. You recognize that you are favored, graced and gifted beyond anything that you could merit on your own. Most often, you are not conscious of seeking it; it comes to you unbidden and with an intense inner feeling of warmth.
PEACE: Often mistaken for what follows a truce, PEACE is much more than the absence of conflict. It involves a tranquility of spirit that comes from letting grudges and hurts from the past dissolve through love and understanding, and the capacity to live in harmony—with those with whom we disagree as well as agree.
PATIENCE: The test of PATIENCE is often how a person responds to an action, especially an unjust act. It can be tested by: a dentist's drill; a honking horn; a fist pounding on the table; an unmerited rebuke; when words or intentions are misunderstood by a friend or co-worker; or, a "rush to
judgment" about another's attitude, values or actions.
KINDNESS: KINDNESS does not depend on the perceptions of others. True kindness is respect for human dignity in every circumstance of life; it often is simple courtesy and personal attentiveness toward another person.
GENEROSITY: GENEROSITY does not come naturally to human
nature, but it can be learned by observation and acquired by practice. It is the opposite of all that is small, closed, petty, ungiving and unforgiving, and it points toward a largeness of soul. Whenever it is practiced, GENEROSITY is proof that virtue can be its own reward.
FAITHFULNESS: In the workplace, FAITHFULNESS is friendship, trust, and security derived from commitments kept. Christ, sacrificing his life for us as he had promised. is the ultimate model of FAITHFULNESS. It is both a prerequisite and the evidence of friendship.
GENTLENESS: GENTLENESS is so often confused with timidity that we are caught in a cultural confusion over the place of gentleness in the workplace. GENTLENESS is strength, and a gentleperson is not insecure; he/she is serene based on self-knowledge and acceptance.
SELF-CONTROL: A test of personal integrity is the practice of saying "no" to the self. A person "out of control" in large or small matters is a diminished person. Mutual respect in our dealings implies sensitivity to the feelings of others and our emotional limits.
(Edited from "Nine Spiritual Principles for a Humane Workplace, "Rev. William Byron. SJ, ORIGINS, August
13, 1998, pp. 172-174)
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