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EspañolThrough their professional work, companies that do not hinder the human fulfillment of men and women with a vocation to marriage fulfill the first socially responsible action to which they are called.
Perhaps it is too much to ask that they promote the reconciliation of work and family life of their employees, although it would be exemplary. But it is a requirement of coherence with their proclamation of social responsibility that they do not hinder it, make it difficult or prevent it.
By their deeds, not by their speeches, you will know their true spirit and intentions.
Text
“At the beginning of Psalm 128, the father appears as a labourer who by the work of his hands sustains the physical well-being and tranquillity of his family… Labour also makes possible the development of society and provides for the sustenance, stability and fruitfulness of one’s family… This having been said, we can appreciate the suffering created by unemployment and the lack of steady work… (that) takes its toll on the serenity of family life.” (The Joy of Love, n.23-25)
Commentary
In the current state of society, it is not just the father – mentioned in Psalm 128 – but also the mother who must leave her house to provide for her family’s wellbeing and serenity. I would like to emphasize this mention of “family serenity.” Families do not survive only based on the individual well-being of their members. Crisis, conflicts, or separations can be triggered or facilitated by tension and stress, or in other words, by the lack of serenity and peace within a home. The economic model and business culture rush us and lead to exhaustion, lack of time, fatigue, wear and tear, and even psychosomatic alterations that end up costing us our family´s wellbeing.
Life is meant to be lived responsibly, joyfully, and serenely – even though it is not exempt from sacrifice – and the household should be a refuge of peace and serenity for all its members. However, nowadays, we witness many men and women suffering the rigidness of achieving their bosses and company’s numerous and demanding professional goals.
Unemployment (not having an occupation) and excessive workloads currently expected by companies can cause suffering and significant strain, especially to women, to adequately integrate family and work life, without detriment to their health, emotional stability, and full development.
Family-friendly company policies deem procreation as a natural reality that contributes to the humanization of its workers, resulting in better interpersonal relationships and an improved work environment.
Men must understand the value that being co-responsible about their family has in itself, and as a means to show the love, they have for their wife, foreseeing her needs and the needs of their children. If there is a will, there is a way; and one can achieve even more when one truly loves.
