Entrepreneurs in God's service

The spirituality of work deepens our understanding of the entrepreneur’s calling . . .

John J. Hunt

As one who has experienced Legatus for almost 20 years, there’s no question that my fellow Legates are honored to participate in the free enterprise system here in the U.S. and abroad.

For all of its deficiencies and apparent abuses, this model of economic progress has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system developed by man. Central to the free enterprise system is the role of the entrepreneur. Having dedicated much of my professional life to serving the financial requirements of entrepreneurs, fostering the growth of their commercial endeavors and sharing in their successes and ever-present challenges, I regard the entrepreneur as an extraordinary individual who, in most instances, is a source of inspiration to his family, to those he serves and to society.

According to Pope Paul VI, this is as it should be. In his 1967 encyclical Populorum Progressio, he writes: “In the design of God, every man is called upon to develop and fulfill himself, for every life is a vocation” (#15). The inherent value of work and the spiritual component attached to it, the Pope says, lead to a deeper understanding of the vocation or calling of the entrepreneur.

Legatus executives, many of them entrepreneurs, are living their faith in the fullness of their work — and in service to society’s development — as a reflection of God’s love and mercy that He desires for us to enjoy on earth as a foretaste of eternity.

The spirit, drive and trust that inspire entrepreneurs to engage the world are ennobled for the Legatus entrepreneur through the surrender of his mind, will and heart to the Lord’s plan.

Of course, we are all called to serve God in the person of those he places before us. May we submit ourselves to his work — even in the most insignificant details of each day, elevating those details to the level of prayer: prayer for those whom we serve and prayer that courageous, prayerful, competent individuals will always view entrepreneurship as an elevated calling in our service to God and our fellow man.

John Hunt is Legatus’ executive director. He and his wife Kathie are members of Legatus’ Chicago Chapter.