Putting God at the centre of our lives implies to dedicate moments for reflection and meditation daily. In addition, to pursue an ethical way of life by which we weigh up the pros and cons of our actions vis-a-vis others and God.

To deepen our love and relationship with God, we can dedicate moments of our day for reflection and meditation. We can hear the Word of God, as read in the Gospel for the Mass of the day. One way of deepening our relationship with God is attending the daily Mass and receiving Communion. For me, this is the great privilege of being a Catholic: that we can receive our Lord daily in the Eucharist. On our way to work, we can pray the rosary. We can drop by, at the end of the day, to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.

Often, we experience ethical dilemmas especially at work. How do we resolve them? I have met employees who have been terminated because of the first unethical act they did. I can still remember the story of a new employee in a semiconductor company who needed a wire to fix his short clothesline at home. He put some wire into his knapsack as he prepared to end the day. He justified his action saying,. “this wire is too small to be noticed.” Going through the guard, the alarm rang, he was searched and the guard found the wire. The next day, he was dismissed from work.  

How can we put God at the centre of our lives amidst ethical temptations? Blanchard and Peale authored the book entitled “The Power of Ethical Decision Making.” Two of their statements are easy to remember. One is, “there is no right way to do the wrong thing.” Two is, “there is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience.”

They also provide easy check questions when confronted with an ethical problem. Ask yourself the following questions: Is it legal? Is it moral? Does it violate civil law or company policy? Is it balanced? Is it fair to all concerned in the short term and in the long term? Does it promote win- win relationships?

Then the final questions are: Would I feel good if my decision will be published in the newspaper? Would I feel good if my family knew about it? At work, what is best is to avoid conflict of interest that makes it difficult to maintain fairness and objectivity. Let us make ethical practice a way of life. Then we can truly say, not just in words but in behaviour and action, that God is at the centre of our life.