Sanctification of Work

I've never cried in any of my previous jobs as much as I do now. I like the job, I just don't like 1 person who makes everyday seem like a living hell. The irony of it all is that the article I'm posting below came from him. Pretty long read and might sound too preachy for some (it did to me at times :)), but I just need to post it.

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In Friends of God, it says “From the beginning of creation man had had to work. It is enough to turn to the opening pages of the Bible. There you can read that before sin entered the world, God made Adam from the clay of the earth and created for him and his descendants this beautiful world we live in so that we might cultivate it and look after it. We must be convinced therefore that work is a magnificent reality which binds everyone even though some may try to avoid it. Man’s duty to work is not a consequence of original sin and not, in any way, a punishment. On the contrary, it is a dignity of life and a duty imposed by the Creator. It is meant to fill out our days and make us sharers in God’s creative power. It enables us to earn our living and, at the same time to reap “the fruits of eternal life” for “man is born to work as the birds are born to fly.”

Work was not in anyway a punishment, but, on the contrary, it is a dignity of life and a duty imposed by the Creator. Work is an instrument by which he attains human – earthly – perfection, as well as supernatural perfection. Jesus Christ Himself, perfect man and perfect God, chose to spend the greater part of His life working like us.

Jesus was born of a family of a carpenter and a housewife. During those 30 years of hidden life in Nazareth --

§ He worked in a Carpenter shop with His foster father
§ His work was without any external brilliance nor was it an outstanding job
§ He would have prepared His tools at the beginning and kept everything in order
§ He must have had a pleasant greeting for anyone who came in and the same friendly greeting for the arrogant and rude as well as for those whose conversation was far from being agreeable.
§ He filled the hours with intense work and nothing badly done.
§ His work would not have been light or easy
§ He must have felt the weariness and fatigue of His daily work.
§ He must have slept so soundly after each day of hard work for He, too, knew how it was to be tired.
§ He sanctified work just as He sanctified suffering on the cross.

And yet --– He must have had time for St. Joseph and His Blessed Mother.

What about us? What is our work like?

§ Some of us work in an office as an employee or have a business of our own
§ Some may be teachers in school, managers and supervisors in a company
§ Some are in sales, others are accountants, clerks, factory workers
§ Most of us may be any one of these and still help in managing a home

We are not just a father, a husband, a professional or a worker. We have many roles in life for we are also a son, a brother, a friend. The day begins with us rushing in the morning, perhaps to bring our children to school if they don’t ride a school bus, drive or commute to work. For the next 8 hours, we have to focus our attention on our work and all its related tasks. When the day is over, we go back home and concentrate once more on our family’s needs until everyone is practically in bed. For some who need to meet deadlines, they continue to work at home.

What really goes on as we go through a typical day? There may be days of pleasant and unpleasant surprises and days that are filled with so many contradictions.

§ there are colleagues difficult to work with
§ tasks that we sometimes feel so boring (workers in a production line)
§ arguments with co workers on certain issues
§ a rude lecture from a boss
§ on top of all these, we may have personal problems like looking after an ailing parent

These are just glimpses of the many episodes we face daily in this life.

How can we sanctify our work with all these heavyweights on our shoulders? We can begin our day with a prayer. It is in these moments that we can offer our work to God and to ask for His help to go through all our duties and tasks as best we can for that day. Then the day is His and your work is a prayer in itself.

§ We can offer the annoying, the difficult and even the easy tasks. It is thus that we remain in God’s presence while working.
§ When we are faced with contradictions at work and at home, we can say a prayer that we may persevere.
§ In between tasks, we can ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to bend the stubbornness of our pride, to overcome the weaknesses of our will and to be able to fight temptations.

Let us have a plan of life not only for our professional and home life but also especially for our scheduled conversations with God. In this timetable, we go to the sources of grace. In the spiritual life, the means have been, are and always will be the same - knowledge of Christian doctrine, prayer, mortification, life of piety, fleeing temptation and occasions of sin and opening one’s heart so that God’s grace can enter into its depths, to burn, clean and purify it. It is, after all, the one who perseveres, who will be saved.

At the end of the day, as we head for home, we offer to God the tiredness and the discomfort of a hard day’s work. We ask Him to continue blessing us as we quietly return to our family, look after their needs with a lot of love and affection. And as we prepare for a good night’s rest, we once again review our day and tell God: “These are my mistakes, but I’ve done something good too and tomorrow will be all yours once again.”

§ Let us work as best we can, doing our tasks as faithfully, as conscientiously and as efficiently as possible, not just for the amount of money to be earned but for love of God and for others because of God. Let us not make material possessions the sole measure of human achievement and success. Let our work not lose its value in the eyes of God.

§ We must try to find many opportunities as we work for small mortifications which can be made specific by being punctual, by paying attention to what we are doing and by the care and order we put into it.

§ Have I prestige in my profession and am I competent among those I work with?

How many of us complain that our life is so ordinary and that there is nothing much to be proud of. While others shine and go up the corporate ladder and occupy positions of power, we have a humble job - an ordinary one hardly noticed by others but with an immense value. No work is an ordinary work, nor is it less worthy than those that get higher pay. Every work is unique, personal and holy. It is not so much the standards of society that dictate the dignity of work, but how it is accomplished and offered to God.

There are fathers, like St. Joseph, whose dedication to their work is hidden from the world as if their existence has no value. Humanly viewed, there may be duties we perform which seem to have little importance or significance. Only in the afterlife will everyone and we know the repercussions of our good deeds and how all these resulted in a change for the better for others. Indeed there is a quiet heroism of everyday tasks known only by God.

We can live charity with those around us
§ We can treat others with a spirit of service, even that nasty co-worker or that rude supervisor or student.
§ We can avoid making unnecessary and negative comments about others.
§ We can even live the virtue of humility by learning to give in instead of being so self-righteous in our opinions and points of view. We should accept contradictions as well as possible and without losing our temper or without complaining.
§ We may experience professional setbacks (which could even be at times a blessing in disguise) or daily face an insensitive boss who has just promoted someone else.
§ We can cheerfully deal with a difficult co-worker and gain the virtue of patience.
§ There may be a sick child who needs extra care when we get back home. Here, we can practice the virtue of fortitude and strength of character.
§ There may be times when we need to shower our wife with extra attention and much love as if she is the only one in the world even when we are too tired from work.

All these sound so easy but, after this Retreat we may find ourselves in very difficult circumstances once again. Our work continue to be extremely arduous which make us quickly break our resolve. Who said seeking holiness is easy? Even the saints struggled a lot. They too were weak and they made blunders in their life but, they reached heaven. Sanctifying our work, personal sanctification is a long and tedious process but the rewards are great.

Yes, it is DIFFICULT. Human nature is such that the tendency is to seek a comfortable and easy life. Anyone or anything out of our comfort zones may cause us anger, hurt, frustration, discouragement. Soon enough, these feelings displace our resolve.

For each fall, for each breaking of our resolve, we say “Lord I’ve failed once more but I am yours again this very minute. Let me begin again”. By beginning again, we will discover that yesterday was not as bad as the day before yesterday and tonight, as we do our examination of conscience - surprise of surprises - we did not lose our temper!

Each day is a life in miniature. Our journey through the world will have been holy if we have tried to ensure that each day was pleasing to God. Today, is the only one we can offer to Him. “Am I doing what I should be doing right now, Lord?” “We do our duties now without looking back on yesterday which has already passed or worrying over tomorrow” which may not come. “All that remains of yesterday… are reasons for contrition for the things we didn’t do well, and reasons for gratitude for the countless graces we have received from God. And tomorrow -- tomorrow is still in our Lord’s hands. What we must sanctify is the present day.”