Three Ways To Work

Thanks to a friend for this. He heard it a homily at Mass this past Labor Day. While the priest didn't call these "Three Ways To Work," I thought it might be an appropriate way to look at these:

• Work done grudgingly is servitude.
• Work done willingly is service.
• Work done lovingly is a sacrament.

Since today's day off for most of us, we're all going to bite the work bullet tomorrow after a bit of respite. You know what that's like. It'll be a bit of a struggle getting back into the swing of things. For some of us, we're already feeling the "dread" that comes on us when we face a job we really don't like. Even those of us who like our jobs may wish we had just one more day of rest.

You're going back to work tomorrow anyway. So let's look at these three ideas again and see what we can learn from that homily:

• Work done grudgingly is servitude.

Lots of us work like slaves. We do it for the buck. It's not a sin or anything to have to do a job you really don't like just because you have to. But isn't it a shame to spend your 8+ hours a day slaving away and thinking it's "for nothing"?

Don't think that. Figure out who benefits from your work. At the least, your can simply think about the fact that you're helping your family by providing food, clothing and shelter. Now you can move on to the next idea:

• Work done willingly is service.

You're getting closer to God here. You're the servant - just like Our Lord. Think of Him washing his apostles' feet at the Last Supper. At the very least you're washing the feet of all those you love, all those who count on you. So lift up your heart. Serve God through serving them.

Now think about who benefits from your work directly - customers, co-workers, even your boss. Paying customers deserve an excellent product, don't they? Your co-workers rely on you to pull your weight. Your boss deserves a day's work for a day's wage. Now just imagine doing all that with your best effort every day...in fact, with love. That' bring us to:

• Work done lovingly is a sacrament.

When you can get to this stage, you're truly working, as St Ignatius of Loyola tells us for the greater glory of God. Ad maiorem Dei gloriam. In the end, it's the big prize for your labor.