Looking at Work From God's Point of View - Part 2

We continue to look at work from God's point of view, guided by Cardinal Stephan Wyszynski's Working Your Way into Heaven. We'll find ourselves lifted up from our usual daily grind to a much grander and loftier vision of work. Even the most menial labor becomes an integral part of God's plan that supplements the work of the Creator of the universe. Whatever you've got on your plate right now can and should be seen in this glorious light. As we'll see, there's nothing exaggerated here. We don't need an "inspirational" speaker to pump us up. The very nature of our work contains the seeds of greatness, seen from God's point of view.

From the beginning, God made us, in a sense, his partners. It's right there in Genesis:

When God says to us, "Fill the earth, and subdue it," He is, in this way, binding us to the earth and at the same time obliging us to work and cooperate with Him.

How different from the misguided impression that work is somehow a punishment doled out to Adam and Eve once they took a bite out of that apple. While their disobedience did make their daily labor hard, even harsh, the nature of work itself was not denigrated, it's importance not diminished in any way. As a fundamental part of our human nature, work retains its dignity. And we who labor do so with that understanding. Yes, drudgery may be an element that's laced throughout a typical work day. But it's important, even as we slog through tasks that don't necessarily inspire or uplift us in themselves to remember the inherent dignity in all our work. (For me, drudgery weighs in with bookkeeping and other administrative duties.) Knowing and really understanding our role as God's partners in our work helps keep the inherent dignity of our daily labor front and center.

...remember in work that we are in God's service. It is important for us to know God's plan.

We're not talking about knowing His plan in the same fashion that we know, for example, our company's strategic plan. We're simply not privy to the details. In fact, at times, we wonder why this or that happens to us or those we love, especially when misfortune strikes. On the other hand, when you take time each day to pray, to read Scripture as well as good spiritual works, to study the doctrines of our Holy Faith - all of which we Catholics should be doing as part of our normal daily routine - you will get some sense of God's plan, at least a sense of the "big picture."

Here's a simple example: When I was in school I worked for two summers in a company cafeteria. We served three squares a day Monday to Friday, with a half day on Saturday. (It was a manufacturing company that had day and night shifts.) The "big picture" for the catering company that served the food would be serving those three squares a day. The details of how we did it I learned intimately during my time working in the kitchen, doing everything from ordering products from vendors, to serving the end product, only to clean up and start all over again. That daily routine helped give me a grasp, beyond the "big picture," of just how the business ran. You might think of your daily religious or spiritual exercises as a way to get a better grasp of God's plan.

But no matter how much we grasp of the intimate details of God's plan for creation, we can rest assured that our work fits in as an integral part of it:

Human work...completes the act of creation.

Stunning, isn't it? And so different from the worldly view of work that typically focuses on how much money you make, advancing your "career," garnering accolades, building your business, etc. All these legitimately matter to us in our journey from birth to death, of course. But the idea that our work "completes the act of creation" extends beyond these. Indeed, it extends beyond this life. Without exaggeration, we touch the Divine in our work here on earth. Yes, you, me, our bosses and co-workers, all of us this very day will help God complete His act of creation. Next time we'll dig more into the details of just how we do that.