Freshening Up the Easter Season at Work

Picking up from our last post, here's what St. Paul has to say about charity. Let's carefully consider his words. If we can incorporate charity as St. Paul describes it into our daily work, our work can help us strive for a fervent and saintly life. Really.

St. Paul begins his comments in response to an effort to put into perspective some religious practices common to his time that may not be so common these days: speaking in tongues and prophesying. Apparently it wasn't so unusual for our early Christian brethren to speak in tongues and prophesy. St. Paul, while not criticizing these practices, does compare them to charity. He even goes further and places charity above knowledge and faith:

"If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."

I am nothing. Strong words. But even some actions that we might consider charitable don't make the grade:

"And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

How can this be? Let's say we work hard, save our money, and give some of that - even a sacrificial amount - to legitimate charitable causes. Isn't that charity? Yes and no. The act of giving surely can be considered charitable. But St. Paul wants us to understand charity in a much deeper sense. He wants us to not just act charitably, but to be charitable. We need to inculcate charity into our personality such that we personally change if necessary. We might compare this to the difference between following what Jesus taught and developing a personal relationship with Him.

Here's St. Paul's description of charity. As you can see, these are personal traits and habits:

"Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil... "

Apply these to our work: Are we patient and kind in our interactions with others. Do we deal with co-workers, customers, bosses, etc. in a straightforward, honest manner, speaking plainly and with true humility. Does our desire for advancement, for making more money (a legitimate desire) manifest itself in an overweening ambition. Do we "look out for #1" or consider the needs and feelings of others? How about our temper? Are we quick to anger? Are we in the habit of finding fault, engaging in gossip, even spreading rumors about others?

If we wish to freshen up during this Easter Season, charity may be our best place to start. And what better can we do than imbue our work with charity in all its manifestations. Instead of making work a merely practical endeavor, one that brings us monetary reward, professional advancement, or, in some cases, power, instead we focus on being charitable. 

As Our Lord rose from the dead, so too we can rise out of ourselves, lift up our hearts to Him Who now sits at the right hand of the Father. By thinking, speaking, acting with charity, we find our way to an authentic striving for a fervent and saintly life, as Father De Brandt urges in our last post.

If there ever was a time for us to break out of old bad habits, to elevate our daily work to giving glory to God, it will be this Easter Season. The glory of Easter makes our working for the glory of God even more glorious, don't you think?

Well, maybe I'm getting carried away. St. Paul tells us charity is not ambitious, but I don't think he'd disapprove of our being ambitious to be more charitable. Through his intercession, we can dare to strive to a fervent and saintly life - even while we're at work.

Let's do it, starting today.

Happy Easter!