Work is Spiritual

Yesterday was the feast of St. Joseph the Worker and this reading from Magnificat was simple but perfect. It has the basic reminder I need I am slogging through my day ... all work has meaning.

Saint Joseph the Worker
by Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete

It seems to me, though, that such corporate efforts are misguided. There is no need to add "spirituality" to work; human work itself is already a spiritual act. It is a form of spirituality. It is only by confronting the daily demands of work that we deepen our interior dynamism. Upon impact with the world that is "other," our dynamism configures the demands or needs that define our human identity, such as the quest for justice, truth, beauty, and fulfillment. It is this that links us with the Infinite. This is the realm of an authentic human spirituality. Therefore, it is not that spirituality "adds" something to work, or improves performance, or makes it barely tolerable. Instead, work itself is meant to become a spiritual act and this happens when it is experienced as being at the service of the quest for the Infinite.

We are often called upon to do "mindless" work. But our spiritual task is to transform it. Emptying the trash can be considered mindless, but if I see it as a contribution to the well-being of my family, it can be immensely significant for me.