The Great Gift of Work

Labor day was yesterday, so I wanted to post today on the joy of work. There's so much that can be said, but I wanted to focus on the gift that work is. Sort of an ode to work.

1.) Fear Reliever- The best way to dispel fear is meaningful action. In an NPR interview with George Foreman, he was asked why so many professional athletes make tons of money, to only lose it eventually. He had a great answer, "Most people have this small fear in them, that if circumstances were only slightly different, they might actually starve, this fear keeps them hungry, desiring to earn, while the person who has made significant money, feels that he can rest a while, and stops earning, once you have stopped, its very difficult to start again," This small fear is not a bad thing, it keeps our senses heightened, and keeps us hungry for meaningful work that dispels this fear.

2.) Greater Faith- The farmer needs to do everything right, wake early, till the soil well, but at the end of the day, he needs to trust that it will rain. This is completely out of his control, so he petitions God for help. The same is true for us, we can't worry about things outside of our control, we need to do our best, and then ask God in faith to fill in for those things that are lacking. In this way, work serves to strengthen our faith, because God does come through for us, and we get to see it in a tangible way.

3.) Enlarging our heart- Because work is such a deep part of man, we have the privilege of helping others through our work, both through work well done, and its a big part of Catholic tradition, to work hard to earn a lot of money so to give a lot of money to the poor. God made us to be magnanimous, because he's magnanimous . A desire to make a lot of money to support others, and give to the poor is a legit part of our desires, and a gift that God allows.

4.) Creativity- No one is more creative than God, there is no greater artist. We are made in his image and likeness, so its natural that we should want to create, and be creative. Work gives us this platform, to work on beauty.

All of these examples, are all the more reasons to pray for people that are out of work right now. With unemployment high, its an incredible work of mercy, to offer our contacts to others that they may find meaningful work. May God bless this country this year, that many men may find the joy of work;