All Work, if Done Joyously, Is Dignifying

As Catholic philosopher Michael Novak notes, “Enjoying what we do is not always a feeling of enjoyment” (Novak 35). As we seek to perform our everyday, occupational work, we must welcome frequent frustrations, setbacks, and drudgery with a certain joy despite the natural, inner dread we often experience in the face of such things. To do this, it helps to view our careers as callings from God, which can raise our esteem for what we do and enable us to be more deeply satisfied. In business, pondering the role we play in the universal human project, which has brought tremendous economic progress, can allow this perspective shift to occur. Moreover, it must be kept in mind that business brings hope to the poor — a noble vocation (Novak 37).

Similarly, as fellow Catholic author Kathleen Norris espouses, the importance of regular, domestic work — often seen as “women’s work” — must not be overlooked. Ironically, tasks such as gathering water, cooking, and cleaning are deeply familiar, yet they are devalued, as if we think we should rise above such mentality (Novak 6). However, as evident by God’s incarnation, such physical chores are not beneath anyone. The work we do with our bodies, like the corporeal, saving work of Christ, can be truly sanctifying if we view household tasks in this light, remembering God joined us in the nitty gritty. Rather than grumbling about the ordinaryness we face, we should see our duties as beautiful moments for salvation that are renewed each day (Novak 26).

Both the occupational and domestic spheres of our work, though they can be rife with boredom and misery, can actually be wonderful opportunities for us to deepen our faith. Seeing the genuine value in our vocation, recognizing how we fit into the bigger picture, and choosing to act with virtue, can help us find joy. Likewise, if we remember God’s accompaniment in our undertakings that may feel old and stale, we can avoid the temptation of thinking we should rise above such routine things and instead see the beauty in all that we do to serve.

Thank you for reading. It truly means a lot.

If you’d like to hear more what I have to say, check out my podcast, “A Disciple and a Doubter,” where I and my friend Jackson — a skeptic — discuss topics of faith and doubt.

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