On Monday of next week, we celebrate Labor Day. Before all the picnics, sports events, and other activities start, we do well to pause and reflect on human work and on the spirituality of work in the Orthodox tradition. From the early days of the Church, work has always occupied a central place in the life of the Christian. St. Clement of Alexandria, writing in the early years of the third century, reminded
new converts that there was no need for them to abandon their occupations: “Practice farming, we say, if you are a farmer; but while you till your fields, know God. Sail the seas, if you are devoted to navigation, but meanwhile call on the Heavenly Pilot.” (Exhortaton to the Heathen) For St. Clement, ordinary work is directly connected to the spiritual realities of the faith. While one does the task, one ought to realize that it has been given by God and is a means of coming to know Him. Human work speaks of God. The early Church had a clear appreciation for the supernatural significance of work. In his book The Literal Meaning of Genesis, St. Augustine writes that God originally intended man and woman to cooperate with Him through their work, so that “the gifts of God’s creation come forth in a joyful and abundant harvest with the help of man’s effort.” St. Ignatius of Antioch picked up on the New Testament notion of “stewardship” to urge his followers to “train together … rest together … as God’s managers, assistants, and servants.” (Letter to Polycarp) In addition, the Fathers teach of the link between prayer and work. St. Pachomius organized his monasteries in Egypt according to trades, including tailors, carpenters, dyers, shoemakers, gardeners, copyists, and camel-drivers. The monastic day was divided into hours of prayer and hours of work, and doing work while praying. The Fathers stress that work communicates the creative presence of God to us and through us to our world. It is holy in the doing of it and prayerfully can link us with the Divine Creator. Have you ever stopped to consider your work in that way?
In the divine plan, our daily work, undertaken in imitation of Christ the Lord, is meant to serve as a path to our holiness. In other words, our everyday work is a means of achieving the purpose for which each of us was created: theosis (deification). And following the teaching of Christ, this means any honest work. Jesus compared the work of building His kingdom to the manual labor of pickers in a field, to the labor of fishermen, to the ownership and operation of a vineyard, and He spoke of scholarly work as well. Whether it’s changing a diaper, cooking a meal, picking crops, writing an article, managing a business, or practicing law – the smallest, most obscure jobs or tasks we perform, can give glory to God. Indeed, one implication of a spirituality of work is that the basis for determining the value of human work is not primarily the kind of work being done but the fact that the one who is doing it is a human person — the dwelling place of the Infinite Creator God. We ennoble our work, our work does not ennoble us. Take time this weekend to think about your personal work. Do you see God in it? Do you prayerfully do your tasks? Are you aware that the work you do can lead you to holiness and bring you closer to God ? A blessed Labor Day weekend to all.
Fr. Dimitrios
