Matt Potter
Radical Joy
Catholic Stewardship and Abundance
Last time we were together, dear reader, I shared with you some events that took place during my recent vacation travels to Wyoming. Today, however, I want to let you know of something that happened when I returned to Evansville.
It’s not all that exciting, really. Our drive back was pretty uneventful. When we walked into our house there were no surprises either, which is always a good thing. I don’t care much for surprises, and my appetite for excitement is far diminished from my younger days.
We were glad to be back. We were both fatigued from the long drive – 1,050 miles - so I stayed home from work for an extra day to help put things away and recuperate a bit.
That was when the surprise hit. I was recalling the trip with a friend who listened patiently, then said “I’ll bet you’re not looking forward to getting back to work after all that time off.”
I understand that many people work in jobs that are unfulfilling for various reasons. They may not like the repetitive nature of their work, or the mundane tasks needed to get the work done, or the people with whom they work. I have had jobs like that, where the worst part of the day was arriving at the office in the morning and the best part was driving away at 5 p.m.
But that’s not my situation today.
I love what I do, and I love my co-workers.
Both those statements are without exception.
Don’t get me wrong – work in a diocesan office is not without its challenges. We are sinners like everyone else, and we struggle in our attempts at easing the tension between our failed human nature and our dedication to the mission of building the kingdom of God. Sometimes the work is almost too demanding. Long-term plans must take a backseat to the atmosphere of triage that is often present, where we have to treat first whatever is bleeding the most.
Working for the Church is the toughest job I have ever had. Yet it is by far the most satisfying work I have ever done.
That is why I addressed my friend’s statement the way I did when I said,
“In reality, I AM looking forward to returning to work. I love my job and the people I work with. I am engaged with parishioners, parish staff and our clergy on a day-to-day basis. The people at the Catholic Center are kind, generous, very bright and focused solely on how we can do everything in our power to share the Good News with the people of God in the Diocese of Evansville.”
It just doesn’t get any better than that.
As I was visiting with two other directors in the office, at two separate times, the topic of the wonderful people in the office came up, unsolicited by yours truly. They both told me how they thought the people we worked with, without exception, were kind, generous and dedicated to their mission.
Excitement is overrated. However, going to work every day in a place one loves with people one loves is off the charts.
As always, thanks for reading. I would love to hear from you. Write to me at [email protected].; Check out our blog radicaljoy.blog/