BOOK REVIEW: On-the-job Spirituality - Finding God in Work

November 10, 2005

EDITOR'S NOTE: This book review is sponsored by the Religious Education Media Center as a service to those interested in developing their own spirituality. Books featured in this column can be borrowed from the diocesan media center.

You may request this or other books by writing Deacon Larry Sitzman, Religious Education Media Center, 1821 Jackson St., Sioux City, IA 51102, e-mail him at larrys@scdiocese.org or phone (712) 255-7933.

Linda Harrington, a member of the faculty at Briar Cliff University, offers this review of the book On-the-job Spirituality - Finding God in Work, by Marianne E. Roche. (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2002.)

Work, whether it be that of a stay-at-home parent or a factory worker, a corporate executive or a day laborer, occupies the majority of every adult's time. Yet, "for many of us, this work is a necessity or obligation to be endured so we can tend to things that are more pleasant" (viii). Marianne Roche describes this attitude, characteristic of so many people's outlook on their work life, as a fundamental obstacle to integrating one's spiritual journey with the work that occupies so much of a person's life.

On-the-job Spirituality offers reflections on how the values of Christianity can shape one's work experience as well as practical suggestions for learning to be aware of God's presence in our work situations and so beginning the process of connecting our work life with those "things that are more pleasant," particularly our spiritual journey.

Each of the four sections in the book consists of a series of short reflections on various aspects of our work life that conclude with a reflection question and a simple suggestion for bringing spirituality into one's work. Part One introduces the idea that ordinary work and prayer are quite compatible. She looks first to the Gospels and to Jesus, who worked as a carpenter before he began his public ministry, and to the Christian teaching that we, as the Body of Christ, continue Christ's work in the world.

"As we work at our jobs, in our homes, at our parishes and in our communities, we are the very presence of Christ and are called to bring forth in our work the attributes of Jesus evidenced in his work" (6). As Christ's continuing incarnation in the world, we are called to be co-creators and collaborators with God.

After reflecting on human work as God's gift, Roche turns to the obstacles that make it difficult to change our focus from what we produce or earn to who and how we are as we work. Part Two deals with personal barriers such as the classic cardinal sins (anger, greed, envy, pride, etc.) and such things as stress, fear, and discouragement that prevent us from noticing God's presence in our work.

Part Three discusses cultural values and other external factors that influence our behavior and attitudes, often without our even being aware of it, so that we have difficulty finding God in our work-a-day world.

Part Four pulls together the various insights and practices of the first three sections of the book and guides the reader through developing a personal spirituality of work. The reflection questions and suggested practices of each chapter in this part point to ways that one can incorporate Christian values and insights into the part of our life that consumes most of our time - our work. "For a spiritual path to have any true meaning and impact, it must be incarnated in our ordinary lived experience. Otherwise, our spirituality becomes a pious pacifier that anesthetizes or distances us from the joys and struggles of human existence" (152).

This little book is quite easy to read, and the sequence of reflection questions and suggested practices gently nudges the reader toward an attitude about work that incorporates the insights of Christian spiritual masters through the centuries. It is a practical guide that draws on the author's own experience yet leaves plenty of room for adapting the practices she suggests to the reader's own situation. Marianne Roche does indeed help the reader discover that "human work, whether for pay or not, is our call to creation, incarnation and redemption in this world" (ix).