I’m a sucker for Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs With
Mike Rowe. For me, watching that eager and beleaguered
gentleman descend into a coal mine or ascend from a
septic facility, covered in filth, is just good television.
Some of the jobs are exotic, such as feeding Vervet monkeys
in a South African animal sanctuary, while others are
less desirable, like clearing roadkill in the hot sun. Regardless,
once you see past the dirt from the work that Rowe so
earnestly demonstrates, something
remarkable shines through: grace.
For as in one body
we have many
parts, and all the
parts do not have
the same function,
so we, though
many, are one
body in Christ and
individually parts
of one another.
—Romans 12:4-5 |
The featured jobs are often performed
by teams of people, everyday
individuals who work, sometimes
thanklessly, as a cohesive group. By
working as a team, these people contribute
their skills and efforts to the
greater good.
Life is like that: It’s one big collaborative
process, a factory with
many employees.
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 One Goal
St. Paul’s message resonates with me
for many reasons. In a time when we
are bombarded with bad news on a
seemingly daily basis—the country’s
strained economy, the endless war,
climate change—it’s easy to feel the chill of desolation. It’s
human to feel alone in a crowded world.
St. Paul’s words are like a warm blanket. He reminds me that,
despite our differences, the human race is bound together. Our
jobs may differ, but we are all working toward one goal.
Never was teamwork more evident, or more inspiring,
than on September 12, 2001, in
lower Manhattan, the day after the
terrorist attack on the World Trade
Center. Rescue workers formed
bucket brigades to sift through rubble
from the collapsed Twin Towers
in hopes of finding survivors.
It was not a job anyone wanted,
but it had to be done. Shoulder to
shoulder, these brave women and
men tirelessly passed buckets of
debris for several days. News footage
showed a large team working with
diligence and steely purpose. They
were many, but they were one.
Teamwork was also exhibited
along the Gulf Coast in the wake of
Hurricanes Rita and Katrina by organizations such as Habitat
for Humanity. These volunteers—like wingless angels in
hard hats—not only rebuilt what was devastated but also
showed that kindness and service can be remedies for a
nation’s broken spirit.
The beauty of working in a team can also be found in less
altruistic measures.
Between the ages of 16 and 19, I
worked in a grocery store. It wasn’t
a glamorous job, but in my time
there I learned how a hundred or
more employees in various departments
could work together for a
shared purpose. From produce to
pharmacy, floral to check-out, we
each contributed.
But it goes back even further than
that: The foods on the shelves were
the fruits of labor from the farmers
who grew them, the processors who
packaged them, the drivers who
delivered them. It’s profound to
think about: One cartful of food
reflects the work of many people
doing various jobs.
St. Paul’s words may not be referring to my stint in a supermarket,
but there are parallels: My job in the non-foods
department differed from the function of a deli worker, but
we were linked. We may not have been rebuilding homes
along a devastated coastline, but we were doing good work
in less philanthropic ways.
“[S]o we, though many, are one
body in Christ and individually parts
of one another” (Romans 12:5).
Translation: I am allied with many
others. Our histories are not the
same; our beliefs may differ. But we
are still connected through faith and
in faith. As Catholics, we are each
employees in a large factory with
God acting as our manager, our
supervisor, our beloved leader.
It’s a sacred company to be a part
of. It’s soul-enriching work. And the
benefits are unbelievable.
Christopher Heffron is an assistant editor of this
publication. |
