Hidden and quiet work

WE have to understand and appreciate as deeply as possible the importance of hidden and quiet work. This type of work is so basic in life that without it, any kind of work, no matter how impressive, would hang on air, without any strong, solid foundation to support it.

We need to be reminded of this truth, because with the pace and temper of the times, we tend to be pressured to engage simply in external and often noisy kind of work and activity that often would turn us like a tree rich in foliage but without fruit, a showy and garish person with no depth nor substance.

Learning how to do hidden and quiet work assures us that we really know how to work properly—not only in terms of techniques, but more importantly, in terms of motivation and sense of purpose.

Work, let´s remind ouselves, is a vital expression of the person. It is what builds us up even as it leaves effects outside of ourselves. It is what distinguishes us and perfects us as a person, before it perfects the world around us.

For work to be properly done, it has to engage us as persons who think and love, and as children of God who have to do everything with God and for God. Work just cannot be done in a purely mechanical way, with hardly any regard to our human and Christian dignity. We just cannot work for the money alone, nor for some merely earthly objectives.

There are many implications arising from this basic nature and purpose of our work. No matter what kind of work we have—whether manual or intellectual, blue-collar or white-collar, private or public—it should make us better persons and better children of God.

And the basic atmosphere for our work to start and develop properly is a hidden and quiet work style. That´s where we would be taught how to work for love of God, unaffected by any worldly motives. That´s where we can see clearly the fundamentals before we get exposed and tempted by the intoxicating elements in the world.

We have to master this fundamental requirement of our work, so that it would become the indispensable motive for our work as we tackle all sorts of human and worldly tasks. Doing hidden and quiet work would teach us to be properly recollected, so that even as we get immersed in the things of the world, our mind and heart would still be with God.

Our problem nowadays is that the world of work is following a road that neither starts nor ends with God. It may give us tremendous excitement and self-satisfaction, but it actually empties us of our soul, and alienates us from God and others also. We need to be more aware of the radically unfair deal we are making with our work today.

We need to learn to work in a hidden and quiet way. Even in things of nature, this hidden and quiet way is the elemental thing that happens. The big plants, the strong animals, and we ourselves start our life and growth in the hidden and quiet atmosphere of the seed and the womb.

Any successful project or enterprise we make always originates in a hidden and quiet idea that´s slowly spelled out into a plan before it is made public. The big buildings cannot stand without a strong foundation that is not seen. The beautiful and colorful tapestry depends on the hidden tangle of threads behind it.

In our Christian faith, we know that the elaborate and dramatic work of redemption that culminated on the cross was prepared for at great length as can be gleaned in the Old Testament. Christ´s public life of 3 years was preceded by his 30 years of hidden life.

We just have to realize very deeply that we cannot go far in our work as in our prayer and in any other endeavor if we do not prepare it with a long, hidden, quiet and even thankless effort.

It´s important for us to take care of our thoughts, feelings, desires, etc.--knowing how to motivate and focus them, and then to take care of the small, ordinary and often dirty or messy things before we dare to handle the big things in life.

The hidden and quiet work should inculcate in us a strong sense of recollection so that even if we are handling big and important things, we still would know how to work primarily for love of God.