Ep. 160 - Humble Work

Catholics have been thinking about vocations for a long time—and not only in terms of becoming a priest or member of a religious order. The Church teaches that every person is called by God to do something particular, to play some unique role in the ongoing creation and salvation of the world. But what happens when our working lives don't align with our true vocations? What should we do when we find ourselves stuck doing jobs we don’t like? Fr. James Martin knows something about that, having spent his teenage summers and most of his twenties doing a variety of odd jobs. It’s the subject of his new book, Work in Progress: Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool, and Priest. On this episode, Fr. Martin joins associate editor Griffin Oleynick to speak about what that work has meant to him, and how he still draws from its lessons in humility and grace. Plus: Heidi Schlumpf reports on the latest developments in American Catholicism, including the Trump administration’s conflict with the Vatican, the recent rise in Catholic conversions, and the fiftieth anniversary of the Women’s Ordination Conference. For further reading: Ryan Burge on the “great sort” in American religion Heidi Schlumpf on the Women’s Ordination Conference Massimo Faggioli on “cool” Catholicism and new baptisms