Dear Friends,

What is service, and what is work?

One of this issue’s writers, Jacob Zelinski, reflects on this question. He concludes that if we participate in an activity (in this case, a “job”) with gratitude, and if we do so for the greater glory of God, our activity is both work and service. In Jacob’s words, “Our work is our service, and our service is our work.” I invite you to read more of his thoughts on pages 16-17.

The founder of the Jesuits would no doubt be pleased with that assessment. As St. Ignatius of Loyola reminds us in the Spiritual Exercises, Christ calls us to follow him, and the most effective work happens when we allow God to act through us.

Throughout this magazine, you will find stories of people who are answering Christ’s invitation to join Him in healing the world—people like:

• Dr. Bill Ahrens, a pediatrician and emergency medicine physician who co-founded and works at the Mayan Health Initiative in Guatemala (page 5).
• Fr. Michael Flecky, SJ, a professor of fine arts at Creighton University, whose art is “a form of service” (pages 8-9).
• Joyce Tibbitts, who coordinates ministries on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and reminds us that “Ignatius taught us that we need to see God in all things” (pages 18-19).

Continue Reading Fr. Paulson’s Letter