On this gorgeous morning, over the course of a brief post-run stretch, I was having a nice chat with Angel. Angel is a member of our dedicated STM facilities team and was picking up trash from the shrubbery that grow by the steps that lead into our Chapel. 

Angel asked me about my run – where I ran, how many miles, that sort of thing. I asked him what kind of exercise he likes to do, as he’s clearly a fit guy. If you ever saw him, you would be unsurprised to know that he lifts a lot of weights – and although he’s not a fan of cardio, he enjoys playing basketball and football with his friends.

Having finished with the shrubs and about to head down the walk he asked: “So Father, what’s your mission for the day?” What a great question. I responded with a list of tasks – appointments, meetings, a couple writing assignments (this blog being one on of them), celebrating a couple masses, hearing confessions – and I concluded by saying, “you know, just another day at the plant.” Then I asked, “so Angel, what’s your mission for the day,” to which he responded, with a thoughtful grin, “I’m going to do what I can to make this place beautiful.”

….Right??!

Angel’s response made me think of the invitation from St. Teresa of Calcutta to the world: “Do something beautiful for God.”

As Angel went on his way, I felt grateful that I get to work with him. I also thought about his question and what my response would have been like if I approached my daily work like Angel: “I’m going to save souls;” “I’m going to proclaim the Gospel;” “I’m going to bring at least one more person closer to Christ;” “I’m going to do what I can to bring healing, or joy, into someone’s life.” What if we all approached our day, our work, all that we do, with that mindset: “What will I do to ‘make this place beautiful?”