Tikkun (https://www.tikkun.org/author/a_chittisterj/)
Why work? For the Benedictine spirit,
work is not simply work. Whatever kind of work it is—
professional or technical,
physical or intellectual,
financial or social—
it is to be good work,
work that makes the world
a better, more just, more fair,
and more humane place. for everyone. The truth is that work has a spiritual function.
Two pieces of religious literature indicate with special clarity the essential connectedness of spiritual maturity and cultural consciousness. The first call comes from Exodus 3:18. God teaches Moses that his holiness depends on finding holiness where he stands and then by taking that energy to other people for their liberation. The second story of culture and spirituality comes from the tales of the Hasidim: Holiness depends on our choosing the pieties proper to the times. Culture and spirituality, in other words, are of a piece.