On Joy in Work: Abba Apollo 1

I once heard a grade one teacher talk about how her class had got into the habit of complaining about their reading lessons. (And in their defense, learning how to read English is no easy feat.) One day, trying to get them to change their attitudes, she, in that way only early primary educators can, convinced them to shout, “Yes!!!! We get to learn to read!” before every lesson. And, before long, their performed excitement became real and their learning progress went up with their enthusiasm. Ever since I heard that story, I’ve taken to jokingly ‘performing joy’ before unwanted tasks. Yes!!! I get to file my taxes! Yes!!! I get to create a spreadsheet (that will likely be forgotten in a week’s time)!!! Yes!!! I get to do laundry!!!! You get the picture. As much as it’s become a bit of a joke for me, it’s true that bringing joy to our work can in fact make all the difference.

Today’s saying from the Desert Fathers is short but sweet and deals with this theme. It talks about an Abba Apollo, who had been a very rough man before fleeing into the desert to become a monk. This wasn’t all that uncommon, and often this was seen as the legitimate last resort for men with a bounty on their heads. In Apollo’s case — and this is not for the faint of heart, so feel free to skip to the next sentence — he’d torn open a pregnant woman so he could see what a foetus looked like while still in the womb. He was immediately filled with regret and dedicated his life to repentance. But it remains that this was a strong and brutal man with strong impulses over which he had no control. But he took well to monastic life and discipline and in time became a beloved elder, known for his humility, compunction, and, what’s important for us today, joy:

There was in Kellia an old man called Apollo. If someone came to find him about doing a piece of work, he would set out joyfully, saying, ‘I am going to work with Christ today, for the sake of my soul, for that is the reward he gives.’ (Abba Apollo 1)

Here we see a man transformed, full of the joy of Christ. As I often say, Christians today are bad at joy, which is a shame since it’s one of the primary fruit of the Spirit. But this was not the case for Abba Apollo. No matter what it was he was asked to do, he’d joyfully set to work, seeing it as an opportunity to grow in faith.

I don’t have much to add about this. Out of all the stories in the Lives of the Saints and Sayings of the Desert Fathers, I find this to be among the most miraculous. And it’s a great reminder of just how important joy is, and how transformational it can be. If we groan every time we come to prayer or make charitable donations or our jobs or housework, that’s not going to do much for our hearts and minds, or souls. But if we remember that every task is an opportunity to work with Christ and undertake it with joy, that can be nothing short of revolutionary.