Delight in the Mail

In the beginning of my year of service with DC Service Corps, I informally gave myself—a frequent pessimist—the assignment of seeking the joy of Christ in each small part of my day.  I expected to face difficulty in this task.  What I did not expect was where I would find one of the brightest beacons of that divine joy: getting the mail.  

As the Development Associate in the FMS office, fetching the office’s mail each morning is one of my most consistent daily routines, and nothing could have prepared me for the delight that this task brings me.  There’s something about the journey that awakes rejoicing within me; the mail is an opportunity to get up from my desk and move my body, to journey around our building and glimpse into the work of other Catholic nonprofits who share our working space.  In opening the mailbox, my anticipation reminds me of the unknown possibilities that are given with the gift of life and in looking through our correspondence, I see the ties that bind each of us in communion with each other.

These musings are more than just my silly attempt to brighten an otherwise mundane day.  Like any glimpse of goodness and beauty, the delight I feel when I’m getting the mail provides a view into the nature of the God in whom these virtues find their fulfillment.  Through the gift of mail, I come to delight in Christ’s gift of created goodness as I grow in appreciation for myself and my neighbor.  Never before would I have considered fetching the mail a vocation, but in my delight, I realize that I am where Christ has called me to be.  Through the grace of God’s goodness, a chore is transformed into a delightful gift and I am able to contribute to the divine work to which I have been called. 

Question for Reflection: When you go to your mailbox today, how can you experience the joy of Christ?