I firmly believe, after all these years, that my vocation is true, and I am immensely hapy in that truth.
Enrique is a decorator (“I work in the world of art, design, and fleeting things,” he says) who recounts how he first encountered the Work in Viña del Mar, a city on the Chilean coast. Shortly after, a priest told him: “Enrique, perhaps God has a vocation to the Work set aside for you. Ask Him.”
Enrique says, “I left that meeting feeling thoughtful. The more you reflect on it, the more you feel God in your heart and the more you also say: not me. Not me. I want to start a family and have children; not this path. Until one day, November 25th, in the bar of the O’Higgins hotel, with a beer beside me, I wrote the letter to the Prelate.”
The Work is relevant today in its love for freedom, respect for people, and freedom of opinion.
“You have to follow what the Catholic Church teaches, what the Pope and bishops command. In everything else, each person is free to think, work, and make a living however they want, as long as it’s done honestly. The Work helps you discover transcendent meaning in the midst of family, work, joys and sorrows.”
I’ve never had even a moment of doubt about my vocation. I try to live close to God in an ordinary life, like anyone else’s.
“In our office, everyone contributes and we try to do our work as well as possible, though it doesn’t always turn out as we hope. The spirit of the Work helps me find meaning in everyday life: smiling when I’m tired, being patient, humble, and kind. That’s real life, one day after another. To sustain it you have to ‘fuel up,’ and God is the source. A brief prayer in the middle of my work is enough, or saying a prayer while I walk, or a quick aspiration when looking at the city from above: everything becomes an opportunity to give thanks.”