HOMILY FOR SOLEMN MASS OF THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY, 14 JULY 2024
The term ‘quiet quitting’ first appeared in the social media a little over two years ago. A 17-second video clip that went viral on TikTok sparked a global debate about work especially amongst young, disaffected professionals. The online trend quickly morphed into a broader social phenomenon, with countless articles appearing in the mainstream media[1] and the phrase making its way into the lexicon.[2]
For those unfamiliar with the term, quiet quitting isn’t simply resigning from a job without telling anyone. : Rather it’s about a new sensibility at work: the refusal to go beyond the bare minimum required by the employer in terms of time, effort or enthusiasm.[3] Framed more positively, it’s about recalibrating one’s work-life balance, so personal life and commitments take precedence over hustle culture and climbing the corporate ladder. Quiet quitting is the declaration, albeit whispered to oneself, that work isn’t the be-all and end-all and there must be some boundaries.
Quiet quitters have their critics. Some employers think the chronic disconnection from the team, minimal contributions, lack of communication and workload shifting to others are symptoms of plain laziness, passive resistance, ‘silent apathy’. Some have argued that it’s proof Millennials and Gen-Zers lack ambition, are allergic to hard work, or have an unreal sense of entitlement.[4] Defenders argue the new technologies and workplace cultures unreasonably expect people to be available 24/7, that some disengagement is essential for good mental health, and that this is especially so if the work lacks a sense of purpose and belonging.
I don’t pretend to adjudicate this debate. But we know that people act for all sorts of reasons and with mixed motives. For some quiet quitting may simply mask a poor work ethic; for others it may simply be that they want more out of life than workplace burn-out.
In today’s Gospel (Mk 6:7-13) Jesus sends the Twelve out on their first job under some rather challenging employment conditions. They are to call people to repentance, anticipating a good deal of resistance. They can expect no remuneration, work satchels, or spare uniforms—“take nothing for the journey… no bread, no haversack, no coppers for your purses… no spare tunic.” There’d be no working away from home allowance either: even their food and accommodation would be chancy. They were to wear sandals so they could shake the dust of unappreciative towns off their feet. And they would have a staff, but that was only a stick, not an assistant. They could expect to encounter sickness, devils and plenty of persecution—so much for workplace health and safety! Even the greatest recruitment agency would struggle to sign people up for that enterprise agreement. After hearing all that, you could hardy blame the apostles if they had joined the quiet quitters…
If we’re honest with ourselves, we can be quiet quitters ourselves when it comes to discipleship. : We don’t resign from the Christian job, but we may try to get away with the bare minimum. In calibrating our sacred-secular balance, we can prioritise a lot of things over God. There could be spiritual laziness, moral passive-resistance, disengagement from worship and community. There are plenty of avoidance techniques when it comes to conversation with God and the saints or conforming ourselves to their way of being and doing. There can be ‘silent apathy’ when it comes to cultivating virtue, sharing faith, or reaching out to the needy; a lack of spiritual ambition, an allergy to hard work like prayer, penance and almsgiving, a sense of entitlement to heaven whatever we do or don’t. We can all be spiritual quiet quitters…
After all, when it comes to discipleship, there are no financial incentives or prospects of career advancement. There’s no switching off after a shift of preaching and healing, no taking holidays away from faith and virtue. And discipleship is rarely plain sailing: Jesus warned his men that it would involve daily taking up our cross to follow Him (Mk 8:34 et par.). : He will call us out of our comfort zone, like Amos, who was a sheep and fig farmer from the South, with no training or experience or membership of the prophets’ union, who was sent to be prophet to the northern Kingdom of Israel. In our first reading the parish priest of Bethel told him to go back where he came from, find work far away, or there’d be trouble with the authorities (Amos 7:12-13). But there’s no quiet quitting from this prophet. He knows he’s got the only qualification he needs: that God called and sent him.
Amos knew, the apostles knew, we must know that the God we follow is not one good amongst many, but the source of every good we pursue. Not a means to any end of ours, but what finally completes us. Not a rival with our happiness but what enables us to be fully human and fulfilled. The work God gives us in His family firm is for our gain not His. Discipleship is the way to our fullest and truest happiness.
God chose you, like He chose Amos; He charged you, like He charged the Twelve. Like other jobs, the one He has in store for you will involve utilising your talents, carrying out the tasks you are given, applying intentionality, strategy, dedication and sheer hard work. But God is no ordinary employer and discipleship no ordinary work. In the words of our beautiful hymn from Ephesians (Eph 1:3-14), God “chose us in Christ to be holy and spotless, living through love in his presence”. He “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing”, teaching us “the message of truth and Gospel of salvation.” He “adopted us in Christ as his spiritual children… pledging to us an eternal inheritance”. Now that’s a pretty good incentive scheme! More sense of purpose and belonging, p.d. and workplace satisfaction than we deserve! Throw yourself heart and soul into the adventure of the Gospel, and be ready for remuneration beyond your wildest dreams.
To the students with us today from the Australian Catholic Students’ Association I say: it’s great to have you here in Sydney for the ACSA conference. Throw yourselves into your studies and learn all you can while you are at university. Explore the big questions in company with others, the why behind all you are learning. Deepen your faith, develop your conscience, cultivate virtue. Become the saints God calls you to be. Lean on divine providence, as Jesus instructed the disciples today. And know that the Church is always here for you—your companions in the mission of preaching repentance, driving out demons, and healing the sick of body and soul, your fellow students in the pursuit of truth and goodness, beauty and holiness.
[1] E.g. Anthony Klotz and Mark Bolino, “When Quiet Quitting is worse that the real thing,” Harvard Business Review 15 September 2022; Greg Daughtery, “What is Quiet Quitting—and is it a real trend?” Investopedia 8 March 2024; Jim Harter, “Is Quiet Quitting real?” Gallup Workplace 17 May 2023; Cal Newport, “The year in Quiet Quitting,” The New Yorker 29 December 2022; Meeta Vengapally, “Quiet Quitting is a sign of a deeper problem—and here’s what it means,” Forbes 19 December 2022; Kate Schneider, “Why so many Australians are ‘quiet quitting’ their demanding jobs,” news.com 2 August 2022; Victoria Masterton, “What is quiet quitting?” World Economic Forum 2 September 2022.
[2] The term is now found in the Merriam-Webster, Cambridge, and Collins dictionaries.
[3] Jessica Irvine, “Why ‘quiet quitting’ is bad (mostly because of the ‘quiet’ bit…),” Sydney Morning Herald 23 August 2022.
[4] “The truth behind quiet quitting: silent apathy or healthy boundaries?” Hatch Solutions 27 November 2023.
INTRODUCTION TO SOLEMN MASS OF THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B – ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY, 14 JULY 2024
Welcome to St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney for the Solemn Mass of the fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
On Thursday night past I had the privilege of ordaining three new priests and I ask you to keep Fathers Adrian Suyanto, Likisone Tominiko and Charbel Boustany FFI in your prayers, as well as our need for more, holy priests for service in Sydney and beyond.
Joining us this morning are members of the Australian Catholic Students Association, with their chaplain Fr Paul Rowse OP. ACSA offers opportunities for Catholic tertiary students to nourish their spiritual, intellectual and pastoral lives so they might better live out the Gospel and give witness to Jesus Christ.
To the members of ACSA and everyone here this morning, a very warm welcome to you all!