Orthodox Parables and Stories: "St. Nectarios teaches us the value of work."

An incident from the life of Saint Nectarios that teaches us, through his humility, the value of work.

During the time that Saint Nektarios was the director of the Rizari School, for some time the janitor of the School fell ill. When he got out of the hospital, doctors told him not to work, at least three months because otherwise he would endanger his life. The employees were not permanent then and did not have insurance, so there was a chance they would lose their job. This was also what the janitor of Rizario was afraid of.

So one day, after a short recovery, he went to school and saw that everything was spotless. He got cold sweat. They must have hired someone else, he assumed. He went to school the next day and found out the same thing again. Convinced that he had been fired, he went to find the director of the School. The Saint received him with great kindness and told him

"Don't worry, my child, you won't get fired. Do as the doctors told you."

"But who will clean up your Eminence for so long?" he replied.

"Don't worry about it, my child. Everything will be clean, as if you were here."

The janitor left full of joy, but also curious as to who would clean the school premises for so many months when he would be away.

When he went home, he thought of going to school in the morning to see what's going on. 

"Tomorrow I'll go in the morning to finally see what's going on" he thought.

Indeed, he arrived at the school. And what did he see! The School Director had his robes pulled up  and with a broom and a bucket in hand he cleaned the spaces and toilets! He couldn't help it, he ran to him and told him

- Your Eminence, are you doing this humiliating work? Please don't do this again. Please don't do this again. I'll be there tomorrow. I feel better now, but I also don't want you to do this job that I have to do.

Saint Nektarios then took him by the hand, led him to the office and told him

"My child, no work is humiliating. God has blessed work and blesses those who work. Do not tell anyone what you have seen if you want the School Committee not to fire you!"