At Acton’s 28th Annual Dinner, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute, spoke about the eternal significance of work. Sirico states that serving God and participating in the market are not separate efforts. Rather, engagement in the market can lead to generosity, service, and the reduction of poverty.

Work, too, should be seen as bringing more than just profit to people’s lives. “This mundane existence,” says Sirico, “whereby people earn sufficient resources to support their families, actually fulfills a vocation that God has given to the whole human race to be creative as God was creative.” Sirico concludes his address with a call to “inform future generations” of the “eternal truths” surrounding work.

Watch the full video below.