As we celebrate Labor Day, we may think about the end of another seemingly short summer with its more relaxed pace and the start of school and everything that comes with it.
On this secular holiday, the Church invites us to reflect also on the importance and dignity of work, the fundamental task that takes up a significant part of our energy and time.
Catholicism has developed a wonderful spirituality and profound theology of work, and it is worth looking into it to better understand how our daily work is an essential part of our life of faith.
What is work
In Genesis, before original sin, Adam and Eve do not have to work. The lush abundance of Eden is a generous gift from God, who provides for all their needs.
In the tragic consequences of their revolt against the Lord, the decrees of the Almighty act as part of their punishment.
“Cursed is the ground because of you! By toil you shall eat from it all the days of your life. It shall yield you thorns and thistles, and you shall eat the herbs of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground.” (Genesis 3:17-19)
In this Jewish context, work is a burden and not a blessing; a curse and a punishment and not an opportunity.
A similar mindset prevailed in all ancient cultures; in ancient Greece and Rome, women and slaves did the physical labor.
Jesus changes everything!
The Son of God leads a life as a carpenter, following the profession of Saint Joseph, and spends most of his life in the meaninglessness of daily work and mundane tasks.
In the mystery of the hidden years of Nazareth, God honors work and gives it meaning, purpose and meaning.
Because of this fundamental shift in understanding, the Catholic world came to view work as part of our Christian vocation and a precious opportunity to serve God, share in his creativity, and contribute generously to the common good. Monks and nuns showed the way through their rules of life, which presented prayer and work as the cornerstones of a balanced and spiritual way of life.
Faith and work
Saint John Paul II was the first modern pope to work with his hands. During the dark days of the Nazi occupation of Poland, he toiled in both a stone quarry and a chemical factory.
These harsh experiences led him to reflect on both God’s noble purpose for work and the abuse of that purpose by human greed.
In every dictatorship in history, leaders have brutalized the masses through forced labor and inhumane work.
This becomes clear when one thinks about the sick ideology underlying the epitaph “Work sets you free” that hangs above the main gate of Auschwitz.
The Pope’s war experiences prompted him to write one of his first encyclicals, Laborem exercises through workissued in 1981, shortly after he was shot in St. Peter’s Square.
In it, Saint John Paul sets out the fundamental principles of the meaning and importance of work.
Work is an essential part of our human nature and calling. It is not a punishment, but an opportunity to make our contribution.
By offering our daily work to God and the salvation of the world, we participate in God’s creation, redemption and sanctification of the world.
Every person has the right and the duty to work and to use his talents, time and intelligence to promote the common good and to serve his brothers and sisters.
Man is the goal and not the means of all economic activity.
Therefore, workers have a fundamental right to a fair wage, safe working conditions, a humane working week and the opportunity to organize.
In addition, they have an obligation to do their job well and earn the wages they receive.
History teaches us that neither unbridled capitalism (think of the sweatshops of the 19th century) nor Marxism (think of the Siberian gulags) accept this Catholic conception of work and the rights of workers in the economic system.
Whether you are a CEO, nurse, architect, homemaker or farmer, consider your daily work as part of your service to God, an opportunity to sanctify and improve the world.
Offer your work to the Lord every day and do it to the best of your ability.
Thank the Lord for the gifts of time, talent, intellect and energy that enable you to serve Him.
When your work becomes routine, monotonous or alienating, give that frustration to God as an offering of your heart.
On this Labor Day, we thank God for our brothers and sisters who work hard to serve and help us in so many ways.
I especially thank our priests, deacons, religious and lay leaders in our parishes and schools who are committed to the Gospel and the spread of the Kingdom of God.
May you all experience the fruits and rewards of a life given in sacrifice and love!
