Pope Francis on Work...More
Continuing with Pope Francis's recent remarks about work...
First, let's address a common misunderstanding about work right from the get-go: that Adam and Eve only started "working" out of necessity, specifically because they sinned and lost the "easy" life of Paradise. This is the view that work came about as a kind of punishment.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they were expelled from the Garden. Their work would now become difficult to perform. But notice that it's not that they now had to start working. They were not not required to work because they had sinned. They were already working when they lived in the Garden. So right off the bat, if you thought work was some sort of punishment, lose the thought.
I mention this especially for those of us who have jobs that can seem at times to be a form of punishment, either because of the difficult people we work for, or with; many of us, at one time or another have had bad bosses or co-workers who were either a pain in the neck, or even actively undermined our efforts. If you haven't, count your blessings.
Or maybe your work leaves you anxious, frustrated, on edge. Some jobs are simply no fun. And in an age where some believe being "fulfilled" or even having "fun" at work is some kind of "right," such jobs that aren't fulfilling or fun can really drive you crazy, if you believe you have that "right." Of course, you are by no means required to keep working in a job that's extraordinarily difficult, but until you find a new job, you address that difficulty or in some cases actual suffering, by "offering it up." We Catholics should understand this already, right?
So back to our point that work isn't supposed to be a punishment. We see in our Holy Father's remarks that, from the beginning, God meant for us to work.
See how Pope Francis shifts our view of work away from "us" to God. He's not focusing our attention on our "self-development" or "fulfillment" or "fun" or any of the other phrases taken from the cult of "positive thinking" that make the world all about "us," that easily feeds our tendency to be self-centered. Rather, he puts things in context quite clearly and simply, centered on God. Work is part and parcel of God's Creation, a literal participation in that Creation.
So work is by no means a punishment. Work ought not to be a source of misery and anxiety. It is fundamental to us, to our human nature.
First, let's address a common misunderstanding about work right from the get-go: that Adam and Eve only started "working" out of necessity, specifically because they sinned and lost the "easy" life of Paradise. This is the view that work came about as a kind of punishment.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they were expelled from the Garden. Their work would now become difficult to perform. But notice that it's not that they now had to start working. They were not not required to work because they had sinned. They were already working when they lived in the Garden. So right off the bat, if you thought work was some sort of punishment, lose the thought.
I mention this especially for those of us who have jobs that can seem at times to be a form of punishment, either because of the difficult people we work for, or with; many of us, at one time or another have had bad bosses or co-workers who were either a pain in the neck, or even actively undermined our efforts. If you haven't, count your blessings.
Or maybe your work leaves you anxious, frustrated, on edge. Some jobs are simply no fun. And in an age where some believe being "fulfilled" or even having "fun" at work is some kind of "right," such jobs that aren't fulfilling or fun can really drive you crazy, if you believe you have that "right." Of course, you are by no means required to keep working in a job that's extraordinarily difficult, but until you find a new job, you address that difficulty or in some cases actual suffering, by "offering it up." We Catholics should understand this already, right?
So back to our point that work isn't supposed to be a punishment. We see in our Holy Father's remarks that, from the beginning, God meant for us to work.
The Book of Genesis tells us that God created man and woman by entrusting to them the task of populating the Earth and subjugating it, which does not mean to exploit it, but to cultivate and guard it, to care for it with their own labor (cf. Gen. 1:28; 2:15). The work is part of the plan of God’s love; we are called to cultivate and safeguard all the goods of creation and in this way we participate in the work of creation!To repeat, we work alongside God Himself, participating in the work of creation. That is what work was intended to be from the beginning - not a punishment because of Original Sin. That's why if our job or the people we work for or with make us miserable, we should try to change our situation if at all possible. It's not because we have a "right" to a better job; it's that work itself was meant to be "part of the plan of God's love."
See how Pope Francis shifts our view of work away from "us" to God. He's not focusing our attention on our "self-development" or "fulfillment" or "fun" or any of the other phrases taken from the cult of "positive thinking" that make the world all about "us," that easily feeds our tendency to be self-centered. Rather, he puts things in context quite clearly and simply, centered on God. Work is part and parcel of God's Creation, a literal participation in that Creation.
So work is by no means a punishment. Work ought not to be a source of misery and anxiety. It is fundamental to us, to our human nature.
The work is fundamental to the dignity of a person. Work, to use an image, “anoints” us with dignity, it fills us with dignity; it makes us similar to God, who has worked and works still...More next time...
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