Why We Work for "Stuff": A Catholic View of Private Property - Part 2

We saw last time that what we acquire as a result of our efforts at work is of its very nature intended from the get-go not only for us, but for the common good. Let's now look at the practical implications of it, specifically how it effects everything we do at work. In Working Your Way into Heaven, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski explains:

We do not work merely to earn necessities of life for ourselves, but the thought of our neighbors' need should also accompany us in our work. 

Notice there's no reference to "luxuries" here. Most people make a distinction between "necessities" and what we might call "luxuries." They know they need to make enough to provide for necessities. When they make enough and more, it enables them to buy luxuries. At least that's the typical thought process we usually see. You get a raise and maybe you upgrade your car, buy a bigger house, move to nicer neighborhood, take a special vacation, etc. But let's remember what St. Paul taught us in our last post: 

"Let each man work instead, and earn by his own labor the blessings he will be able to share with those who are in need."

That's what Cardinal Wyszynski is talking about here. And here's how this immediately impacts our daily work:

We gain thereby a new stimulus to work, thanks to which the goal of our work becomes more profound...to conquer the selfishness of the goals that many people pursue in their work, to master low greed...

So much for spending time thinking about all those tempting luxuries lurking out there, ready to suck the cash out of your wallet. And the practical implications of this are:

...to ennoble effort and competition, to encourage conscientiousness, to raise the productivity of our work beyond the limit of our own, perhaps modest needs.

Notice that competition is not an exclusively capitalist concept. The capitalist sees competition driving fervent production, and its positive impact of increased wealth in the economy is measured quantitatively. Here, however, we find competition "ennobled." As such we are seeing a qualitative aspect of competition. Such a view doesn't preclude quantitative measurement of production. We can say, however, that "raw" competition - that of the "dog eat dog" variety - won't do for a Catholic. Notice too that even if we're not the sort motivated to work longer and harder by a desire to acquire luxuries, the Church has consistently taught that we need to look beyond ourselves and our modest needs.

The teaching of the social encyclicals aims at spiritualizing the effort of of human work, so that man at work does not shut himself up in himself...We should work eagerly and zealously so that we may be better able to help the needy. We should take on ourselves work, effort, and toil so that we have something to give to the poor."

Powerful words, aren't they? Here we decidedly step above and beyond the capitalist idea that self-interest will motivate people to produce more, thereby increasing the overall wealth of society. While there's some truth to that, it's not the way Catholics think - or at least not the way we should be thinking. Even if each person pursuing his or her self-interest does leave us all better off, it's not the way any of us Catholic ought to approach our efforts at work.

Next time we'll see that the Church's teaching regarding our obligation to those in need has its roots in Sacred Scripture, extending through the Old Testament. Meanwhile, maybe we should be thinking about how much caring for the needy motivates us in our daily work. Are we thinking of that bonus we earned for our extraordinary efforts strictly as a means to acquire more goodies for ourselves and our families, or will we remember that a portion of that should be earmarked for those in need? Which motivates us more: the thought of getting more for ourselves or the idea of giving more to others?