Why We Work for "Stuff": A Catholic View of Private Property - Part 5
To get us back to where we left off before our end of summer break, let's start with some wise words from St. Paul (2 Corinthians 9: 6-11). We find him talking about how we should work, our obligation to those in need, and the spirit that should pervade our labor each day.
As we've seen, all that Cardinal Wyszynski has been teaching us in Working Your Way into Heaven comes right from Holy Scripture and the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church. St. Paul's words shed light on a few of the themes we've studied these past weeks:
We ought to be generous in our work.
By this, we mean that, if at all possible, we should seek to work such that we can increase our surplus in order to have more to help the needy. Rather than sow sparingly, sow in blessings. Unite your efforts to God's Holy Will. Work harder not to get more, but to be able to give more.
Work hard and give the fruits of your labor with a cheerful spirit.
As we become more able to give, do so cheerfully. Hard work can sometimes make us a bit frayed, even rough around the edges. But accompanying our work with prayer and a spirit of sacrifice can smooth those edges. Give generously, in a charitable spirit. Yes, we have an obligation to create more surplus such that we can give more to others. But rather than focus on "obligation," shift and sharpen that focus on "love." As St. Paul tells us, "ye always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."
Justice demands we keep the needs of the poor especially prominent in our charity.
Holy Scripture constantly reminds us that God, who is all-merciful and all-just has always kept the poor front and center in His justice and mercy. So should we. "...he hath given to the poor: his justice remaineth for ever."
The wealth we create is not just for us; the common good claims its portion as well.
By no means a communistic idea or a socialist ideal, the common good stakes a claim on all we produce. Yes, the right of private property applies to our production and to all that we own. But that right is not exclusive and does not preclude our personal obligation to share with others, for the common good. God Himself gives us the means that allow us to prosper, when indeed we do: "...he that ministereth seed to the sower, will both give you bread to eat, and will multiply your seed, and increase the growth of the fruits of your justice..."
And, yes, we do well to immediately turn to Our Lord with thanksgiving. Any praise, career advancement, monetary reward, even personal gratification should be secondary to this: "That being enriched in all things, you may abound unto all simplicity, which worketh through us thanksgiving to God."
In that spirit of simplicity we thank St. Paul for his wisdom, which comes ultimately from God. St. Paul worked for his bread throughout his ministry, so he knows all about our challenges of working, earning our keep, and giving of our surplus to others. He presents us with a fine send off to our own work today.
Now this I say: He who soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly: and he who soweth in blessings, shall also reap blessings. Every one as he hath determined in his heart, not with sadness, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound in you; that ye always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. As it is written: He hath dispersed abroad, he hath given to the poor: his justice remaineth for ever. And he that ministereth seed to the sower, will both give you bread to eat, and will multiply your seed, and increase the growth of the fruits of your justice:
That being enriched in all things, you may abound unto all simplicity, which worketh through us thanksgiving to God.
As we've seen, all that Cardinal Wyszynski has been teaching us in Working Your Way into Heaven comes right from Holy Scripture and the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church. St. Paul's words shed light on a few of the themes we've studied these past weeks:
We ought to be generous in our work.
By this, we mean that, if at all possible, we should seek to work such that we can increase our surplus in order to have more to help the needy. Rather than sow sparingly, sow in blessings. Unite your efforts to God's Holy Will. Work harder not to get more, but to be able to give more.
Work hard and give the fruits of your labor with a cheerful spirit.
As we become more able to give, do so cheerfully. Hard work can sometimes make us a bit frayed, even rough around the edges. But accompanying our work with prayer and a spirit of sacrifice can smooth those edges. Give generously, in a charitable spirit. Yes, we have an obligation to create more surplus such that we can give more to others. But rather than focus on "obligation," shift and sharpen that focus on "love." As St. Paul tells us, "ye always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."
Justice demands we keep the needs of the poor especially prominent in our charity.
Holy Scripture constantly reminds us that God, who is all-merciful and all-just has always kept the poor front and center in His justice and mercy. So should we. "...he hath given to the poor: his justice remaineth for ever."
The wealth we create is not just for us; the common good claims its portion as well.
By no means a communistic idea or a socialist ideal, the common good stakes a claim on all we produce. Yes, the right of private property applies to our production and to all that we own. But that right is not exclusive and does not preclude our personal obligation to share with others, for the common good. God Himself gives us the means that allow us to prosper, when indeed we do: "...he that ministereth seed to the sower, will both give you bread to eat, and will multiply your seed, and increase the growth of the fruits of your justice..."
And, yes, we do well to immediately turn to Our Lord with thanksgiving. Any praise, career advancement, monetary reward, even personal gratification should be secondary to this: "That being enriched in all things, you may abound unto all simplicity, which worketh through us thanksgiving to God."
In that spirit of simplicity we thank St. Paul for his wisdom, which comes ultimately from God. St. Paul worked for his bread throughout his ministry, so he knows all about our challenges of working, earning our keep, and giving of our surplus to others. He presents us with a fine send off to our own work today.
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