By the Sweat of Your Brow
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski provides great insights for us Catholic men at work in his book published in English under the title, Working Your Way into Heaven. Today we look at the chapter entitled "By the Sweat of Your Brow."
We recall again that work itself was never a punishment imposed on man due to Adam and Eve's Original Sin.
"Work is a rational activity and a virtue."
But with Adam's sin, work became difficult, a burden.
"The fatigue of work also arises out of the fact that, from the very moment of the original sin of Adam, there has prevailed in the world a revolt of nature against man...Man refused allegiance to God, and, infected by this bad example, the created world stiffened in opposition to man."
And so we must work - whether it's physical labor, or typing away on our keyboards - by the sweat of our brow. Besides the work itself, there are those with whom we work - our bosses, colleagues, customers, vendors, etc. Our fallen human nature infects and distorts our personal relationships. Love of neighbor simply doesn't come naturally to most of us.
"The effort necessary to cooperate with other people also runs counter to our nature, for sin has closed man up in himself and plunged him into selfishness and pride. Sin has disrupted the social nature of man, turned him away from God and from his neighbor, and steered toward self-worship, the adoration of himself and of his own mind and will. When this process repeats itself in a different form in every individual, it is easy to see the conflict that life in common can entail."
Even the best jobs I've had reflected the difficulties outlined by Cardinal Wyszynski. But rather than passively accept these conditions, or even become cynical about the world and our fellow man, we Christians find hope in those beads of sweat that drip from our brow as we plow through the work day.
"The heaviest work, the most wearisome bustle, and all the suffering arising out of it: these things are not fruitless..."
For those of us in a position to do so, we can, really are obligated to, create better working conditions.
"Our rational nature has a right and a duty to see to it that the burden of work should be lightened. Businessmen, directors, and organizers of work have a moral obligation to arrange the condition of work so that it will be worthy of man."
Would that some of the companies I've worked for had understood this and acted appropriately! It's not that hard to do. Having been in supervisory positions, and now running my own business, with the help of God's grace I think I've done and continue to try to do my best to create conditions of work "worthy of man." And if I can do it, really anyone can.
Nevertheless, even under the best conditions, work still retains the stain of original sin.
But when everything possible has been done, when conscientiousness, reason, and good will have come into play, the toil of work will still remain - and we ought to give it back to God with the same intention with which God demands "the sweat of our brow" in atonement for our revolt.
Remarkably, the difficulties that come with work due to our fallen nature hold the key free ourselves from being a slave to the temptation and sin that came with that fall. In a very real sense, we can rejoice in having to work by the sweat of our brow.
Man cannot desire complete liberation from the hardship of work, for that hardship frees him from sin. And we offer the whole pain of work to God through Christ who invites: 'Come to me, all you that labor and are burdened; I will give you rest.'"
Next time we'll consider the mystery of redemption in work.
We recall again that work itself was never a punishment imposed on man due to Adam and Eve's Original Sin.
"Work is a rational activity and a virtue."
But with Adam's sin, work became difficult, a burden.
"The fatigue of work also arises out of the fact that, from the very moment of the original sin of Adam, there has prevailed in the world a revolt of nature against man...Man refused allegiance to God, and, infected by this bad example, the created world stiffened in opposition to man."
And so we must work - whether it's physical labor, or typing away on our keyboards - by the sweat of our brow. Besides the work itself, there are those with whom we work - our bosses, colleagues, customers, vendors, etc. Our fallen human nature infects and distorts our personal relationships. Love of neighbor simply doesn't come naturally to most of us.
"The effort necessary to cooperate with other people also runs counter to our nature, for sin has closed man up in himself and plunged him into selfishness and pride. Sin has disrupted the social nature of man, turned him away from God and from his neighbor, and steered toward self-worship, the adoration of himself and of his own mind and will. When this process repeats itself in a different form in every individual, it is easy to see the conflict that life in common can entail."
Even the best jobs I've had reflected the difficulties outlined by Cardinal Wyszynski. But rather than passively accept these conditions, or even become cynical about the world and our fellow man, we Christians find hope in those beads of sweat that drip from our brow as we plow through the work day.
"The heaviest work, the most wearisome bustle, and all the suffering arising out of it: these things are not fruitless..."
For those of us in a position to do so, we can, really are obligated to, create better working conditions.
"Our rational nature has a right and a duty to see to it that the burden of work should be lightened. Businessmen, directors, and organizers of work have a moral obligation to arrange the condition of work so that it will be worthy of man."
Would that some of the companies I've worked for had understood this and acted appropriately! It's not that hard to do. Having been in supervisory positions, and now running my own business, with the help of God's grace I think I've done and continue to try to do my best to create conditions of work "worthy of man." And if I can do it, really anyone can.
Nevertheless, even under the best conditions, work still retains the stain of original sin.
But when everything possible has been done, when conscientiousness, reason, and good will have come into play, the toil of work will still remain - and we ought to give it back to God with the same intention with which God demands "the sweat of our brow" in atonement for our revolt.
Remarkably, the difficulties that come with work due to our fallen nature hold the key free ourselves from being a slave to the temptation and sin that came with that fall. In a very real sense, we can rejoice in having to work by the sweat of our brow.
Man cannot desire complete liberation from the hardship of work, for that hardship frees him from sin. And we offer the whole pain of work to God through Christ who invites: 'Come to me, all you that labor and are burdened; I will give you rest.'"
Next time we'll consider the mystery of redemption in work.
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