[stephenkhoo]

Scripture Reflections




Tuesday, 01 May, 2012, St Joseph the Worker, Memorial


CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORK

SCRIPTURE READINGS: GEN 1:26-2:3; COLS 3:14-15,17,23-24; MAT 13:54-58

Do you find work a drudgery or a great privilege? Many of us find work a chore. Many workers have negative attitudes towards work. It is truly a manifestation of the sin of sloth. There are some people who just want to avoid anything that require strenuous activity from their mind or from their body. Some retire from school thinking that they could then be free of strenuous study and work. Many people today want to retire early from work, even before they have accomplished anything in life. For others, work is but a necessary toil to tolerate in life. It is only a means to make an earning; not to make a living! Some Catholics think that Church work is greater than other forms of work; and tend to neglect their secular work to do Church work, whether in a voluntary capacity or even as full time employment.

Still others consider work that is not paid as unimportant, like housekeeping at home, looking after children or serving in a voluntary organization. Work is measured in monetary terms. Without monetary value, there seems to be no urgency or dedication to do something well. For this reason, quite often in Church ministry, many members lack commitment and dedication to what they do, coming and going as they like without real accountability and responsibility, since they are working for free!

All these humanistic attitudes towards work are inadequate as they are seen from the perspective of man, rather than from the perspective of faith. Indeed, without a faith perspective work becomes a punishment or a means to acquire wealth and status; not as an agent to empower us to live our lives meaningfully and for our development as well as that of our fellowmen. This explains why in the gospel Jesus did not do perform any miracles in His hometown, because they did not see His work from the perspective of faith. His village folks were prejudiced against Him, refusing to see the good He was doing but were more concerned about where He received such miraculous powers. Instead of amazement and delight, they were filled with jealousy; unable to accept what He did because they could not accept Him for what He was.

When work is seen as the result of man’s power, it limits his capacity to do more. What is worse, it is seen as self-serving, performed solely for himself and his benefits. This explains why many of us are working only on the human level instead of allowing ourselves to be aided by grace, which is to allow God to elevate our human power to share in His divine power. It is important that we move away from a secular notion of work promoted by greed and self-aggrandizement; seeing it only as a means to secure wealth, power and status.

The first reading from the book of Genesis sets forth the fundamental principles of the nature of work. These principles suggested by the author are not so much focused on the work themselves but on the dignity of the human person. So the point of departure is in appreciating work not from the nature of our work but who we are as persons in the eyes of God. Indeed, what makes us great is our dignity as God’s creatures, created in His image and likeness. “God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.’. God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.” Work does not qualify man but man qualifies work. Man is not born to work but work is a means to help man to be man, created in God’s image and likeness. Even if a man cannot work and be economically productive, for example, if he is handicapped or bed-ridden, in the eyes of God he is still doing God’s work.

To share in the image and likeness of God means to be given the power of co-creation. “God blessed them, saying to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth … To all wild beasts, all birds of heaven and all living reptiles on the earth I give all the foliage of plants for food.” If God created us with intellect and free will, it is in order that we share with Him the work of creating the world, making it a paradise where there is love and harmony for all men. God has given us authority over all creation and made us masters of all animals so that we can develop this earth for the good of all. Our task is to multiply and bring fecundity to the world, to give life and to fill this earth with the goodness and love of God. So all work is to contribute to the development of humanity and the potential of this earth. We are masters and therefore we are not only responsible to our fellowmen but to creation itself. Hence, the importance of promoting ecology even whilst we develop the world for the good of mankind.

Consequently, it is truly a great honour and privilege to share in the creative work of God. This is the calling of every human person. That is why in John’s gospel, Jesus saw His work as the work of His father and His food is to do His father’s will. “My food is to do the will of the one sent me, and to complete his work.” (Jn 4:35) Again Jesus asked, “The Father and I are one … I have many good works for you to see, works from my Father, for which of these are you stoning me?” (Jn 10:30f) Jesus was conscious that what He was doing was a participation and continuation of His Father’s work. We too must acquire this attitude towards work in all its forms. We too must remember that whatever we do is always done for the glory of God, as St Paul reminds us thus, “Never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever your work is, put your heart into it as if it were for the Lord and not for men, knowing that the Lord will repay you by making you his heirs. It is Christ the Lord that you are serving.” So we are not serving man even when we work, but God is our master and He is the One we are serving in Christ through our service to humanity. This was what Jesus said in the gospel of John. “I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do.” (Jn 17:4) “I have given the glory you gave to me that they may be one as we are one.” (Jn 17:22) “I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love which you loved me may be in them and so that I may be in them.” (Jn 17:26)”

Hence, work is never an end in itself; not even for material gain but for our development as God’s creatures. It is not a punishment from God for our sins but God’s means to help us grow in His likeness by exercising our God-given potential for growth in charity, compassion and understanding. In this way we extend the family of God and build humanity into a communion of love in imitation of the love of the Holy Trinity. This explains why St Paul urges us to hold to mind whatever we do, the all-important principle of doing everything in love and for the promotion of peace and unity. He wrote, “over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body.”

Finally, St Paul urges us to be at peace in whatever we do. This peace is found when we are fulfilling the will of God and our vocation in life. At the end of the day, it is not how successful we are, how much wealth we have accumulated and what position we hold in life. Rather, as the psalmist tells us, we must leave success into the hands of the Lord. What is important is to commend our spirit to God, like Jesus on the cross, even in failure. In the final analysis we are called to be faithful and not successful in the eyes of the world. What is a failure in the eyes of people might very well be success in the estimation of God because He values our faithfulness to His divine will more than anything else! And so like the psalmist we pray, “Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever? Show pity to your servants. Give success to the work of our hands, O Lord. In the morning, fill us with your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Show forth your work to your servants; let your glory shine on their children.”