Putting Work in Perspective
- ZENIT
Many still keep alive the spiritual message of Christmas in their families, but the end of holidays, and a return to work for many, should not mean forgetting about religion. The recently published Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church dedicates a chapter to human work, and seeks to explain its deeper meaning.
Heading
the chapter is an explanation of what the Bible has to say about work. In Genesis
God entrusts to man the task of exercising dominion over creation. "Work is part
of the original state of man and precedes his fall; it is therefore not a punishment
or curse," the Compendium notes (No. 256).
Work becomes associated
with pain and toil as a result of original sin. Yet it still should be considered
as something worthwhile since it enables us to provide the material elements we
need, the Compendium insists.
At the same time, the Compendium
warns against placing work at the apex of our activities. "Work is essential,
but it is God and not work who is the origin of life and the final
goal of man" (No. 257). In this context the stipulation of the Sabbath rest is
important, because it gives an opportunity to refocus on God.
In the
New Testament one finds the example of Jesus, who carried out the task of manual
work as a carpenter. Jesus decries the servant who hides his talent in the ground
and describes his own mission as that of working (John 5:17). But Jesus also teaches
us to seek the treasures of heaven that will last, unlike those that are perishable
(Mark 6:19-21).
Jesus further reveals that work is not only participation
in creation, but also in the work of redemption. "Those who put up with the difficult
rigors of work in union with Jesus cooperate, in a certain sense, with the Son
of God in his work of redemption and show that they are disciples of Christ bearing
his cross" (No. 263).
In fact, as St. Paul teaches, no Christian has
the right not to work and merely to live at the expense of others (2 Thessalonians
3:6-12). The Apostle Paul encourages Christians to work and then to share the
fruits with others who are in need.
Two-dimensional
The Compendium
delves deeper into what work means for each person. It has both an objective and
subjective dimension. Its objective meaning refers to the area of activities,
instruments and technologies that are used to produce things. While the subjective
sense is related to work as being the activity of a human person, who carries
out work as part of a personal vocation. "As a person, man is therefore the subject
of work" (No. 270).
This subjective aspect of work is vital to a correct
understanding of its value and dignity. Work is not simply the production of a
commodity, but is also the activity of a human person, whose dignity must be respected.
The Compendium adds that the subjective dimension should take precedence over
the objective aspects, "because it is the dimension of the person himself who
engages in work, determining its quality and consummate value" (No. 271).
Human work also has a social dimension, as an individual's activity is connected
with that of other people. "The fruits of work offer occasions for exchange, relationship
and encounter" (No. 273).
Labor and capital
When it comes to
the theme of understanding the relationship between workers and the material elements
of production (capital), the Compendium repeats the importance of keeping
in first place the concept of work as a subjective or personal task. In fact,
in the modern economy the text notes that there is growing recognition of the
value of "human capital" as an important resource in production.
But,
while keeping in place the principle of the priority of the human person, labor
and capital should exist in a relationship of complementarity, adds the Compendium.
Each one needs the other and it would be wrong to exalt one and forget the contribution
of the other.
To this end the Compendium encourages cooperation
between work and capital through such means as participation in management, ownership
and profits. This may be easier in today's world, given that human knowledge is
a more important factor in the economy.
Regarding the cooperation between
work and capital the text defends the right to private property, while also calling
to mind the importance of placing it at the service of all. Both private and public
property, "must be oriented to an economy of service to mankind" (No. 283).
Safeguarding rights
A section of
the Compendium is dedicated to explaining what some of the rights are in
the area of human work. For a start, "work is a fundamental right and a good for
all mankind" (No. 287). Work is needed to support a family and unemployment brings
with it many social problems. Achieving full employment, therefore, remains a
key economic goal. An important means in carrying this out is to provide an adequate
education, which continues throughout the working life, so that people can find
suitable employment.
The
state has a role to play in this, but the Compendium is careful to stipulate
that this does not mean that governments should directly employ people to provide
all with a job. The duty of the state is to encourage business activity by creating
conditions that will lead to adequate job opportunities.
With the increasing
globalization of the economy the Compendium also recommends that governments cooperate
with one another to safeguard the right to work and to ameliorate the ups and
downs of the economic cycle. Another responsibility is to take care of the family.
Businesses, unions and the state should promote policies that support the family.
Other themes treated in this section deal range from women and children,
to protecting immigrants and agricultural workers. Women's rights should be respected
and discrimination against them is not acceptable, especially with regard to pay
and social security. Child labor, continues the text, "constitutes a kind of violence
that is less obvious than others but it is not for this reason any less terrible"
(No. 296). While it is true that in some countries income earned by children is
important for families, nevertheless this exploitation constitutes a serious violation
of human dignity.
When it comes to spelling out more specific rights,
such as a just wage, the Compendium recalls that "The rights of workers, like
all other rights, are based on the nature of the human person and on his transcendent
dignity" (No. 301).
Going global
The last part of the
chapter on work deals with some recent developments in world of work. Globalization
has brought with it many changes, and it is important to remember that along with
this process the world also needs "a globalization of safeguards, minimum essential
rights and equity" (No. 310).
An economy no longer built on an industrial
base, but on services and newer technologies, brings with it many changes for
those working, and some difficult adjustments. To deal with this the Compendium
recommends avoiding the error of insisting that changes take place in a determined
manner. "The decisive factor and 'referee' of this complex phase of change is
once more the human person, who must remain the true protagonist of his work"
(No. 317). Humanizing work, now on a planetary scale, is thus the goal ahead.
Order
the Compendium
of the Social Doctrine of the Church, here.
This is Meaghen Gonzalez, Editor of CERC. I hope you appreciated this piece. We curate these articles especially for believers like you.
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Acknowledgement
ZENIT is an International News Agency based in Rome whose mission is to provide objective and professional coverage of events, documents and issues emanating from or concerning the Catholic Church for a worldwide audience, especially the media.
Reprinted with permission from Zenit - News from Rome. All rights reserved.