INSTRUCTION

Labour as a Divine activity: Towards establishing the light to work by Rev Fr Paul Ikechukwu Ogujioffor

     The Holy Writ implores man, that “upon the labour of your hands you shall eat” cfr. Gen.3, 18-19. This was a holy utterance to our first parents. By man’s participation of the Original sin, this injunction is now of the present and future generations inasmuch as man continues to live. By this act man collaborates with God as he labour daily towards creating an aura and opportunity to work. The activity of man in the new dispensation is such that he continues to improve daily and working out all for the salvation of others and himself. In matters of salvation it is something that he had to be done with convictions and freedom of choice of what ought to be. The working ability and consciousness of man to better his environment is a form of enlightenment to the thoughts of man and generations yet unborn.

     The Holy Father in his Encyclical letter, Spe Slavi said: “Every generation has the task of engaging anew in the arduous search for the right way to order human affairs; this task is never simply completed. Yet every generation must also make its own contribution to establishing convincing structures of freedom and of good, which can help the following generation as a guideline for the proper use of human freedom; hence, always within human limits, they provide a certain guarantee also for the future” n.25. In the context in which we are unveiling, we can see labour and work in the light of creation, incarnation, sin, redemption and eschatology. We may understand these as social, historical and economic factors that make work so elevating or degrading.[cfr. “Work” in The New Dictionary of Theology, 1098]. Going by the Tradition, the Scripture has no one view of work. Work involves Divine activity in creation and the human labour in the fields. The same word is used for efforts, toil, service and worship as seen in liturgy. Throughout the biblical passages we see the handiwork of God as the Hebrew evaluation of work is mixed, hence the “image of God” has dominion over creation (Sir 17: 3f; Ps 8: 7), but idols are fashioned by human crafts (Isa 44: 9ff). [cfr. Ibidem 1099].

     All things been equal, addressing the issue of labour which has its departure from the Divine, the Church has never been quiet in discussing this, ipso facto, some Holy Fathers have majored their Encyclical letters solely on labour and human work as a means of dynamism towards our faith and salvation. Some social encyclicals that dealt with the labour as a Divine acitivity and man’s response were:

1. Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (1891) is the basic document whereby the Pope outlined that in our exile on earth, work has value both for securing our basic needs and as a compulsory and painful expiation of our sins.
2.  Pius XI’s Quadragesimo Annos (1931). He described work as the natural activity of applying our forces to nature for developing our powers. The Holy Father developed the principle of subsidiary, and demanded the recognition of the social and individual nature of work.
3. John XXIII’s Mater et Magistra (1961). The Pope sees work as endowed with dignity and is an expression of the human person. Here, man perfects himself and engages in a true human fellowship. This principle of subsidiarity encourages freedom and responsibility in the work places.
4. Gaudium et Spes (1965) initiated a massive change in the theology of work and revived the biblical notion that God works and notes that through their work Christians are unfolding the Creator’s own work. Workers are partners in perfecting God’s creation; indeed work associates them with the redemptive work of Christ who gives work its eminent dignity.
5. Paul VI’s Populorum Progressio (1967). He emphasized that development cannot be limited to economic growth, and every life is a vocation of self-fulfillment. Indeed, “everyone who works is a creator” and labour is “the mission of sharing in the creation of supernatural world” cfr. Numbers 14-15, 27-28.
6. John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens (1981). The pontiff strongly emphasized the “self-realization” or subjective dimension of work. “By means of work man participates in the activity of God” and thus imitates “Christ, the Man of Work”. Therefore, “Man in a way collaborates with the Son of God for the redemption of humanity. Numbers 26-27. [cfr. Ibidem 1101].
7. Benedict XVI’s Spe Salvi (2007). The Holy Father tries to bring out the fact of Faith in hope. Nevertheless, the true shape of Christian hope is eternal life, which is worked out by man’s activity of his daily life; hence the transformation of Christian faith-hope is seen in all ages.
8. Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate (2009).  He pointed out that Charity in Truth is seen in line with human development of our time, which is possible and fruitful only when there is fraternity, economic and people’s development which portrays the rights and duties in the environment. This goes deep into cooperation of human family and establishment through technology.

     It is worthy to note that man’s cooperation in Divine activity is a form of theology of work which involves analyzing and evaluating work from the standpoint of faith, with a view of determining work’s place in human life and in the shaping of the cosmos, in the light of what Christian revelation has to say. From this point of view, we try to have a phenomenological study of work and an in-depth theological study of human existence as the setting of work. [Cfr. Illanes J L, The Sanctification of Work, 138].

     Pope Benedict XVI in his Caritas in Veritate made an exposition that many people are concerned only with their rights, and they often have great difficulty in taking responsibility for their own and other people’s integral development. Hence, it is important to call for a renewed reflection on how rights presuppose duties, if they are not to become mere license n. 43. The Holy Father continued that: “Development needs Christian with their arms raised towards God in prayer; Christians moved by the knowledge that truth-filled love, caritas in veritate, from which authentic development proceeds, is not produced by us, but given to us” Ibidem n. 79.

     Work is a participation in the activity of God. In the words of John Paul II, “The human person is the image of God partly through the mandate received from the creator to subdue, to dominate, the earth. In carrying out this mandate, the human person, every human being, reflects the very action of the creator of the universe” [Laborem Exercens n. 4]. When our work is united with Christ, there is possibility of transformation and change, in support of this, the Holy Father continued: “The Christian finds in human work a small part of the cross of Christ and accepts it in the same spirit of redemption in which Christ accepted his cross for us. In work, thanks to the light that penetrates us from the resurrection of Christ, we always find a glimmer of new life” Ibidem n. 27. Through work, we are forced to face our finitude. Much work is activity that we have to do in order to survive. Furthermore, widely varying talents and social factors make it hard for many workers to believe they are making significant contribution. Therefore, the failure and inevitable disappointment involved in work serve to clear a space for looking to the transcendent dimensions of our graced life [Cfr. N.D.T, 1103]. Christian’s work is made holy through Christ and through charity toward Christ’s poor followers.

     It is good to note that in spiritual life, the emphasis on work is same as in prayer, hence St. Benedict offers an example of Christian spirituality that sees work, prayer, study, and contemplation as intertwined, all directed to praising God. St. Benedict was of the opinion that working is praying. In his rule, he said: “Omnia tamen mensurate fiant propter pusillanimes – Everything is to be done with proper measure on account of the fainthearted” cfr. The Rule of Saint Benedict: Latin & English 48: 9. According to the tradition, all people are equal in the sight of God and have a responsibility toward one another; hence work is a manifestation of care. “Because work is so intimately related to human life, culture, and religion, the topic continues to be a major theme in the social and political history of humankind, as well as in the history of Christian spirituality” [N.D.T, 1049]. Man is totally dependent on God. He enjoys the goodness of God by his participation of good acts; this form of action is a re-presentation of Divine activity, a form of enlightenment and establishment of the realities of nature in the social and religious level. When man obeys God in his works, his moral integrity manifests the use of human right at all times.