459. Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)

Meditations no. 624 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Work is a reality willed by God from the beginning.

WE ARE approaching the end of the liturgical year and the Lord recalls in today’s Gospel the need to be vigilant before his return to the end of the world: take heed, do not be deceived; for many will come in my name saying: “I am”, and “the time is near”. Do not follow them Some Christians of the early Church thought that the glorious coming of Christ was imminent and they did not care about work. Saint Paul calls their attention: if anyone does not want to work, let him not eat.

This and other passages of Sacred Scripture gave light to our Father to proclaim the dignity of every noble human work. From the beginning of his creation, man - I am not making this up - has had to work. It is enough to open the Sacred Bible to the first pages, and there we read that - before sin entered humanity and, as a consequence of that offense, death and hardships and miseries (cf. Rom 5:12) - God formed Adam from the clay of the earth, and created for him and for his descendants this beautiful world, ut operaretur et custodiret illum (Gen 2:15), so that he could work it and guard it.

We must be convinced, therefore, that work is a stupendous reality, which is imposed on us as an inexorable law to which we are all, in one way or another, subject, even if some claim to exempt themselves. Learn it well: this obligation did not arise as a sequel of original sin, nor is it reduced to a discovery of modern times. It is a necessary means that God entrusts to us here on earth, extending our days and making us sharers in his creative power, so that we may earn our sustenance and at the same time reap fruits for eternal life (Jn 4:36): man is born to work, as birds are born to fly (Job 5:7).

This call from God to a job well done, to sanctify all daily tasks by elevating them to the order of grace and making them an opportunity to influence human activities in a Christian way, is an essential part of the message that the faithful of Opus Dei spread throughout the world.

You will tell me that many centuries have passed and very few think this way; that the majority, if anything, are striving for very different reasons: some, for money; others, to support a family; others, to achieve a certain social position, to develop their capacities, to satisfy their disordered passions, to contribute to social progress. And, in general, they are faced with their occupations as with a need from which they cannot escape.

In the face of this flat, selfish, lowly vision, you and I must remind ourselves and others that we are children of God, to whom, like those characters in the Gospel parable, our Father has addressed the same invitation: son, go and work in my vineyard (Mt 21:28). I assure you that, if we strive daily to consider our personal obligations in this way, as a divine requirement, we will learn to complete the task with the greatest human and supernatural perfection of which we are capable. Perhaps on occasion we will rebel - like the eldest son who answered: I do not want to (Mt 21:29) - but we will know how to react, repentant, and we will dedicate ourselves with greater effort to the fulfillment of our duty.

Work must be a service to others.

We must see to it that all people understand that men must not be divided into two categories: those who work, and those who think that they lower themselves by working. For today it is clear that work is a service that all Christians are obliged to render, out of love for God and, through Him, for the whole of humanity.

Since all work is a service to others, and in others we must see Jesus Christ, the services we do to one another can and must be performed in a contemplative spirit. In fact, popular language picks up this dimension when it states that to treat others with contemplation is to treat them well, and without contemplation is to treat them harshly.

Our work is carried out, every day, in the midst of the hundreds of people with whom we find ourselves in contact from the moment we wake up in the morning until the end of the day: relatives, servants, co-workers, clients, friends. In each one of them we must recognize Christ, we must see in each one of them Jesus as our brother; and in this way it will be easier for us to lavish ourselves in service, in attention, in affection, in peace and in joy.

By living this spirit, every human task transcends the temporal and ephemeral, it is linked to the eternal. Those who work exclusively for their own interest can obtain a material advantage, but in that very thing they already achieve their reward, as the Lord assured. On the other hand, by performing these services with an evangelical spirit, together with the temporal reward, the eternal reward is also obtained. He who treasures for himself and is not rich before God, does a very bad business, as Jesus recalls in the parable of the foolish man.

In addressing the unavoidable duty of striving to shape a human and Christian society, a child of God cannot turn his back on the needs of others, no matter how far away they may be; but he must begin by carrying out his own obligations with perfection. To do otherwise would be a disorder. The Lord awaits us in ordinary life, the one led by the majority, the one we lead. The world is populated by a great many silent, efficient people, of whom no biography is spoken of or will be written, but who spend their lives doing good; men and women who work day and night in the innumerable professions of an increasingly complex world.

Let us not forget that Mary and Jesus sanctified these simple occupations. At times, it will help us to think: if the Lord or his Mother were in this office, in this kitchen, in this laboratory, caring for this patient, in this workshop, how would they develop? Because the Lord gives immense value to the work of man’s intelligence and hands, to the work of his children. By acting in this way, in front of God, for reasons of love and service, with a priestly soul, all man’s action takes on a genuine supernatural meaning, which keeps our lives united to the source of all graces.

What we do every day is of interest to God. He has sanctified it, dignified it, with his thirty years of hidden life. There are no vulgar or petty jobs; the category lies in the way of fulfilling them, in the love of a job well done, in the care of the work in all its details, to offer it to the Lord.

To combine a life of intense work with the fulfillment of one’s duties to God and to men.

WORK carried out in the spirit of Christ leads us not to neglect our duties to God, to the people we deal with and to ourselves. The human creature must not live in order to work, but must work in order to live, and to live is to love God, others, ourselves, according to the order of charity. In this regard, Benedict XVI insists that “work is of primary importance for the fulfilment of man and the development of society, and therefore it must always be organized and developed with full respect for human dignity and at the service of the common good. At the same time, it is indispensable that man not allow himself to be dominated by work, that he not idolize it, seeking to find in it the ultimate and definitive meaning of life”.

The idolatry of work does not place Christ at the summit of human activities, but pursues one’s own elevation. An absorbing work is tiring, but this fatigue is not the liberating Cross of the Lord, but a torture that enslaves the person, brutalizes him little by little and prevents him from taking care of God and others. Rightly ordered professional work must leave time for God, for the family, for friends and colleagues in profession or trade, and also for the necessary rest. “What should the Christian do? Use the world, not serve the world. What does this mean?” asks St. Augustine. And he answers: “Possess as if one did not possess oneself.” To be detached, too, from one’s own work. There is no task so urgent that it justifies the neglect of Christian obligations.

The Lord’s invitation to the people of Israel is very timely: remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. For six days you shall work and do your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath, in honour of the Lord your God. You shall do no work there. “It can be said that the biblical teaching on work culminates in the commandment to rest. In this regard, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church opportunely observes:”Rest opens to man, subject to the necessity of work, the prospect of a fuller freedom, that of the eternal Sabbath (cf. Heb 4:9-10). Rest enables men and women to remember and relive the works of God, from creation to redemption, to recognize themselves as his work (cf. Eph 2:10), and to give thanks for their life and subsistence to him, who is the Author of them” (n. 258)“.

Work is also an opportunity to bring souls closer to Christ, making use of the natural relationships of friendship or companionship that the common task creates between people. Love for God and for others must be reflected in all actions. Although temporal matters have their own autonomy, there are initiatives with which a Christian must not compromise. The presence of a disciple of Christ in a concrete work environment must naturally lead to the apostolate, bringing the light of Christ to his colleagues.

Let us listen again to Pope Benedict XVI: “Work must contribute to the true good of humanity, enabling ‘man individually and socially to cultivate and fully realize his vocation’ (Gaudium et Spes, n. 35). For this to happen, technical and professional preparation, which is otherwise necessary, is not enough; it is not even enough to create a just social order attentive to the good of all. It is necessary to live a spirituality that helps believers to sanctify themselves through their work.”

Work does not distance the Christian from that vigilant expectation with which the liturgy of these days wishes to keep us alert in order to grow in love for God. There must not be one time for the Lord and another for study, work, rest. We have only one life that must be ordered to God. Throughout the working day, in the street, in family and social gatherings, in rest, at all times, we are children of God who naturally reflect his condition: whether you eat, drink, or do anything else, do everything for the glory of God.

Next Sunday the liturgical year will end. One day our earthly life will also end. Then, “all the excellent fruits of nature and of our efforts, after having spread them throughout the earth in the Spirit of the Lord and in accordance with his command, we will find them again cleansed from all stain, illuminated and transfigured, when Christ gives to the Father the eternal and universal kingdom: ‘the kingdom of truth and life; the kingdom of holiness and grace; the kingdom of justice, love and peace’”.

Let us ask Holy Mary to obtain for us from the Lord the grace to carry out our daily work with the same dispositions with which she worked in the house of Nazareth.