Dear All,
This weekend there will be prayers said in our church for the unemployed. We are sending you reflections related to work – not just paid employment but the varied ‘’work that comes our way through life. In the main these are positive views of work but of course many people don’t have positive experiences in relation to work.
Our blessing is ‘The Peace of Christ be with you’ from Heavenly Peace – let us pray for all who have problems related to work – those looking for work, those who find their work boring, unrewarding, those who find those overseeing their work unreasonably demanding & unsympathetic, young people needing direction with regard to work. And if we have had, or still have, meaningful, fulfilling work, let us pray in thanksgiving.
The peace of Christ be with you,
The love of Christ enfold you,
The joy of Christ inspire you;
The strength of Christ uphold you,
And the beauty of Christ be within you,
All the days of your life.
Amen.
With our love & prayer for you
Work
One of the most demanding, but often overlooked, dimensions of the creation story is that when creation was finished, it wasn’t really finished at all. Instead God committed the rest of the process to us. What humans do on this earth either continues creation or obstructs it. It all depends on the way we look at life, the way we see our role in the ongoing creation of the world.
Work is our contribution to creation. It relates us to the rest of the world. It fulfils responsibility to the future. God left us a world intact, a world with enough for everyone. The contemplative question of the time is what kind of world we are leaving to those who come after us. The contemplative sets out to shape the world in the image of God; to bring the glory of God into the stuff of the moment, the character of the little piece of the planet for which we are responsible.
The ideal state, the contemplative knows, is not to avoid work. The first thing Genesis requires of Adam & Eve is that they ’till the garden & keep it’. They are then commanded to work long before they sin. Work is not, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, punishment for sin. Work is the mark of the conscientiously human. We do not live to outgrow work. We live to work well, to work with purpose, to work with honesty & quality & artistry.
The contemplative is overcome by the notion of ‘tilling the garden & keeping it’. Work does not distract us from God. It brings the reign of God closer than it was before we came. Work does not take us away from God. It continues the work of God through us. Work is the priesthood of the human race. It turns the ordinary into the grandeur of God.
Joan Chittister
Work should be the setting for rich personal growth where so many aspects of life enter into play: creativity, planning for the future, developing our talents, living out our values, relating to others, giving glory to God. …………………..
We were created with a vocation to work. The goal should not be that technological progress increasingly replaces human work, for this would be detrimental to humanity. Work is a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development & personal fulfilment. Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work. Yet the orientation of the economy has favoured a kind of technological progress in which the costs of production are reduced by laying off workers & replacing them with machines. This is yet another way in which we can end up working against ourselves.
Pope Francis. Laudato Si
A Benedicite for Human Work
Let the sowers of seed bless you, great God,
The gardeners and farmers sing your praise.
May the fishers and foresters bless you, Beloved,
Praise your name and glorify you forever.
Let the bread from grain bless you, great God,
The wine from the grape sing your praise.
May the transformations from cooks bless you, Beloved,
Praise your name and glorify you forever.
Let the spinners and weavers bless you, great God,
The designers of clothes sing your praise.
May the salesmen and retailers bless you, Beloved,
Praise your name and glorify you forever.
Let the sounds and silences of music bless you, great God,
The great composers sing your praise.
May the improvisers of jazz bless you, Beloved,
Praise your name and glorify you forever.
Let the software and civil engineers bless you, great God,
The architects sing your praise.
May the pastors and clergy bless you, Beloved,
Praise your name and glorify you forever.
Let the marketers and advertisers bless you, great God,
The entrepreneurs sing your praise.
May the attorneys and judges bless you, Beloved,
Praise your name and glorify you forever.
Let the educators bless you, great God,
The academics and authors sing your praise.
May the doctors and nurses bless you, Beloved,
Praise your name and glorify you forever.
Let the sculptor and scientists bless you, great God,
The business owners and janitors sing your praise.
May the artists and baristas bless you, Beloved,
Praise your name and glorify you forever.