The Church finds in the
very first pages of the book of Genesis the source of her conviction that
work is a fundamental dimension of human existence on earth. An analysis of
these texts makes us aware that they express–sometimes in an archaic
way of manifesting thought–the fundamental truths about man, in the context
of the mystery of creation itself. These truths are decisive for man from
the very beginning, and at the same time they trace out the main lines of
his earthly existence, both in the state of original justice and also after
the breaking, caused by sin, of the Creator’s original covenant with
creation in man. When man, who had been created "in the image of God ... male
and female" (Gn 1:27), hears the words: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill
the earth and subdue it" (Gn 1:28—29), even though these words do not
refer directly and explicitly to work, beyond any doubt they indirectly indicate
it as an activity for man to carry out in the world. Indeed, they show its
very deepest essence. Man is the image of God partly through the mandate received
from his Creator to subdue, to dominate, the earth. In carrying out this mandate,
man, every human being, reflects the very action of the Creator of the universe.
Work understood as a ‘transitive’
activity, that is to say, an activity beginning in the human subject and directed
towards an external object, presupposes a specific dominion by man over ‘the
earth,’ and in its turn it confirms and develops this dominion. It is
clear that the term ‘the earth’ of which the biblical text speaks
is to be understood in the first place as that fragment of the visible universe
that man inhabits. By extension, however, it can be understood as the whole
of the visible world insofar as it comes within the range of man’s influence
and of his striving to satisfy his needs. The expression ‘subdue the
earth’ has an immense range. It means all the resources that the earth
(and, indirectly, the visible world) contains and which, through the conscious
activity of man, can be discovered and used for his ends. And so these words,
placed at the beginning of the Bible, never cease to be relevant. They embrace
equally the past ages of civilization and economy, as also the whole of modern
reality and future phases of development, which are perhaps already to some
extent beginning to take shape, though for the most part they are still almost
unknown to man and hidden from him.
- John Paul II,
Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens (On Human Work), September 14, 1981,
n. 4.
In the design of God,
every man is called upon to develop and fulfill himself, for every life is
a vocation. At birth, everyone is granted, in germ, a set of aptitudes and
qualities for him to bring to fruition. Their coming to maturity, which will
be the result of education received from the environment and personal efforts,
will allow each man to direct himself toward the destiny intended for him
by his Creator. Endowed with intelligence and freedom, he is responsible for
his fulfillment, as he is for his salvation. He is aided, or sometimes impeded,
by those who educate him and those with whom he lives, but each one remains,
whatever be these influences affecting him, the principal agent of his own
success or failure. By the unaided effort of his own intelligence and his
will, each man can grow in humanity, can enhance his personal worth, can become
more a person.
- Paul VI, Encyclical
Letter Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples), March
26, 1967, n. 15.
Human work proceeds directly
from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of
creation by subduing the earth, both with and for one another. Hence work
is a duty: "If any one will not work, let him not eat" (2 Thes 3:10). Work
honors the Creator’s gifts and the talents received from him. It can
also be redemptive. By enduring the hardship of work in union with Jesus,
the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates
in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows
himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work
he is called to accomplish. Work can be a means of sanctification and a way
of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ.
- Catechism of
the Catholic Church, 1994, n. 2427.
Man must work, both because
the Creator has commanded it and because of his own humanity, which requires
work in order to be maintained and developed. Man must work out of regard
for others, especially his own family, but also for the society he belongs
to, the country of which he is a child, and the whole human family of which
he is a member, since he is the heir to the work of generations and at the
same time a sharer in building the future of those who will come after him
in the succession of history. All this constitutes the moral obligation of
work, understood in its wide sense. When we have to consider the moral rights,
corresponding to this obligation, of every person with regard to work, we
must always keep before our eyes the whole vast range of points of reference
in which the labor of every working subject is manifested.
- John Paul II,
Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens (On Human Work), September 14, 1981,
n. 16.
Mention has just been
made of the fact that people work with each other, sharing in a ‘community
of work’ which embraces ever widening circles. A person who produces
something other than for his own use generally does so in order that others
may use it after they have paid a just price, mutually agreed upon through
free bargaining. It is precisely the ability to foresee both the needs of
others and the combinations of productive factors most adapted to satisfying
those needs that constitutes another important source of wealth in modern
society. Besides, many goods cannot be adequately produced through the work
of an isolated individual; they require the cooperation of many people in
working towards a common goal. Organizing such a productive effort, planning
its duration in time, making sure that it corresponds in a positive way to
the demands which it must satisfy, and taking the necessary risks: all this,
too, is a source of wealth in today’s society. In this way, the role
of disciplined and creative human work and, as an essential part of that work,
initiative and entrepreneurial ability become increasingly evident and decisive.
This process, which throws
practical light on a truth about the person which Christianity has constantly
affirmed, should be viewed carefully and favorably. Indeed, besides the earth,
man’s principal resource is man himself. His intelligence enables him
to discover the earth’s productive potential and the many different ways
in which human needs can be satisfied. It is his disciplined work in close
collaboration with others that makes possible the creation of ever more extensive
working communities which can be relied upon to transform man’s natural
and human environments. Important virtues are involved in this process, such
as diligence, industriousness, prudence in undertaking reasonable risks, reliability
and fidelity in interpersonal relationships, as well as courage in carrying
out decisions which are difficult and painful but necessary, both for the
overall working of a business and in meeting possible setbacks.
- John Paul II,
Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, May 1, 1991, n. 32.
Access to employment and
to professions must be open to all without unjust discrimination: men and
women, healthy and disabled, natives and immigrants. For its part, society
should, according to circumstances, help citizens find work and employment.
- Catechism of
the Catholic Church, 1994, n. 2433.
