a meditation on the spirituality of work ~ as part of the ministry of everyday life
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A Meditation on the Spirituality of Work ~ as part of the Ministry of Everyday Life. The word of God’s revelation is profoundly marked by the fundamental truth that human beings, created in the image of God, share by their WORK in the activity of the Creator. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
A Meditation onthe Spiritualityof Work ~
as part of the Ministry of Everyday Life
The word of God’s revelation is profoundly marked by the fundamental truth that human beings,
created in the image of God,
share by their WORK in the activity of the Creator . . .
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
Human beings – in a sense – continue to developthe activity of the Creator – and perfect it –
as they advancefurther and further
in the discovery of the resources and values
contained in the whole of creation.
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
The faithful, therefore must learn the deepest meaning and the value
of all creation,and its orientation
to the praise of God.
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
The knowledge thatby means of WORK
humanity shares in the work of creation constitutes the most profound motive for undertaking it
in various sectors.
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
By our labor we are unfolding
the Creator’s work and contributing to
the realization of God’s plan on earth.
The Christian message binds us firmly
to build the world . . . . . . . and to not neglect
our fellow human beings.
The eloquence of the life of Christ is unequivocal :
He belongs to the ‘working world ’ . . .
He has appreciation and respect for human work.
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
It can indeed be said that ‘He looks with love
upon human work’ and the different forms that it takes,
seeing in each one of these formsa particular facet of humanity’s
likeness with God, the Creator. . . .
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
While providing the substance of life
for themselves and their families,
men and women are performing their activities
in a way which appropriately benefits society.
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
In this way the WORLD will be permeated by the spirit of Christ
and more effectively achieve its purpose
in justice, charity
and peace . . . .
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
Work remains a good thing, not only because it is useful and enjoyable, but also because it expresses
and increases the worker’s dignity.
Through work we not only transform the world,
we are transformed ourselves . . . .
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
For when people work, they not only alter things and society, they develop themselves as well.
They learn much, they cultivate their resources, they go outside of themselves
and beyond themselves.
On The Church in the Modern World ~ Vatican II
Rightly understood, this kind of growth
is of greater value than any external riches
which can be garnered.
People are more precious for what they are
than for what they have. On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
It should not be forgotten that even in our own day
work is very oppressive for many people,
either because of miserable working conditions and long hours – especially in the poorer regions of the world –
The Lord’s Day ~ Pope John Paul II
. . . or because of the persistence in economically
more developed societiesof too many cases of
injusticeand exploitation.
The economy must serve people, not the other way around.
Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God's creation.
If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected:
-- the right to productive work, -- to decent and fair wages, -- to organize and join unions, -- to private property, -- and to economic initiative.
. . . we are therefore reminded of
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
-- a key theme of Catholic Social Teaching ---
Excerpts from Sharing Catholic Social Teaching ~ U.S Catholic Conference
We inherit the work of the generations before us,
and we share in the building of the future
of all those who will come after us.
Mother and Teacher ~ Pope John Paul II
Awareness that humanity's work is a participation in God's activity
ought to permeateeven the
most ordinaryeveryday activities.
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
The shopping mall, the school, the kitchen table, the courtroom, the factory, and the office
can be altars of sorts– places where
the mundane labors of lifemay be offered up,
blessed, and transformed
into things of beauty and holiness.
From Sprituality@Work by G. F.Pierce
God is, in a sense, at the point of
my pen, my pick,my paintbrush, my needle – and my heart
and my thought.
It is by carrying to completion the stroke,
the line, the stitch I am working on
that I shall lay hold on the ultimate end towards which my will
at its deepest levels tends.Hymn of the Universe ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
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.
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
. . . an announcement of ‘the new heavens
and the new earth’in which humanity and the world participate
precisely through the toil that goes with work.
In WORK, thanks to the light
that penetrates us from the Resurrection of Christ,
we always find a glimmer of new life . . .
On Human Labor ~ Pope John Paul II
May the goodness of the Lord be upon us,
And give success to the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:17
AMEN