The greatness of work

The greatness of work

Peter Kopa, Prague, 20.2.2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYSXb2n8Q5I

Introduction

God created the universe out of nothing, in which man is recognized as the most worthy part of creation, being the only one who has the spiritual powers of reasoning and free will. The created nature is presented to him as a reality to which he has to apply his work so that he can live. And the greatness of this impact on creation consists, on the one hand, in the wonder of the work itself, and on the other hand, it depends on the inner attitude of the working subject. And this personal predisposition depends in turn on whether or not the man has faith in God as creator and father, before whom he is grateful for the gift of creation, being aware of his need to love Him through the offering of his work.

We refer to work as any reasonable activity by which man earns his livelihood, or helps others to earn it. So also works the retired old man who lives on his savings, or the mother of a family, or the artist, scientist or thinker. When work is applied to material things, its fruit is more visible than when it is applied to immaterial things, such as education, services or pure thought.

Man as co-creator

The first root of his greatness lies in the fact that man, in working, co-creates with God, that is, he also becomes a creator, in an analogical sense, because by his action he shapes what God has created out of nothing. The other cause of the greatness of work depends, however, on the inner disposition of the subject, as we explained above.

This intentional moment can ascend to an infinite height, until it becomes coredemption, when the action of working is elevated to the level of an offering to God out of love. The great disseminator of this teaching is St. Josemaría de Balaguer, founder of Opus Dei. It is a leap from the natural to the supernatural plane, which can only take place in an atmosphere of freedom, which at the same time assures a great interior fulfillment. Without this ascension it is difficult to overcome the sacrifices and difficulties that arise sooner or later in every work. For example, business failure, the loss of a job, fatigue, illness, etc.

The reflection on man’s co-creation of the universe is rather found in the old German and Nordic Christian culture, in general, perhaps because in this part of the world there was not so much the prejudice of looking at work as a punishment. When the Nazis put on the entrance gate of the Auschwitz concentration camp the banner ‘ Arbeit macht frei’ (Work gives freedom), they unwittingly promulgated a great wisdom, to which they themselves had no access because of their brutal cynicism and ideological blindness. That is to say, if man achieves in his life the greatness of work in a supernatural key, then certainly work liberates more and more, leading to a growing inner freedom from all kinds of attachments. https://thinktanklatam.org/2023/04/12/identidad-verdad-y-sentido/

What hinders the greatness of work?

These obstacles are to be found in the negative inner predisposition towards work. Our wonderful world, where science and technology allow a material well-being far superior to that of the ancient kings: just think of the antibiotics and hygienic conditions, or the mobility on land and in the air, or the abundant food. But at the same time, our habitat is very seductive in many ways, demanding from man a high moral level so that he can feel free and detached from an offer of consumption and pleasures never seen before in history.

Whoever does not bring from home a firm character and principles, if he does not get them otherwise, often begins to slip into all kinds of dependencies: the drug of sex without commitment, alcohol, drugs etc. etc. etc. Another frequent moral misery is that the person manages to maintain a level of civic decency, but inside suffers from impossible dreams, eagerness to succeed or absurd ambitions of greatness. These people tend to see work as a necessary evil, continually subjected to the stress of comparing themselves with others and to the suffering of continual inner anxieties. https://thinktanklatam.org/2023/05/24/fe-familia-y-amigos/

Greatness of life

Through living the greatness of work, in its most supernatural expression, man himself finds his greatness, his dignity, his point of balance, which results in a happy life. Such a person forms his own family, and in the upbringing of his children reaches the highest level of co-creation, which is no longer the product of his work, but an image and likeness of himself and his wife. And this greatness is possible at all levels of poverty or wealth. Man must overcome the fascination of money and focus on doing his work well. Statistics show that people like this get ahead and in the end, they are the ones who move the country forward. They are the artisans, laborers, drivers, teachers, nurses and so many other crafts, not excluding professionals and honest civil servants. https://thinktanklatam.org/2022/11/08/viva-el-talento-medio/