Laudato Si Sunday Reflection: The value of labour on the First Sunday of Advent

Today's reflection is brought to you by
Romans 13: 11-14.

You call us now,
O God,
to wake up.

Too much time has already passed
since we saw
that glaciers are melting,
since we heard
of species reaching extinction,
since we smelled the smoke
of out of control wildfires,
since we felt our hearts break
for climate refugees
with nowhere to go.

The night is far gone, the day is near.

We are called by Saint Paul
to put on the armour of light
and avoid the distractions
our world offers,
to face the challenges ahead of us
by putting on your spirit,
O Christ.

Help us to find the necessary balance
between what is and what can be
so that you will find us ready
to do your will every day.

+Amen

* * * * * * *

This week we're looking at "The need to protect employment," paragraphs 124-129 of Pope Francis's most recent encyclical, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, which can be accessed by clicking here. Basically, this section is looking at how an ecology that cares for creation must also be aware of the necessity of labour in our lives, and how our work can aid -- or hinder -- our planet in its fruitfulness. Paragraph 124 notes that "Developing the created world in a prudent way is the best way of caring for it, as this means that we ourselves become the instrument used by God to bring out the potential which he himself inscribed in things."

Paragraph 125 underlines the importance of a "correct understanding of work." If we understand human labour correctly, we see that it is underpinned by our relationship with God, with others and with all created things. Early spiritual communities were more organic and carbon neutral than we are today, and every year there are more Black Friday events that encourage us to find our meaning in possessions rather than in spiritual fulfillment with God and community. For early Christians, "Personal growth and sanctification came to be sought in the interplay of recollection and work." For us, "This way of experiencing work makes us more protective and respectful of the environment; it imbues our relationship to the world with a healthy sobriety," says the end of paragraph 126.

Unfortunately, this kind of simplicity has been overtaken by the idea that our personal growth and fulfillment can only be found in what we possess rather than in how we make the world a better place by how and who we are: "once our human capacity for contemplation and reverence is impaired, it becomes easy for the meaning of work to be misunderstood," as St. Pope John Paul noted in his writings (footnote 101). Since work became a means to more money and possessions rather than a way to foster community and participate in God's creation of a just world, the overuse of our planet's resources has rapidly increased. "Work should be the setting for... rich personal growth, where many aspects of life come into play: creativity, planning for the future, developing our talents, living out our values, relating to others, giving glory to God" (paragraph 127).

When human labour doesn't meet the above-mentioned criteria, it can feel like drudgery, and when it is taken out of our hands by misdirected governments or technology, that's not good either. Paragraph 128 says, "The goal should not be that technological progress increasingly replace human 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 and replacing them with machines. This is yet another way in which we can end up working against ourselves... "through the progressive erosion of social capital: the network of relationships of trust, dependability, and respect for rules"" that Pope Benedict noted in his 2009 encyclical, Caritas in Veritate.

With all the recent news about the coming layoffs of civil servants in my province, this sentence stopped me in my tracks:

...we forget about the value of labour as a means for providing "meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment.... To stop investing in people, in order to gain greater short term financial gain, is bad business for society""(paragraph 128).

And the answer to this concern? Pope Francis says,

Civil authorities have the right and duty to adopt clear and firm measures in support of small producers and differentiated production. To ensure economic freedom from which all can effectively benefit, restraints occasionally have to be imposed on those possessing greater resources and financial power.... Business is a noble vocation... especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good (paragraph 129).

I'm tempted to send my premier a copy of Laudato Si! The fact that the phrase "the common good" comes up almost 30 times in the encyclical is significant -- because many human beings (including our provincial government) have become so focused on the economy as the bottom line, rather than what is necessary for the good of ALL. Too many of us have forgotten that we need to serve the common good if we want to have meaningful lives.

As this Advent begins, I intend to pay attention to where I can best serve the common good and how I can find where my life's work can bring benefit to the life of the world God gave us as pure gift. Realizing that we are gifted by God, and speaking up for those who are less fortunate is the best way to celebrate the birth of Christ in our world. I plan to write my premier a letter about his layoffs.

On a different note, I offer this little piece I wrote for our parish bulletin for your consideration on this First Sunday of Advent:

When preparing for Christmas, consider our planet:

-buy less and use fewer resources – one gift per person is more than enough if we make Christmas about togetherness (presence) rather than presents.

-give the gift of experiences – a local concert or play, an art class, or an activity designed to develop an appreciation for nature.

-contact your politicians and ask them to save and protect Our Common Home, especially its natural areas (and its doctors, nurses, social workers and teachers, on whom we rely for so much that is important).

-spend love miles rather than Airmiles. Plan less travel in the new year, and try taking a stay-cation to appreciate local attractions.

O God, 

help us to care for our planet this Christmas.

+Amen.