Lesson 12: Human Work

Human Work
Values: Love for Work,
Justice, Responsibility
towards Work, Honesty,
Creativity
Human Work
Pope John Paul II in his
Laborem Exercens
exhorted to consider the
idea of a new civilization
based on the spirituality of
work.
Human Work
He called upon Christians to regard
their work as sharing in Gods own
creative work.
He entrusts all of us with the task of
deciding how best to cultivate a
civilization grounded in work which
confers dignity upon all, no matter
ones occupation or profession.
Exposition
The Nature of Work
The Old Testament tells
of God being the
omnipotent creator, that
is, He made all things
The Nature of Work
Genesis 2:2

2
And on the seventh day God
ended his work which he had
made: and he rested on the
seventh day from all his work
which he had done.
The Nature of Work
God fashions man in His
image and invites him to
work on the soil.
The Nature of Work
Genesis 2:5-6

5
And every plant of the field before it sprung
up in the earth, and every herb of the
ground before it grew: for the Lord God had
not rained upon the earth; and there was not
a man to till the earth.

6
But a spring rose out of the earth, watering
all the surface of the earth.
The Nature of Work
God also instructed man
to cultivate and care for
the garden of Eden where
He placed man.
The Nature of Work
The first pages of the Bible
is the source of the
Churchs conviction that
work is a fundamental
dimension of human
existence on earth
The Dignity of Human Work
Human Work in the Objective
Sense:
Sum of activities, resources,
instruments, and technologies
used by men and women to
produce things
The Dignity of Human Work
It constitutes the contingent
aspect of human activity, which
constantly varies in its
expressions according to the
changing technological,
cultural, social, and political
conditions
The Dignity of Human Work
Human Work in the
Subjective Sense:
Essential expression of the
person, an actus personae.
Only depend on the dignity
as human beings
The Dignity of Human Work
Goal of Work:
Must be oriented to the
subject who performs it
because the end of work
remains man
The Dignity of Human Work
Work is for man and not man for work
it is always man who is the purpose of
work whatever work it is that is done by
maneven if the common scale of
values rates it as the merest service, as
the most monotonous, even the most
alienating work.
The Dignity of Human Work

The Social Dimension of Work
A persons work is
naturally connected with that of
other people
work with others and work for
others
Offers occasions for exchange,
relationship, and encounter
Thank you very much!