Work

Philosophically, God is defined as the fullness of activity (Actus Purus). In the Gospel, Christ speaks of the Father as well about themselves as those who are still working (cf. Jn 5:17). One of the wilderness fathers answered the question of what a monk is: “Work because it’s still working.” We do not doubt that work can be called life in Christ on earth. «When I count all the work, the steps for what Jesus executed me … »St. Basil and St. Johannes Chrysostomus, however, they go further into the past of the world and call it to work itself creation of the world. God only said a word, that word. However, it is an eternal activity; it has become land, sea, plants, animals, people. God’s idea makes the whole world; it’s a living job. We ourselves are the work of the Creator, that is, the activity. The duty to work belongs to our personality; we are what God has done to us and what we ourselves are we will do. To live is to work with a working God. As preachers say, we are becoming a link in a chain that is slowly drawing the world to God and a lost paradise. Hard work has become a sin. We are working in the sweat of his face (Gen 3:19). But not the penalty for sin is the work itself, as St. Johannes Chrysostomus, but effort, pain, aversion to work. A Christian who is freed from sin and its consequences also free work from her curse to become free, joyful again by constructing one’s own perfection, by the expression of love for God and to a neighbor.

In the spiritual books, the properties are calculated, which are to be manifested in the work of the Christian. Must be according to God’s will. Otherwise, however, it would have no place in the great “liturgy of the world,” where everything is moving exactly according to plan, the one who rules the universe (Theodore of Cyrus). It follows that every job in its place is the most important. We can’t deal with anything better at that moment. The principle that sanctified the simple and simple life of St. John Berchmans was: “Do what you have to do!” They asked him what he would do if he knew he would die right after a lunch break in company with others. In his spirit, the principles gave a nice answer: “I would go to have fun with others!” Duty in its place is the best deed of piety, and therefore a good preparation for death. It is advisable to do everything as if it were the last act in life, to do it consciously, joyfully, persistently, and with a kind of ease and carelessness of tomorrow and another result. After all, the world is ruled by God. Even apparent failures are precious stones in the mosaic image of the universe if we work with it.

Modern authors rightly point out that work is an expression of love for people. We can’t give alms all the time. After all, gifts are not a lasting solution to the world’s misery; they are rather momentary relief. But what an act of love he will do to a mechanic who repairs a car so that nothing happens to the road! What a gift is a timely application to the office! What the act of love is a machine that will not go wrong because it is well done! Often a little attention is enough to avoid it harming others. It is said that in ancient times they generally hated work. Therefore, slaves had to serve them. This is not entirely correct.

Great philosophers like Aristotle, Plotinus, and others know that destruction destroys and that the only path to perfection is in action. Man transforms work. But just from the right one, principles have drawn a different conclusion than we are used to today. If we are to grow spirits, we must devote ourselves exclusively to spiritual work, as they say. The bodily work of the spirit grows, attaches to matter. A free man is therefore engaged in the “free arts” while “service work.”
It leaves slaves to higher perfection; anyway, they can’t lift it. The Jews had a much more positive attitude towards the work of their hands. Christians were then not ashamed of the beginning to be disciples of the “worker,” that they are the disciples of fishermen, that the apostle of the nations was able to make a living by making statutes so that he would not be burdened by those to whom he proclaimed the word of God. When the so-called euchiti, who only wanted to pray, rebelled against them and established the principle: “Pray and work!” They meant physical work because spiritual activity was a prayer for them.

St Johannes  Chrysostomus is also against having Christian gentlemen serve: «God created your hands and gave them to you, slaves people did! »Nevertheless, even Christians had to think seriously about the fundamental objection of ancient philosophers. Physical labor is really tiring, taking time, absorbing the spirit, and tying it to material interests. From this «curse,» however, it is not liberated by a noble phrase or the hope of imaginary progress in the welfare and happiness of humanity. Material work leads to a material goal. If she is to become spiritual, she needs to have a spiritual goal to manifest in the spiritual world. The authors deal with this problem by speaking of good intentions, transforming material activity into spiritual value.