hard work is not enough! we need faith, hope & charity

8/8/2019 Hard Work Is Not Enough! We Need Faith, Hope & Charity

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All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

And is glorified in them all. So what is the difference

between a human being at work and a beaver at work?

Or for that matter, a bee, or a hummingbird? They work

hard, they subdue their surroundings and shape them

into beautiful structures that serve good purposes. The

difference is that humans are morally self-conscious and

make choices about their work on the basis of motives

which may or may not honor God.

Therefore, the essence of our work as humans must be

that it is done in conscious reliance on God's power, as a

conscious quest of God's pattern of excellence and indeliberate pursuit of God's glory. When you & I work

like this we can have a sweet sense of peace at the end of

the day.

o The second reason God wills work is that byworking we provide for our legitimate needs. But

our Lord says, "Don't be anxious about your life,

what you shall eat or what you shall drink, or aboutyour body, what you shall put on Your heavenly

Father knows that you need them all. But seek first

his kingdom " (Mt. 6:25,32f). He says, "Come to

me, all who labor and are heavy-laden and I will

give you rest" (Mt. 11:28). He says, "Know that inthe Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Cor. 15:58). In

other words, God does not want his children to be

burdened with the frustration and futility and

depressing weariness of work. But the provision of

our needs does depend on our gainful employment.

o The third reason God wills work is that by workingwe provide for the needs of those who can't provide

for their own. Work is a way of love.

o And the fourths reason God wills work is as avehicle for making God known through the quality

of our work, through the way we work, and as anoccasion to meet and relate with persons we can

bring closer to God. In our work we are usually in

the world. We rub shoulders with all kinds of

people, including unbelievers. If we do our work in

reliance on God's power, according to his pattern of

excellence and thus for his glory, we will build

bridges for evangelization, of Christianizing society

so that people can discover God and take their

Christian life more seriously. There is a very close

connection between the way we do our work and the

attitude that other people, including unbelievers, will

have toward the theology that makes us tick.

WORKING WITH FAITH

The essay I am going to read to you now was written

by an 8-year-old named Danny Dutton, who lives in

Chula Vista, CA, USA. He wrote it for his third grade

homework to 'explain God':

EXPLANATION OF GOD:

'One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes

them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enoughpeople to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make

grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller

and easier to make. That way he doesn't have to take up

his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can

just leave that to mothers and fathers.'

'God's second most important job is listening to

prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people,

like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime.

God doesn't have time to listen

to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears

everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in hisears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.'

'God sees everything and hears everything and is

everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you

shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your mom

and dad's head asking for something they said you

couldn't have.'

'Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't

think there are any in Chula Vista, CA. At least there

aren't any who come to our church.'

'Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work,

like walking on water and performing miracles and

trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn

about God. They finally got tired of

him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he

was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father

that they didn't know what they were doing and to

forgive them and God said O.K.'

'His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had

done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he

didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stayin heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by

listening to prayers and seeing things which are

important for God to take care of and which ones he can

take care of himself without having to bother God. Like

a secretary, only more important.'

'You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to

help you because they got it worked out so one of them is

on duty all the time.'


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'You should always go to church on Sunday because

it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to

make happy, it's God!

Don't skip church to do something you think will be

more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And

besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon

anyway.'

'If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist,

you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go

everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is

good to know He's around you when you're scared, in

the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into

real deep water by big kids.'

'But...you shouldn't just always think of what God

can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take

me back anytime he pleases. And...that's why I believe in

God.'

Do we also believe in God the way this little boy does?

Do we believe that we can show our faith in God in and

though our work?

o Let us then work conscious of ones role as a choseninstrument to make God present in and through our

ordinary work, labor and usual activities.

o It requires order; a correct sense of hierarchy thatmakes us identify God as the most important Person

in our life, for whom we live and do all things.

o This sense of order leads us to give Him the besttime, and to arrange our work schedule in such a

way that we will put God, not our professional work

and our other obligations, as the center of our life.

o Working with faith breeds serenity in us, that leadsus not to lose sight of the excesses at work we

should not fall into and to keep us focused on the

right priorities: our norms, family life, personal

apostolate and apostolic assignment.

WORKING WITH HOPE

o Working with hope leads us to concretize our goodresolutions with determination and carry them out

over time with conviction. Hope is the actualization

of faith or faith expressed in actions that stem from

charity. Hence, the effort to ask Gods grace,

openness to his will and his demands, and acting on

what we have seen earlier when we speak of

working with faith is actually to hope.

o Pope Benedict XVI in his second encyclical SpeSalvi (#32)tells us: A first essential setting for

learning hope is prayer. When no one listens to me

any more, God still listens to me. When I can no

longer talk to anyone or call upon anyone, I can

always talk to God. When there is no longer anyone

to help me deal with a need or expectation that goes

beyond the human capacity for hope, he can help

me. When I have been plunged into complete

solitude ...; if I pray I am never totally alone. Thelate Vietnamese Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan, a

prisoner for thirteen years, nine of them spent in

solitary confinement, has left us a precious little

book: Prayers of Hope. During thirteen years in jail,

in a situation of seemingly utter hopelessness, the

fact that he could listen and speak to God became for

him an increasing power of hope, which enabled

him, after his release, to become for people all over

the world a witness to hopeto that great hope

which does not wane even in the nights of solitude.

o In the 10 Rules of Life that Cardinal Nguyen VanThuan3 wrote, he said: No, I will not spend timewaiting to be let go (to be freed from captivity). I

will live the present moment and fill it with love. "A

straight line consists of millions of little points".Likewise, a lifetime consists of millions of seconds

and minutes joined together. If every single point

along the line is rightly set, the line will be straight.

If every minute of a life is good, that life will be

holy. The Road of Hope is paved with small acts ofhope along lifes way. A life of hope is born of every

minute of hope in that lifetime."

o Again, working with hope leads us to concretize ourgood resolutions with determination and carry them

out over time with conviction, just like Cardinal

Nguyen Van Thuan did.

WORKING WITH CHARITY

o Without charity, if we do not work for love of God,with the desire of answering his call in love, then

there is no true fruitfulness from our work.

o Working with charity is to work with the spirit ofChrist. We see our work as a way of extendingChrists redeeming action in history.

o To work with charity is to work with care, knowingGod my Father sees what I am doing and is pleased

with my effort to second his will.

o To work with charity is to work spreading the spiritof Christ and making Christian values known

3http://www.nguyenvanthuan.com/tenrules.html


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through the way we work and our presence at work:

working serenely, cheerfully, knowing how to

recognize our faults and saying sorry, being grateful,

being a sower of peace and joy.

o Apostolate in and though our work place, with ourexemplary life of work and the apostolate of

friendship and confidence in our work place.

Going back the story of Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan, in

his 10 Rules of Life, his 9th

rule is: I will speak onelanguage and wear one uniform---Charity:

I was in prison for 13 years, 9 of which in solitary

confinement. Two guards watched me but never spoke

to me; just yes and no.

But I knew that after all, they were my brothers and I

had to be kind to them. I had no gift to offer as a

prisoner I had nothing at all, nothing to please them.

What to do? One night, a thought came. "You are still

very rich. You have the love of Christ in your heart.

Love them as Jesus loves you". The next day I set to

work, first, by showing gladness and by smiling. I began

to tell stories about my journeys in countries where

people live in freedom and enjoy their culture and great

technical progress. That stimulated their curiosity and

they asked many, many questions. Slowly, very slowly,

we became friends. They wanted to learn foreign

languages. My guards became my disciples! The

atmosphere of the prison changed considerably. The

quality of our relationship changed for the better.

At that time, in another part of the area, a group of

twenty people were learning Latin to be able to read

Church documents. Their teachers was a former

catechist. One of my guards was in the Latin class and

one day he asked me if I could teach him songs in Latin.

"There are so many ", I replied, "And they are all so

beautiful".

"You sing and Ill choose " he retorted.

And so I sang Salve Regina, Salve Mater, Lauda Sion,

Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella - Youll never guess the

song he chose. The Veni Creator!

I cant begin to tell you how moving it is to be in a

Communist prison and hear your guard, coming down

the stairs at 7 AM every morning on his way to the

gymnastics yard for physical exercises, singing the Veni

Creator.

I will speak one language: Charity.

While at prison in Vinh-Quang in the mountains of

North Vietnam, I was sawing wood one afternoon. I

asked my ever-present guard, who had become my

friend, if I could ask him for a favor.

"What is it? Ill help you"

"I want to saw off a small piece of wood in the form of a

cross."

"Dont you know thats strictly forbidden to have any

sign of religion whatsoever?"

"I promise to keep it hidden.""But it would be extremely dangerous for the both of

us."

"Close your eyes, Ill do it right now and Ill be very

careful"

He turned his back and left me alone. I sawed a small

cross which I later hid in a piece of melted down soap. I

have kept it always and had it mounted in a piece of

metal and it has become my pectoral cross.

In another prison in Hanoi, I became friends with my

guard and was able to request a piece of metal wire. He

was terrified. "I studied in the University of Police thatwhen someone wants electric wire he want is to kill

himself!" he cried. I explained that Christians, and most

of all priests, do not commit suicide.

"And so what are you going to do with electric wire?" he

asked."

"I need a chain to wear my cross."

"But how can you make a chain from wire?"

"If you bring me two little pincers, Ill show you."

"Much too dangerous!"

"But were friends!"

He hesitated and finally said, "Its too hard to refuse.

Tonight at 7 PM well do it. But we have to finish before11. Ill have my companion take the evening off. If he

knew, hed denounce the both of us.

That evening, with the tools he brought, we cut and

shaped and worked together to make my chain and we

finished it before 11 PM!

This cross and chain are not only my souvenir of

captivity, as precious as that may seem. They are a

constant reminder that only Christian charity can bring

about a change of heart. Not arms, not threats, not the

media. It was very hard for my guards to understand

when I spoke about loving our enemies, reconciliation

and forgiveness.

"Do you really love us?"

"Yes, I really love you."

"Even when we cause you pain? When you suffer

because youre in prison without trial?"

"Look at all the years weve spent together. Of course, I

love you!"


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"And when you get out, will you tell your people to find

us and beat us and hurt our families?"

"Ill continue to love you even if you wish to kill me"

"But why?"

"Because Jesus taught us to love always; if we dont, we

are no longer worthy to be called Christians."

There is not enough time to tell you all the other moving

stories which are proof of the liberating power of the

love of Jesus.

"You wear one uniform and speak one language -

Charity." Charity is the sign by which you will be

recognized as one of our Lords disciples. (John 10:10).

It is a badge which costs little but is most difficult to

find. Charity is the most important language. Saint Paul

regarded it as far more important than being able "to

speak the languages of men and even of angels" (1 Cor

13:1) (RH 984).

o To end this commentary on Sanctifying our Work, Ileave with you with some advice from Francis Kong

taken from his column in The Philippine Star which

he entitled: Hard Work is not Enough!4:

We have to live life purposefully and we have to makethe right choices.

It is amazing to see that even less educated people can be

more successful than those whose walls in their livingrooms are adorned with various educational degrees. It is

likewise amazing to know that people who came frompoverty can rise up to succeed while many wealthy

people who have inherited their riches lose everything

they have within a few years.

Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?

These are questions of origin, meaning, morality and

destiny.

Choose to be a person of character. Choose hard work

over get-rich-quick scheme. Choose nobility over

shameful acts. Choose to love God over loving the world

and everything this world system represents. Choose tobe faithful in your work. Choose to grow not only in

character but in skills every day of your life. Choose to

love your country and obey the laws even when others

are not. Choose to understand that God has created you

for (a reason, for a mission).

4Francis J. Kong (The Philippine Star) Jan 02, 2010

Choose to stay in the company of people who would

help you be a better person. Choose to dedicate your life

to a higher (goal) than just filling up your ego and pride.

Choose to live life with the (goal) of helping make this

world a little better.

Do not just work hard. Work hard and make the right

choices.

Regardless of your given circumstances, each man land

lives in a world of his or her own making.

American writer and illustrator Theodor Seuss Geisel

says it beautifully: You have brains in your head. You

have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any

direction you choose.

And above all, choose to love God with all of your heart,

soul, strength and mind and to love your neighbors as

yourself.

IN SUMMARY

o One way of understanding the very basic aspect ofour spirit, to sanctify ordinary work, would be to

look into how we can work with greater faith, hopeand charity or how to work as a child of God who

knows she is loved immensely by God.

o St. Josemaria Escriva5, the saint of the ordinary,summarized it so beautifully for us:

You must realize now, more clearly than ever, that

God is calling you to serve him in and from theordinary, secular and civil activities of human life.

He waits for us everyday, in the laboratory, in the

operating theatre, in the army barracks, in the

university chair, in the factory, in the workshop, in

the fields, in the home and in all the immense

panorama of work. Understand this well: there is

something holy, something divine hidden in the

most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of

you to discover it.

o I assure you, my children, that when a Christiancarries out with love the most insignificanteveryday action, that action overflows with the

transcendence of God. That is why I have told you

so often, and hammered away at it, that the

Christian vocation consists in making heroic verse

out of the prose of each day. Heaven and earth

seem to merge, my children, on the horizon. But

where they really meet is in your hearts, when yousanctify your everyday lives...

5http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/in_love_with_the_church-chapter-4.htm

hard work is not enough! we need faith, hope & charity

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