Our work should foster dignity

YES, that is how our work, whatever it is, should be. It

should never enslave us, much less, corrupt and demonize us. It should

foster our dignity as a person and a child of God. In other words, it

should humanize and Christianize us! It should make us more human and

more Christian as we go along.

            To be sure, work is not meant to be a punishment for us

because of our sins and weaknesses. It is part of our nature which,

while already defined, will always be a work in progress. Work is our

means to attain our perfection and ultimate goal, which is to grow in

love for God and others, and as such is a dynamic thing.

            Wherever we are, we should see to it that everyone has the

proper understanding of work and always has work to do. Whether one is

at home doing the usual household chores or immersed in the different

levels of the world of business or the farms, schools, etc., he should

know the true nature and purpose of work and act accordingly.

            That way, whatever one’s work is, he is certain that he is

affirming and developing his human and Christian dignity while

working. A certain sense of joy and fulfillment would fill his heart.

            For those who have people working for them, they have to

make sure that their workers are happy with their work. Business

leaders, for example, should give due attention to their workers and

make due investments for the proper human and Christian development of

their workers. In this, they should not be passive, but should take

the initiative to know their workers’ condition and see how they can

be developed.

            It is usually in the world of business that a lot of

violations and abuses are committed in the area of work. Businessmen

should not worry only about profits and market shares. They should

actively look into the over-all welfare of their workers who, with

their inferior position in the organization, are usually prone to be

taken advantage of.

            Other than simply interested in the technical aspects of

work, businessmen should see to it that their workers are properly

motivated and properly remunerated. The relation and interaction

between bosses and workers should be abiding, close and warm. Without

compromising the professional aspect, the relation should be

family-like. Everyone should deal with everybody else as persons and

not just as some kind of automatons.

            One can somehow gauge that one’s work is fostering his

dignity when the worker can live his life and that of his family in a

decent and happy way. He knows that his work, whatever it is, is his

way of giving glory to God and of serving others for the common good.

He knows how to manage his work such that he has time for prayers and

for his spiritual development.

            Very important also is when he knows that his work has

great apostolic dimension and takes full advantage of it. That’s when

he is truly affirming his being a true child of God very much involved

in God’s plan for human redemption.

            What a revolution it would be if everyone has this sense

of work when they work!