Thought for the Day – 3 February – Work

Thought for the Day – 3 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

WORK

“God created man master of the world.
He commanded him to populate it and to rule it (Cf Gen 1:28).
He placed him in an earthly paradise, “to till it and to keep it” (Gen 2:15).

As long as man remained in the state of innocence, however, work was a pleasure.
It gave him the joy of collaborating with God in the work of creation.
Today, work is still a pleasure.
By working, we co-operate with God because, it was His intention, tbat the resources of the earth should be explored by human industry and intelligence and should benefit both the individual and society.
Work is a noble occupation because it involves co-operation with God’s work of creation and conservation.
If anyone tries to deprive it of its lofty human character and to reduce it to the level of mere toil, regarding it as nothing more than an instrument of production or a handy system of exchange, he is debasing the worker and robbing him of all spiritual incentive.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci