Discussion: ‘Work: A Joint Venture in Creation’ from Live Like Francis
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm BST
No. of Attendees: 9
Special Note: We have online meetings on a monthly basis and currently held jointly with OFS Fraternity Aarhus, Denmark.
Summary:
We pondered initially on some verses from the scriptures which spoke about work:-
“You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy and it shall go well with you”
—Psalm 128:2
“Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.”
—1 Thessalonians 3:10
“Everyone should remain in the trade and in the position in which he was called. Always be doing something worthwhile; then the devil will always find you busy.”
—Saint Jerome, Epistle 125
We then spoke about Francis of Assisi and his work to rebuild the church, how he took it up quite literally by physically working to rebuild the church of San Damiano.
But then he understood that his work was more about rebuilding the church in the spiritual realm as the Church and Christianity in general was losing it’s essence in the middle ages.
In the late years of his life, Francis also cautioned the Franciscan brothers of his congregation to not let their work to interfere with their spiritual lives and to always put their focus on the gospel and living it, above everything.
The Secular Franciscans in the meeting also shed light on what strikes them about work:-
1. “To get the right amount of money for a particular kind of work, and not be greedy.”
2. “There are two types of work. Work in society to earn for your family. Second is to work for the church.”
3. “Take things in the spirit of the gospel without taking it literally. It is not practical to live in today’s world to just work without money.”
4. “Living the Gospel at work can be very challenging, especially when there is so much competition and politics at the workplace.”
We also spent some time discussing about the rise of automation and how AI has the potential to replace jobs. Big organisations chase after higher profits so the trend of automation and AI is here to stay in our contemporary world. What happens to those who lose their jobs? Where will they work? Is basic minimum income the solution? It feels like there is no plan to address this problem of job loss for the masses. It almost feels like various stakeholders are just going with the trends of the time and nobody is thinking hard to confront these existenial problems.
A particular passage that also stood out in the reflection was this,
“We live the gospel where we work and where we work challenges us to learn the gospel way more fully. The wages received in return for work performed can be used in creative ways for the betterment of others who may be less fortunate than we are. Secular Franciscans today understand that earning a living is an honorable way of life, a way of using one’s God-given gifts. To work is to become co-creator with God.”
Few of us suggested that perhaps even the small things in life such as – smiling at someone in a supermarket, have a light conversation with colleagues at work, being joyful when interacting with workers whom we come in contact with – are all practical steps that we could take as Secular Franciscans to make a difference in our own work/collaborative circles. It is in the spirit of the Gospel and Franciscan Spirituality that we don’t get bogged down by challenges of our times, but remain optimists spreading the love and warmth of Christ.
Rule 16 of the Secular Franciscan Order states:-
“Let them esteem work both as a gift and as a sharing in the creation, redemption and service of the human community.”
We understood that work is very much a part of God’s design for us and it is an opportunity to add value to our world and serve Humanity.
We concluded the meeting by saying a final prayer, asking Jesus especially for the grace to live the Gospel in our lives and work with gratitude and humility for the Kingdom of God.
OFS Oxford 