THE
SILENT WORKER
Mario
D’Couto
One
thing we need to take note of though is that St. Joseph is not God. He cannot
add anything to the divine and eternal communion existing between God the
Father and God the Son. Nor can St. Joseph improve the ability of Jesus, as a
Divine Person, to perpetually behold the presence of His Heavenly Father.
Rather St. Joseph was chosen to stand in the place of the Heavenly Father
according to the demands of Jesus’ human nature. Every time Jesus saw St.
Joseph, heard him speak, watched his work or witnessed his chaste love for
Mary, the humanity of Jesus witnessed perfect reflection of the Heavenly
Father.
What
the Heavenly Father did for Jesus, He wants to do for us too. God the Father
wants us to entrust ourselves to the loving paternal care of St. Joseph in a
manner similar to God’s entrustment of the human nature of Jesus to St. Joseph.
God planned these entrustments, both, of Jesus to St. Joseph and of the members
of the Church to St. Joseph from all eternity; they were not done haphazardly.
St. Joseph is the shadow of the Heavenly Father. He was the image and
reflection of the Father for Jesus. God the Father wants us to accept St.
Joseph as our spiritual father as well. Jesus is the One in whom we see most
perfectly the image of the mercy and love of His Heavenly Father (John 4:9) but
Jesus also wants to share with us the one who was for Him the earthly image of
His Heavenly Father.
Jesus,
in living under the roof of St. Joseph and being his Son, gave us a personal
example of total entrustment to St. Joseph. Jesus loved, obeyed and imitated
His earthly father. St. Joseph is the only man that Jesus ever called father;
Jesus delighted in being known as the
‘son of Joseph’ (John 6:42). We, too,
should consider it an honour to be his children. If according to the plan of
the Father, Jesus needed St. Joseph, how much more do we need him too!
Now
while there are many good qualities of St. Joseph that we could talk about,
being the patron of workers or as he is popularly known as the silent worker, I
thought it would be worth looking at this aspect of human life, something which
we can all relate to.
In
the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it is written,
“Work is for man, not
man for work” (CCC, 2428). Sometimes, it feels as though work came as a
consequence of humankind’s sin but that definitely isn’t the case. Even if
humankind had not sinned, work would have very much been part of his life. Work
is not simply to keep the human person busy or provide him with something to do
to pass the time. He is involved with preternatural gifts and human dignity.
Thus work is a participation in God’s productive activity through which the
human person exercises authority in God’s name as stewards of His creation and
in doing so, the human person
‘perfects’ himself and becomes more of the person
who God created him to be. In serving, protecting and defending God’s creative
work, the human person maintains his dignity and honours the Lord by his life.
Work is a union of wills through which humankind
‘fills’,
‘subdues’ and has
‘dominion’ over the earth, ruling in the image of God – with holiness and in
uprightness and truth.
It
is after the Fall that work takes on a different character and meaning. Cut off
from the life of God after the Fall, work becomes arduous; sin has not only
separated humankind from God but also ruptured the relationship between him and
all of creation. Consequently, the soil from which he was taken does not yield
its fruit easily. The plants of the field are now mixed with briar that needs
to be cut back and removed to access the food within. The work is tedious and
laborious, requiring physical exertion that makes the muscles ache and sweat
flow. Work, tingled with a sense of anxiety, fills the human person with
tension and trepidation. This pattern of work will be repeated day after day for
the rest of his life until one day he becomes one with the earth in his grave.
Because
of the fall, humankind is not only in need of redemption but so is the work
aspect, which as an extension of humankind, turned in on itself because of the
fall. It is through Christ’s incarnation, the Word becoming flesh, the second
Person of the Trinity, assuming a human nature in hypostatic union and in the
Paschal mystery who restores what was lost. Christ heals, elevates and perfects
our human nature and also transforms work, with all the demands and
difficulties that come along with it into a participation in His saving work
for humanity. Besides, in the initial part of His adult life, Our Lord worked
as a carpenter before He began His ministry.
Through
the light of the Cross, we are able to endure the hardship of work in union
with Jesus, the Carpenter of Nazareth and the One crucified on Calvary, where
in turn we are able to collaborate in a certain fashion with the Son of God in
His redemptive work. Through our work, industry and engagement in secular
affairs imbued with an authentic spirituality rooted in Christ crucified, we
place the Church in a position to influence the culture in profound and
meaningful ways. This is to say that we are called to be present as a sign of
courage and intellectual creativity in the privileged places of culture whether
it is the world of education, school, university, in places of scientific and
technological research, the areas of artistic creativity, the works in humanities
or even just in the normal corporate world. There is no dichotomy when it comes
to the ethic in one’s spirituality and in one’s work, they ought to go hand –
in – hand.
The
successful integration of prayer and work is epitomized in the Rule of St.
Benedict. St. Benedict taught,
“Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore,
the brethren ought to be occupied at certain times in manual labour and again
at fixed hours in sacred reading and prayer” (taken from
‘St. Benedict’s Rule
for Monasteries’). He envisioned his rule as a
‘school of the Lord’s service’,
an interrelated and harmonious balance between the two important duties of
monks that is
‘ora et labora’ (prayer and work) with the primary work being
prayer (the Divine Office and the lectio divina) followed by the work of manual
labour which is itself a prayer and an active participation in Christ’s suffering.
This
is not an attempt to over-spiritualize the phenomenon of work or downplay the importance of professional competency. In order for us to be successful at our work, we
must undoubtedly possess a certain level of professional competency. However,
we do have a responsibility and an obligation not to divorce the transcendent
and temporal orders but to ensure that the two interpenetrate one another. This
in other words implies that while there is a distinction, there should not be a
separation. The Second Vatican Council would explain it the following way,
“Earthly progress must be carefully distinguished from the growth of Christ’s Kingdom. Nevertheless, to the extent that the former can contribute to the
better ordering of human society, it is of vital concern to the Kingdom of God”
(Gaudium et Spes, 39).
With
the assistance and support of the clergy, we are to become as competent as
possible in our individual disciplines and professions, bringing the truth of
the Gospel and the natural law to bear on the temporal order. It is our
responsibility to take the expertise in humanity (teachings of the Church) and
apply it to whatever area of temporal order we are called to (that is to our
field of work). We don’t have to go about preaching around but we can certainly
bear witness by the way we live and how we carry ourselves. The anatomy of the
temporal order was given significant emphasis at Vatican II which underscored
the concept in this way,
“Let there be no false opposition between professional
and social activities on the one part and religious life on the other. The
Christian who neglects his temporal duties neglects his duties toward his
neighbour and even God and jeopardizes his eternal salvation” (Gaudium et Spes,
43).
To
an extent, we could say that the clergy also have a responsibility to safeguard and disseminate the truths of the transcendent realm to the laity who are in the
midst of concrete political, economic and cultural situations. The clergy are
to inform the laity of the key principles that govern the Church’s expertise in
humanity so that layperson can properly judge each aspect of the temporal order
in light of its compatibility with the Catholic truth about humankind. In
effect, a collaboration of all the faithful exists in both orders of the
Church’s mission, whether it is in the spiritual order, bringing the message of
Christ and His grace to people or in the temporal one, permeating and
perfecting secular reality with the evangelized spirit. It is within the
Church’s evangelization mission to which all ministers are called that the lay
apostolate and pastoral ministry complete each other. St. Joseph stands as an
example in both areas.
The
problem comes in when society tries to dictate its terms and conditions on how
the Church ought to function which sadly seems to be the case today. With the
onslaught of secular humanism, moral relativism and political correctness along
with the imposition of secular models of leadership and authority, this has led
to a dualism within the temporal order where the exercise of ministry is turned
into a means to a political end instead of an end in itself. As a result,
ecclesial ministry becomes subordered to a socio-political or temporal end
where there is only one history, one in which the distinction between the
history of salvation and profane history is no longer necessary. If therefore,
the ecclesial ministry becomes a mere means to a worldly end and if the Church
becomes a mere means to a political end, then the essential dignity of the
Church is lost, faith becomes politicized and the anatomy of the temporal
order is rejected. That’s where we need the assistance and the guidance of our
spiritual father, St. Joseph.
Marriage
and family life today seem to be in jeopardy. While they have always been under attack, in modern times, the threats have reached extraordinary heights. Many
people no longer know what it means to be a woman or a man, let alone what
constitutes a marriage and a family. Many countries even claim to have
redefined marriage and the family. There is great confusion on these matters,
greater confusion than in any previous era of human history. Sr. Lucia dos
Santos (Servant of God), the longest – lived visionary of the Fatima
apparitions, knew the seriousness of the times and made a powerful statement
about the issue,
“The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan
will be about marriage and the family.” To
combat and overcome Satan’s deceptions, the Church needs St. Joseph. His
example and protection are the only way out of the confusing mess we are in.
Who else can we turn to who can help us understand what marriage and the family
are all about if not to the Head of the Holy Family and the Terror of Demons?
I
know at this point I may be going on a different tangent but I think it helps
to serve the point. Our work is not so much about spending 8 to 9 hours in an
office so that we can put food on the table and pay the bills. While no doubt
this is necessary, as seen earlier, that through our work, we are in a sense,
co – creators in God’s Kingdom. We are not called to just exist. To merely
exist is to take up space. As children of God, created in His image and
likeness, we are called to contribute. No matter how small our skill – set or
talent may be, I believe, we are all put here on earth to give back something
whether that may be through our time, money, talents, skills and so on. One
example that comes to my mind in this regard is St. Paul. He was a tent – maker
besides being involved in full – time ministry in preaching God’s Word. Now
some of us may be involved in more altruistic professions like healthcare,
counselling and so on but even if you find yourself in the corporate world, I
think, we can still make a difference. As someone in the field of sales or if
you are an entrepreneur, with all the KPIs (Key Performance Incentives) and
targets to be achieved, I believe that the success lies in how much value are
we adding to the customer that we are interacting with and if this is taken
care of, the results and numbers will take care of itself.
Thus
in as much as our bosses or managers can be annoying, I think that our employer
or the company, organization or institute we work for, deserve our best effort.
Poor work performance or simply
‘killing time’ are injustices to our employer
and offenses against our Creator. St. Paul reminded the early Christians
that whatever their work was and whoever it was for, they worked ultimately for
God. Like the early Christians, we too, are called to do our job with utmost
care and effort as is seen in the following words,
“Whatever you do, do it from
the heart, as for the Lord and not for men. For you know that you will receive
from the Lord the repayment of an inheritance. Serve Christ the Lord”
(Colossians 3:23-24). Besides in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-15, St. Paul explains the
importance of work in the building of God’s Kingdom. Work performed well and in
honour of God will have an eternal compensation package according to St. Paul.
No
matter what our work is, whether it is governing the nation, flying a plane,
making sales calls, trimming the lawn or whatever it may be, our work can be
sanctified and offered to the glory of God. As St. Therese of Lisieux observed,
it is not the work we do, but the love we put into it that matters. So even a
simple act of washing the dishes can be a means of holiness and love if offered
up to God with a cheerful heart. Work can be a means of sanctification and a
way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ.
At
the same time, we should also take care that we don’t turn virtue into vice
where we give so much importance to work that it turns us into a workaholic
impacting our family life or where we use work as an excuse to stay away from
our families. Prudence is what helps us to distinguish the essential from the
non – essential.
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church explains prudence in the following words,
“Prudence
is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every
circumstance and choose the right means of achieving it …. It is not to be
confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is
called Auriga Virtu (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other
virtues by setting rule and measure.”
St.
Thomas Aquinas taught that prudence is the ‘principal of all the virtues’. Its
role is to govern the other cardinal virtues: temperance, justice and
fortitude. Without prudence, a person will be either too lenient or too harsh.
Prudence serves as a guide and a ‘charioteer’ helping the soul to avoid
erroneous extremes.
It
is the virtue of kings and rulers. Without prudence, no leader can exercise
temperance, justice and fortitude. St. Joseph, king of the Holy Family and our
spiritual father is, after Jesus, the most prudent of all men. In every
situation of life, he is a model of prudence. He prayed and waited on the Lord
to reveal the mysteries of his Wife’s pregnancy to him. He educated the God-man
and in every situation, allowed prudence to govern his actions.
From
this it would seem that prudence is wisdom and while that no doubt is strongly
the case indeed, it is not about solving abstract or extremely difficult
problems but it can be used for every day decisions. Prudence is about
navigating through life. If you read the book of Proverbs, you will find that it guides one to prudence through discussions about work, family life, friendship
and getting along with one’s neighbour. Nothing could be more down to earth
than the virtue of prudence.
Thus
having grey hair or a rugged white beard are not necessarily the signs of
wisdom. Wisdom is also accessible to the young. King David wrote in the Psalms, “I
understand more than the aged for I keep Thy precepts” (Psalm 119:100). Wisdom
is not up in the sky that you need to ask someone to bring it down to you. It
is within everyone’s reach and as it is written in Proverb 14:15, “The prudent
man looks where he is going”, being with St. Joseph will help us increase in the
virtue of prudence. In every situation, he will teach us to allow prudence to be
our charioteer, guiding us to always do what is right for the sake of the love
of God and of one's neighbour, no matter how much we may have to suffer for it. St.
Joseph is no ordinary man. By the power of the Holy Spirit, he is a man of
supernatural prudence. He ponders, prays, discerns and acts. Prudence is his
charioteer. With St. Joseph, the virtue of supernatural prudence can be our
charioteer as well.
All
in all, as St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach at all times but use words
only when necessary”, the life of St. Joseph proves this point. We may not do
extraordinary things but we can certainly do ordinary things in an
extraordinary manner. As we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, may we seek his
guidance in emulating his qualities, not only to bring more souls to God
through our work and example but also to glorify God through it.
