Posted on 05/01/2008 7:26:44 AM PDT by tcg
During the last years of his service to the Church and the world, the Servant of God John Paul II addressed an assembly of the leaders of the “Catholic Action” movement in Italy on the “gospel of work”. His words echo on this day when much of the world commemorates “International Workers day.”
He proclaimed a theme that was one of the many profound contributions of his extraordinary pontificate. It is one that is rooted in the Sacred Scriptures, expounded upon at length in the Christian Tradition and is DESPERATELY needed in this age of secular pursuits, the true meaning and redemptive value of all human work.
In 1981 he authored an Encyclical letter titled “On Human Work” that received little emphasis. It needs to be rediscovered and received as a key to unlocking the Christian vision of human work in this Third Millennium. We live in an age that has lost its understanding of the Christian meaning of work, that is that work, redeemed by and joined to the work of the Lord is filled with redemptive value!
The detachment of work from its true value and the separation of its place as an intricate part of the purpose of our lives is not a new problem. It is a part of a larger social and individual malady. It is one of the bad fruits of the rupture of human integrity and solidarity wrought by sin.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
Happy feast of St. Joseph the Worker!!!!
Work is good. In fact, the Bible teaches the importance of it. But the Bible doesn’t teach the gospel of work. The true Gospel is the Gospel of the grace of God. Work is not a gospel. Salvation by grace through faith is the Gospel.
Sadly, this is a great example of what keeps some Protestants and Catholics not speaking to but at one another. This approach referred to in this article of viewing work in the light of grace ( THIS IS NOT TALIKNG ABOUT “WORKS”) does not in any way counter the FACT that the Gospel is a Gospel of Grace. “Gospel” means “Good News” and it is the grace of jesus which has transformed work. Perhaps you should read john Pauls wonderful wotk where he writes about grace, or the Catechsim before you so quickly respond. .
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