Scribd
Upload
38 views4 pages

Module 3

Uploaded by

koyaaniqatsi0206
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
38 views4 pages

Module 3

Uploaded by

koyaaniqatsi0206
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Introduction

In module 2, we learned about the role, rights, and responsibilities of married couple, the
family, and government. We also recognized the current experiences and challenges of
married and family life specifically issues such as abortion, contraception, abortion, annulment,
cohabitations/de facto unions/live-ins, same-sex marriage, and homosexuality. Furthermore, we
were able to recognize and identify some concrete examples of the effect of “extreme
individualism” to families and establish the correlation between the “culture of the ephemeral”
and cohabitation/de facto union/live-in and attitude towards children. Finally, one of the many
problems of married and family life is financial stability. This will be addressed in next module
since work is a condition for making it possible to found a family.

The Church teaches that work is the “key to the social questions”. In module 3, the Church
demonstrates its teaching on human work, we as the workers, and the reality of work.
Our life is built up every day from work. It is from work that we derive our specific dignity but
at the same time it contains the never-ending amount of hard work, suffering, and injustice.
Today, we do not only eat the bread produced by the work of our hands but also the bread of
science and progress, civilization and culture and we not only eat this bread by ‘the sweat of our
face but also in the midst of many tensions, conflicts, and crises that disturb our lives as
individuals and as a whole of humanity. (LE 1: 1-2).

Topic Human Work


KEY CONCEPTS: Man is made to be in the visible universe an image and likeness of God
himself, and he is placed in it in order to subdue the earth. From the beginning therefore he
is called to work. Work is one of the characteristics that distinguish man from the rest of
creatures. Only man is capable of work, and only man works, at the same time by work
occupying his existence on earth. Thus, work bears a particular mark of man and of humanity,
the mark of a person operating within a community of persons. And this mark decides its interior
characteristics; in a sense it constitutes its very nature.

The various aspects of work and social issues started in the 19th century when work was seen
more of its objective sense (what the person does in the process of production) rather than the
subjective sense (man as the worker and subject of work). In the objective sense of work, man
was equated with the material factors of production that was rooted in materialism and resulted
to economism; man was subordinated to the economic value of his/her contribution to the
productive process. To resolve the conflict, the Church insists on the priority of labor over
capital. Along with this, the Church articulates the only purpose of property or capital, wherein
all property is acquired originally by work, is service of work by furnishing the means with which
men actually work and produce useful goods or services. Further, the concept of direct and
indirect employer that determines the whole economic system requires direction, supervision,
encouragement, and restraint on issues such as employment and unemployment, wages and
other benefits, and rights of workers because it is its primary duty in the economic realm. Finally,
work must be seen in the context of one’s faith.

Through work man must earn his daily bread1 and contribute to the continual advance of
science and technology and, above all, to elevating unceasingly the cultural and moral level of
the society within which he lives in community with those who belong to the same family.

Learning Activity
Read 1: Laborem Exercens from
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091981_la
borem-exercens.html

Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Laborem Exercens discusses the biblical foundation of work, the
relationship between the objective sense and subjective sense of work, the conflict between
labor and capital, rights of workers, and elements of spirituality.

Something to Reflect on
“Man is made to be in the visible universe an image and likeness of God himself, and he
is placed in it in order to subdue the earth. From the beginning therefore he is called to
work” (LE).

For Christians: If it is true that the many forms of toil that go with man’s work are a small part of
the Cross of Christ, what is the relationship of this new good to the Resurrection of Christ?

For Muslims: How is work as an act of worship to Allah?

For atheist/agnostics: Why must man work?


Summary
In this module, you learned that Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens
considered work as "a key to the whole social question..." (LE, no. 3). He was more
interested in looking at social teaching in the light of the concept of work, than in
formulating new norms for a changed social situation.

He led to understand the nature of human work, by first understanding man who is created by
God. It is only by seeing God’s original plan for man that you could get some insight into
man’s nature and purpose. He then made a distinction between the objective sense (the
external aspects of work, the actual job one does using the technology and machines) and
subjective sense (man as the worker and the subject of work). From then on, he examined
various aspects of work and of social question based on the notion of man as the subject of
work.

Here you learned that:

First, man should not be equated with the material factors of production that is rooted in
materialism (the doctrine that only matter exists, and practical materialism, which is to live as if
only matter existed or as if only material things were important) and economism (considers
human labor solely according to its economic purpose).

Second, that labor is the efficient cause or the primary cause in the process of
production while capital remains a mere instrument or instrumental cause.

Third, property is originally acquired by work and that the only purpose of property is the
service of work.

Fourth, we learned that the rights of workers must be examined within the broad context
of human rights.

Fifth, you learned the concepts of “direct employer” and “indirect employer”.

Finally, you are challenged to value work for it is a gift from God.

You might also like