“And God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth’” (Gen. 1:28).
Today we commemorate St. Joseph the Worker, the foster father of Jesus Christ. It is a day on which we reflect on the importance of human work—all types of work, intellectual as well as manual. We were created to work, to “have dominion over the fish of the sea … and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Gen. 1:28). For this we were created, and therefore we are happy when we work.
Being a contemplative does not mean that we stop working and only sit praying. No one can be happy living like that, for it is contrary to God’s plan for us. Monks who leave the world to live a contemplative life in the silence of the desert, far from the noise, distractions, and entertainments of the world, work. The Desert Fathers in Egypt made baskets, mats, and ropes; or copied manuscripts; or wrote books, as did Evagrius Ponticus. They worked according to their ability, personal inclination, and interest, using the gifts and talents God gave them. Thus each individual contributed to the well-being of the rest, making his own contribution to the community and to the world.
God did not put us here in this world only to entertain ourselves, but rather to help others. We should not only receive but also to give to others. We receive the services of other people, while at the same time we serve them with our talents. Living in this way a person will be happy, for he is living in accordance with God’s will.
Our work can change as we grow older or develop some physical disability. We can give up a type of work that requires much physical activity, distraction, and travel for a more contemplative type of work. A professor, for example, may stop teaching and instead occupy himself in writing books, in this way making the wisdom of his many years available to a much wider audience and in a more durable form, while at the same time living a quieter and more contemplative life. Thus he simplifies his life and greatly reduces the distractions he once had as an active professor.
A monk works in silence, far from the world, so as not to be distracted. He does not travel. He always stays in the same place, within an enclosure (cloister), far from worldly entertainments, temptations, and distractions in order to live a life recollected in God, happily occupied in manual or intellectual work, which he does for the benefit of the community and the world. He lives in silence and prayer, even when working. But he also spends much time sitting in silent contemplation without words or ideas, united to God.
St. Joseph is for us an example of silent, contemplative work.
BIBLE FACTS - A blog that tells about the facts in the bible and gives inspirational quotes
FACTS
sermon
The Silent, Contemplative Work of St. Joseph
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
EmoticonEmoticon