Transcript What Does the Church Teach About Work / Life Balance?

What Does the Church Teach About Work /
Life Balance?
Sandie Cornish
The Loyola Institute
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
Catholic Social Teaching
on Work
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A good, brief summary in ACCER’s The
Catholic Church as an Employer in Australia
Today
Comprehensive overview in Chapter Six of
the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of
the Church
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Two key primary sources:
– Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, 1891
– John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1981
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
Nature & Purpose of Work
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Need to reflect on the nature and purpose
of work in order to be attentive to
movements in our lives that are out of
balance.
There is no one right balance.
Are work, employment and vocation
different things? What are our unconscious
presuppositions?
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
A Mandate, not a Punishment
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In the second Genesis account, the task of caring
for and cultivating the garden comes before the fall.
(Compendium, n 255; LE n 4)
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Toil and pain enter the picture after the relationship
with God is broken.
Work is not a punishment, but because of the
effects of sin, it may involve suffering.
Through this suffering we can participate in a way
in the redemptive activity of Jesus. (Compendium, n 263; LE n
9 & 27)
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By working, we respond to God’s call.
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
Necessary & Good
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Through work we sustain our lives an
provide a foundation for family life. (LE n 10)
Unpaid work like housework as well as
income generating work are needed to
support our households.
Work is honourable, not something to be
avoided. Jesus was a working man. (LE n 9 & 26)
Work is good and it should be part of our
lives.
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
Value of Work Comes
from People
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The subjective dimension of work is more
important than its objective dimension.
The value of work comes from the fact that
it is a free human act, not just by what is
produced or its market value. (LE n 6)
Work is for people, not people for work. (LE n
6)
We should not be slaves to work. It should
respect our human dignity, not deny it.
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
A Right & Responsibility
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No one should feel entitled not to work and
to live at the expense of others. (LE n 16)
We should contribute according to our
abilities, whether on a paid or unpaid basis.
Mutual obligation – a society can only insist
on individuals’ responsibility to contribute if
it ensures opportunities for everyone to do
so. (LE n18)
We have a right to contribute our efforts
and a responsibility to do so.
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
Work is for the Good of All
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Work isn’t just for ourselves or to support
our households, it is a way in which we can
contribute to the well being of the
community.
Our work should contribute to the support
of those in need and help to build up the
common good. (LE n 10)
Many people feel that their voluntary work,
rather than paid employment most directly
addresses this dimension of work.
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
Participation in Creation
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Work is a way in which we participate in
God’s on-going work of creation. In our
work we reflect the image of God as
Creator.
St Ambrose: each worker is the hand of
Christ that continues to create and to do
good. (Compendium, n 265, LE n 4 & 25)
Being creative should be part of our lives.
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
Self Expression
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Through work, whether paid or not, we can
express ourselves and grow as persons,
becoming more human, becoming more the
people that we were created to be. (LE n 9 – 10)
Activity that allows us to express ourselves
and grow should be part of our lives.
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
The Seventh Day
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We need time to rest, to nurture our family
and community relationships, to participate
in cultural life, political life, to enjoy
recreation, and to nurture our spiritual life
individually and communally.
To do this we need time off work together
at the same time. (LE n 19)
Our whole lives should not be given over to
work.
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
Achieving a Balance
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Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that for
a balanced life we need:
– Meaningful activity (paid or unpaid work)
– Adequate rest to ensure our health and well
being
– Recreation (participation in social and cultural
life)
– Time to develop and maintain our relationships
(God, self, family/household, community,
society, creation)
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.
Questions for Reflection
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What do I need in order to attend to my relationship with my self?
Does my work help or hinder me in this? How could this situation be
improved?
What do I need in order to attend to my family/household
responsibilities? How could my work be organized in order to better
enable me to meet these responsibilities?
Do I contribute to the life of my local community, and to the
common good of Australian society? Could the way my activities are
organized help me to do better? What might this look like?
Am I in touch with creation and actively caring for it? Do my work
and other activities help or hinder me in this? How could this
situation be improved?
Do I regularly take time to nurture my relationship with God? What
gets in my way? Am I unconsciously giving higher priority to other
people and things in practice? How can I change this?
© Sandie Cornish for the Loyola Institute, Australian Jesuits, October 2007.