III. IN VARIOUS PUBLIC CIRCUMSTANCES
18. For the Blessing of Human Labor
907 Reading from the Old Testament
First Option
God said:
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground."
God created man in his image;
in the divine image he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying:
"Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth."
God also said:
"See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it
to be your food; and to all the animals of the land,
all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food."
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made,
and he found it very good. Evening came,
and morning followed—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing,
God rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.
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Commentary on Gen 1:26-2:3
This selection from Genesis tells the story of the creation of man and woman. Man’s resemblance to God lies primarily in the gift God gives mankind, the gift of “dominion” over all His creation. This final creation is the climax of his creative activity and following it, God establishes the day of rest, the Lord’s Day.
These verses relate for us God’s act of our own creation. He creates us to be stewards (have dominion over) of all else that he has created. He creates mankind in his own image and likeness in two sexes – male and female. He then charges his creation to procreate and offers his created children all that he created.
Implicit in this passage is God’s intent to create not just the human form but to instill in it the intellect to understand all else that he created; like God himself, he gave his creation free will.
In specifying two sexes, scripture also defines the marriage covenant as the joining of man and woman. The explicit outgrowth of this union was specifically to facilitate procreation. (CCC 1604ff)
CCC: Gn 1:26-29 2402; Gn 1:26-28 307; Gn 1:26-27 1602; Gn 1:26 36, 225, 299, 343, 2501, 2809; Gn 1:27 355, 383, 1604, 2331; Gn 1:28-31 2415; Gn 1:28 372, 373, 1604, 1607, 1652, 2331, 2427; Gn 1:31 299, 1604; Gn 2:1-3 345; Gn 2:2 314, 2184
Implicit in this passage is God’s intent to create not just the human form but to instill in it the intellect to understand all else that he created; like God himself, he gave his creation free will.
In specifying two sexes, scripture also defines the marriage covenant as the joining of man and woman. The explicit outgrowth of this union was specifically to facilitate procreation. (CCC 1604ff)
CCC: Gn 1:26-29 2402; Gn 1:26-28 307; Gn 1:26-27 1602; Gn 1:26 36, 225, 299, 343, 2501, 2809; Gn 1:27 355, 383, 1604, 2331; Gn 1:28-31 2415; Gn 1:28 372, 373, 1604, 1607, 1652, 2331, 2427; Gn 1:31 299, 1604; Gn 2:1-3 345; Gn 2:2 314, 2184
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Second Option
At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens –
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth
and no grass of the field had sprouted,
for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth
and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth
and was watering all the surface of the ground
the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.
The LORD God then took the man
and settled him in the garden of Eden,
to cultivate and care for it.
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Commentary on Gn 2:4b-9, 15
This selection provides excerpts of the second creation account (also called the Yahwehist account because in Hebrew texts God is referred to as Yahweh God instead of God). As we go through Genesis it is clear that multiple authors are responsible for the texts and this is one way scholars distinguish them. This account does not go through creation using a calendar but rather begins with a lifeless earth. The summary that follows describes the creation of all life and knowledge – analogized by the “tree of the knowledge of good and bad.” Culminating this creation is the establishment of man in the Garden of Eden. The concluding verse once more establishes our role as stewards of God’s creation.
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908 Reading from the New Testament
First Option
Brothers and sisters,
we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us
how you should conduct yourselves to please God-
and as you are conducting yourselves-
you do so even more.
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
On the subject of mutual charity
you have no need for anyone to write you,
for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.
Indeed, you do this for all the brothers throughout Macedonia.
Nevertheless, we urge you, brothers, to progress even more,
and to aspire to live a tranquil life,
to mind your own affairs,
and to work with your own hands,
as we instructed you,
that you may conduct yourselves properly toward outsiders
and not depend on anyone.
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Commentary on 1 Thes 4:lb-2, 9-12
In this second half of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians the Apostle exhorts the community of faith to increase their holiness. He is pleased with the progress they have made but exhorts them to even greater efforts in this regard, to attempt to conform themselves to Christ's example.
The Apostle next takes up the Christian duty to charity. He is apparently satisfied with the level of charity shown between the members of the faith community at Thessalonica. He does relate that charity to an expression of love for one another and encourages all to work for the well being of the community regardless of their station. He urges independence through their labor so no outside influences will distract them from their goal of being Christ-centered.
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Second Option
We Instruct you, Brothers and Sisters
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to shun any brother who walks in a disorderly way
and not according to the tradition they received from us.
For you know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day
we worked, so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you,
we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work,
neither should that one eat.
We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a
disorderly way,
by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.
Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly
and to eat their own food.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times
and in every way.
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Commentary on 2 Thes 3:7-12
St. Paul addresses a problem with some of the individuals in the Church in Thessalonica. Possibly because of St. Paul’s own teaching on the immanent second coming of Christ (the Parousia) (1 Thessalonians 2:16; 3:3-4; 5:4-5) but more likely because of a forged letter claiming to be from him (2 Thessalonians 2:2), some members had stopped working for a living. St Paul urges them to stop this behavior to the point of shunning those who walk "in disorderly ways" (and to stop involving themselves in other peoples business, a side effect of the life style which left them with too much time on their hands) and get back to working for a living.
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909 Responsorial Psalm
1.
R. (see 17b) Lord, give success to the work of our hands.
Before the mountains were begotten,
and the earth and the world were brought forth,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
R. Lord, give success to the work of our hands.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, "Return, O children of men."
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
You make an end of them in their sleep.
R. Lord, give success to the work of our hands.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Lord, give success to the work of our hands.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all of our days.
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children.
R. Lord, give success to the work of our hands.
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Commentary on Ps 90:2, 3-5a, 12-13, 14 and 16
The psalm in its entirety is a communal lament. The strophes in this selection reflect on the mortality of humanity and the brevity of human life. (It is also an example of the human understanding that God’s immortal view of time is not like ours.) The recollection of God’s creative impulse recalls the Genesis event while final strophe brings us back rejoicing for God’s great mercy. The response from v. 17 reminds us that all we accomplish is for the greater glory of God and that without his aid we accomplish nothing of value.
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2.
R. (see 1) The Lord will build a house for us and guard our city.
Unless the LORD build the house,
they labor in vain who build it.
Unless the LORD guard the city,
in vain does the guard keep vigil.
R. The Lord will build a house for us and guard our city.
It is vain for you to rise early
or put off your rest,
You that eat hard-earned bread,
for he gives to his beloved in sleep.
R. The Lord will build a house for us and guard our city
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Commentary on Ps 127:1,2
Psalm 127 is a Wisdom Psalm. The principal theme is, without God's help, human labor is without value. "The exhortation to trust in God that imbues this psalm with meaning is taken up by Jesus Christ when he teaches about abandonment to divine providence, inviting us to see how God cloths the grass of the field (cf. Matthew 6:25-34). he also uses the simile of the seed (which, while man sleeps, sprouts and grows, no one knows how), to describe how the Kingdom of God takes shape (cf. Mark 4:26-29)."[1]
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911 Gospel
First Option
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?'
or "What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?'
All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil."
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Commentary on Mt 6:31-34
Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount, being very clear about what must be placed first in the life of his disciples. The Lord does not deny that people need the physical things of the world (i.e. food, clothing, and water) but tells them that if they have faith in God and pursue the things of God’s Kingdom, the heavenly Father will provide for them. He goes further to say that, if they are constantly focused on material goods, they will not extend their lives even a little.
CCC: Mt 6:25-34 2547, 2830; Mt 6:26-34 322; Mt 6:31-33 305; Mt 6:32 270; Mt 6:33 1942, 2604, 2608, 2632; Mt 6:34 2659, 2836
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Second Option
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master's money.
After a long time
the master of those servants came back
and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents
came forward bringing the additional five.
He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master's joy.'
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
'Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master's joy.'
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,
'Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.'
His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"
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Commentary on Mt 25:14-30
The parable of the Talents comes to us as part of Jesus’ dialogue about being prepared and vigilant. It combines two different but connected logions or morals/teaching points. The first is to use the gifts God has given for the benefit of God, who is represented by the “master” in the parable. The second is vigilance. This parable, directed at the disciples, exhorts his servants to use the gifts God has given them to the fullest for the benefit of others (as well as God). It is an exclamation point to Jesus earlier statement: “those to whom much is given, even more will be expected” (see also Luke 12:48).
CCC: Mt 25:14-30 546, 1936; Mt 25:21 1029, 1720, 2683; Mt 25:23 1029, 1720
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[1] The Navarre Bible: “Psalms”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 423
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