Following the death of Pope Francis this week, we revisit this short article from 2019 by Martin Maier SJ which interprets the future of human work through the lens of Laudato Si’.
Published in 2015, Laudato si’ (“Praise Be To You”, subtitled ‘on care for our common home’ ) was Pope Francis’ second encyclical, commonly considered to be the first that is entirely his own work. It focuses on humanity’s responsibility to care for the world and maintain resources for future generations. Alongside promoting the intrinsic value of all forms of life, it demands a redefinition of ‘progress’ and calls humanity towards a radical ecological conversion.
Martin Maier SJ is a German Jesuit, theologian, and author. Since 2021 he has been the Managing Director of Adveniat, a German Catholic charity focused on serving Latin America and the Caribbean. In his writing, he often focuses on environmental issues and sustainable development.
Martin Maier, SJ, ‘The Future of Work after Laudato Si’‘, Studies: An Irish Review, Vol. 108, No. 432 (Winter 2019), 454 – 457. JSTOR link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.35939/studiesirishrev.108.432.0454
The encyclical Laudato Si’ of Pope Francis is a document that is both dramatic and hopeful. Dramatic because it leaves the reader in no doubt that the prevailing global system, with its reckless exploitation of natural resources and dangerous climate change, is heading for catastrophe. Hopeful because the pope does not consider this dynamic to be inevitable, but instead indicates ways to alter our course and opportunities for transformation.
…The issue of ecology is an issue of justice. We have to hear both ‘the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ (LS, 49). The Pope calls for a ‘bold cultural revolution’ (LS, 114). This is closely connected to his concept of an ‘integral ecology’ and an ‘ecological conversion’. He calls for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of the planet and for another way of looking at things, ‘a way of thinking, policies, an educational programme, a lifestyle and a spirituality which together generate resistance to the assault of the technocratic paradigm’ (LS, 111). This also, of course, includes work.
A major contribution of Catholic Social Teaching to the concept of work is an understanding of it as part of human dignity. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church states: ‘The human person is the measure of the dignity of work’. In a Christian perspective work is much more than merely a source of income. It is an integral part of human identity and fulfilment. Martin Luther, the great church reformer, put it this way using a wonderful metaphor: ‘As the birds to flying, so is man born unto labour’. Laudato si’ underlines, similarly, that ‘we are created with a vocation to work’ (LS, 118). This helps us to care for creation, to define and integrate ourselves in society and to unleash the rich personal growth inherent in all of us.
It clearly appears with Laudato si’ that the future of human work is linked with the question of the care of creation and the future of life and the human community on the planet. We cannot separate the future of human work, the future of ‘our common home’ and the future of the human community. Any innovation has to be evaluated with this trilogy in mind: the planet, social justice, the future of humanity.
From a theological perspective, human work is seen as a participation in God’s creation. In Ignatian spirituality, which underlies Laudato si’, God is imagined as labouring in creation. He acts in the manner of a person at work. By working humans imitate the creating God and they cooperate in his continued creation (LS, 80). The Second Vatican Council states: ‘By offering his labour to God, a man becomes associated with the redemptive work itself of Jesus Christ’.
The apex of biblical teaching on work is the commandment of the Sabbath rest. The memory and the experience of Sabbath constitutes a barrier against becoming slaves to work, whether voluntarily or by force, and against any kind of exploitation, hidden or evident…An inherent dimension of human work is social justice. Through just wages and social security systems, work promotes social justice. A fundamental orientation in shaping work is the preferential option for the poor: ‘Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work’ (LS, 128). A criterion for the humanity of a society is how it treats the poorest and the weakest.
A crucial question of Laudato si’ is: ‘What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?’ This question is not only concerned with the environment; it cannot be approached piecemeal…It is no longer enough, then, simply to state that we should be concerned for future generations. We need to see that what is at stake is our own dignity. Leaving an inhabitable planet to future generations is, first and foremost, up to us. The issue is one which dramatically affects us, for it has to do with the ultimate meaning of our earthly sojourn (LS, 160).
In November 2018 the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) published a reflection paper, Shaping the Future of Work, which takes into account…Laudato si’, [and] encourages the EU to shape the ecological and digital transformations of the world of work aiming at the common good…The COMECE reflection paper furthermore underlines: ‘This world of work will be decent if it promotes just working conditions, including a dignified family-oriented income and sufficient space for life in family and society.
…Laudato si’ has drawn renewed attention to the Church’s social doctrine. This was recently confirmed, somewhat surprisingly, by the British newspaper The Guardian, which is not usually known for its Catholic apologetics, in February 2018: ‘The answer proposed by Catholic social teaching, and presupposed by most progressive thought, is that we should be working toward the common good. This is distinct from the fulfilment of individual wants, and will sometimes be opposed to them; but in the long term it may be the only way to satisfy our partially selfish and partially altruistic natures’.
Photo credit: Raffaele Esposito, Wikimedia Commons