W-O-R-K, how do you read that? Usually we interpret this word as something that we needto do in order to survive. But I would like to oο¬er a diο¬erent kind of meaning to this word. In the lightof St Paulβs words in the second reading, W-O-R-K can also mean: Wisdom of Respect and Kindness.St. Paul, warned the community of Thessalonians, that βif anyone was unwilling to work, neithershould that one eat.β The background of this warning was that the Thessalonian community waspreoccupied with the issue of the end of times. The Thessalonians thought the end of time was near.So they drew their own conclusions. They engaged in idle agitation and did nothing. Paul remindedthem of manual labor and urged them to handle their work carefully. He instructed and urged them,and I quote, βto work quietly in the Lord Jesus Christ and to eat their own foodβ. In other words, St.Paul encouraged both leaders and workers should work as Jesus himself workedβin silence of heartwhile honoring the graces each of us receives from God.
St. Paulβs words reveal to us that there is a spirituality which gives meaning to our work inthis world. We do not work for the sake of laboring itself. Nor do we work solely for the sake ofpreparing for the uncertain future. Our present work reveals the presence of hope we hold in ourhearts, the hope of welcoming the presence of Jesus, both now and towards the end of time. As suchwork is nothing but a process of gaining wisdom. Through work we learn wisdom from respecting thegraces given through the kindness of Godβs mercy to us. Remember the other meaning of WORK Itold you before: Wisdom of Respect and Kindness? As St. Paul mentioned, it is through the silence ofour heart that we can honestly honor every seconds of our labor and its fruits, no matter how littlethey are, as Godβs own grace. Even during the time of crisis, like the one portrayed in the first reading,we can still have hope if we are looking for this kind of wisdom from our work. Prophet Maleakhipromise a kind of healing in the end if we stay true to our work as an endeavor to find Godβs wisdom.Even during the time of crisis, he says, βBut for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun ofjustice with its healing rays.β Wisdom heals the wounds of our toils, of our painful labors. Wisdomhelps us to maintain our faith alive, even during the time of crisis.
If we preoccupying ourselves with crisis of our times, do we have times to express ourgratitude to God for kindly allowing us the graces that we need? In the Gospel for today, Jesus alsowarned us that we are not building this life entrusted to us as βthe temple adorned with costly stonesand votive oο¬erings.β In other words, our work in this world is not to build shiny earthly things. Weshould not be preoccupied with such endeavors or worrying about how much time do I have left inthis world. Rather, we should focus our attention on βperseveranceβ to build our lives as the βtempleof Godβ.
On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Scripture readings invite us to be more sensitiveto the real presence of God in our lives as workers in His vineyard. God's presence in our work shouldnot make us afraid, worried about the fate that will befall us at the end of time. As long as we arehonest in our daily work, we are not parasites who live oο¬ the sacrifices of others, as long as we remainwitnesses of Christ despite the obstacles and diο¬culties that befall us every day, we will be granteddivine wisdom in every step of our lives. And that is the only thing we can hope for as a result of ourdaily work.
W-O-R-K: Wisdom of Respect and Kindness.
Fr. Antonius Firmansyah, S.J.