From the bulletin of January 17, 2021
After two special columns, we return this week to our journey through Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII. In our last installment, we heard about the importance of fair wages for those who work and about the importance of protecting the those who are desperate from being taken advantage of. Again, this interest is not necessarily anti-capitalism or anti-business, but simply pro human dignity. Unions and minimum wage laws can be helpful for this purpose and they can also be abused. At the time this encyclical was written, they were generally more helpful than harmful. Whatever the case, the Church’s concern is always that the economy serves human beings rather than the other way around.
As Pope Leo puts it, man “cannot give up his soul to servitude, for it is not man’s own rights which are here in question, but the rights of God.” This brings him to the importance of the Sunday obligation. We often forget that the 3rd Commandment isn’t just about going to Mass, but also includes the obligation to rest. Especially when we’re talking about the economy, this translates to an important reminder that we are meant for more than mere labor. How often do people feel like they are caught in the rat race? How many people live with excessive stress because they are in a culture that treats overworking as something praiseworthy? God’s commandment to rest is put in place for a few reasons: to give us time to worship him, to protect physical and mental health, and to remind us of human limitations. Do not forget that the first sin of Adam and Eve was to eat the fruit so they could “be like gods.” When we push ourselves too far in an attempt to be superhumanly productive, we are indirectly rebelling against the fact that we are not God, that we are limited.
I do want to point out that the Sunday rest is still a part of the commandment and the Church expects us to follow it. We also recall that Jesus warned against the hypocrisy of being too legalistic about it. Working on a Sunday is sometimes necessary, especially for emergency personnel and those who provide key infrastructure (water, electric, communications). Also, when someone has to choose between working on a Sunday or losing their job, it’s not a sin if they work. The sin would belong to the person who forces their employee to work without serious reason. Making more money is not a good reason to work on a Sunday. There are also some unusual arrangements that can honor the principle while not literally closing every Sunday. Many industries use a 14 day on 7 day (or more) off rotation. I think this is less than ideal, but it probably isn’t always sinful because it does try to give them rest on a regular basis. The longer a company makes someone work without a day or two off, the more sinful it will become. Regardless, for any Sundays during the 14 days working, both employer and employee should honor at least some period of time give in devotion to God. Normally, this means going to Mass, but where that is not possible we are still required to do something to honor God: rosary, scripture, reading, an extended period of personal prayer – something.
While talking about rest in general, the pope also reflects on daily rest. He points out that how long we work each day should be based on how difficult and intense the work is. He specifically names miners and other manual laborers as an example of those who should have shorter hours because of how hard it is on the body. This includes factoring in the time of year: heat and cold are major factors in how hard work can be. This also applies to recognizing the difference between man, woman, and child. Work should be adapted to the circumstances of the person working and some jobs are not suitable for some people. This has nothing to do with who is better or worse, but with a real acknowledgement of the difference and variety in the human condition. Children should not be forced into hard manual labor at a young age and so miss out on both a healthy childhood and a good education. This teaching helped influence the eventual creation of child labor laws in some countries, including our own. This principle also means that employers should account for things like pregnancy and childbirth. Pope Leo XIII does say that women are “not suited for certain occupations.” He does not list which those are. He is also speaking in general terms. I imagine he is thinking about the general difference in strength and endurance between men and women. He’s probably imagining that, generally speaking, women aren’t going to be doing mining work or similar tasks. He, like any reasonable person, would certainly be able to recognize exceptions to this. Remember that, when he wrote this, women were often forced to work long hours in dangerous factories for low pay. The pope does not mean that women are less capable and he certainly doesn’t mean that the work women do is less important. He mentions “home-work” and the raising of children, which he clearly sees as more important than making money. He in no way condemns women who work outside the home and we should not do that either. Still, this was a different time and a different economy, so the application varies. What matters is the specific principle that employers and employees should both take account of the specific circumstances and difference for different people – men, women, children and within each category. Acknowledging that difference is not sexist or ageist, it’s just part of reality.
– In Christ,
Fr. Albert