Saints LightWhat Does the Church Teach About Work?
Work is a dignified share in God's creation that exists for the person; workers deserve a just wage and the right to organize, and they owe honest work in return.
What this lesson teaches
- Work is part of human dignity and a sharing in God's creation, not a curse.
- Work exists for the person; labor has priority over capital.
- Workers are owed a just wage and may form unions; they also owe honest work.
- Economic initiative and profit are legitimate when they serve persons and the common good.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 2427-2429
- CCC 2432-2435
- CCC 2184-2185
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Genesis 2:15; James 5:4; 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
A sample question from this lesson
According to Catholic teaching, is work a punishment for sin?
- Yes, work began only after the Fall
- Yes, which is why the Church prefers leisure
- No; God gave work before the Fall, and sin only made it toilsome
- No, because work has no spiritual meaning at all
Show the answer
No; God gave work before the Fall, and sin only made it toilsome. Adam was placed in the garden to tend it before sin (Genesis 2:15). Work is part of human dignity (CCC 2427).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Just wage
- Pay sufficient for a worker to live and support a family in dignity.
- Laborem Exercens
- John Paul II's 1981 encyclical on human work.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"What Does the Church Teach About Work?" is lesson 5 of Catholic Social Teaching. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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