Catholic Church Vocation In The Workplace

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American society glorifies work and praises upper-class hard workers. Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert, Enneagram scholars, claim that the United States exemplifies type three, the need to succeed (73). Much of our culture is rooted in the fear of failure, especially financial failure as being wealthy is considered a clear sign of success in life. This mindset leads to an emphasis on working primarily to gain money and power. On the other hand, the Catholic church claims that work should contribute to the development and self-expression of the worker. The concept of vocation, which is at the center of the Catholic Social Teaching principle of work and worker, is countercultural to the American societal emphasis on working for financial security. …show more content…

Vocation, which comes from the Latin verb “vocare” meaning “to call,” is the specific work God calls each one of us to do. Thus, workers must be given the opportunity to discover the job they are called to do and to find self-expression, self-realization, and growth in their job. The Church in the Modern World emphasizes the importance of these rights: “Rightly understood, this kind of growth is of greater value than any external riches which can be garnered.” The church also believes in both a objective and a subjective nature of work. The objective nature of work is simply the role a worker fulfills and the outcome accomplished. The subjective nature, however, claims that work is the “essential expression of the person,” and that the worker’s intimate involvement in their job gives work an independent dignity (Compendium Piece 257). The subjective nature of work makes the worker’s personality, skills, and requirements for fulfillment central to their job. Within their vocation, a worker has a right to fair wages, safe working conditions, health care, security for old age, opportunities for rest and vacations, and unemployment compensation. Thus, workers not only have an innate right to pursue their vocation, they also deserve to be able to live off their wages and benefits from thier …show more content…

Overt capitalism was denounced by Rerum Novarum in 1891 due to the dehumanizing effects on workers. So much pressure is put on Americans from a very young age to decide on a lucrative career path. For many years, I wanted to go into publishing; I love to read and edit and have worked on several editing projects throughout my high school experience. However, with some prodding from family, I am applying to colleges under a declared chemistry major, because there is more money in STEM fields than in publishing. I also love chemistry, it is not as though I would be entering a field I abhorred, but the pressure of financial security has definitely affected me before I have even entered college. In another example, I once told family friend that I did not want to apply to their alma mater because it seemed very career oriented and I need a college that will nuture my soul and help me find my direction in life as much as it prepares me for the job market. He responded to this with, “So you want be jobless and saddled with student debt.” This encounter further demonstrates how deeply our culture believes financial security to be the biggest factor in choosing a job over self-expression or

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