Malankara World

Today with Jesus

Physical Labor

by Rev. Fr. V.V. Paulose, Toronto, Canada

Today's Bible Verse

"He’s just the carpenter, the son of Mary.” (Mark 6:3)

Discussion

Do physical labour and keep away the Doctor!

Man is entitled to do physical labour and live long. "In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:19). God commanded, "Six days you shall labour and do all your work” (Exodus 20:10). The medical science prescribes diet and physical exercise are the best medicine for all sicknesses. Do hard work with your body and eat well, sleep well, behave well and have a disease-free body. This is fully applicable for all the social, economic, political and even the spiritual ills of the world.

All works are sacred and the workers are in the Ministry of God and they are the co-creators and co- producers of God. Those who do not work are the parasites of the society and they are not supposed to eat. "Anyone who refuses to work should not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). The rest is only for those who labour. "Come unto me ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mathew 11:28).

Physical labour is an important social learning experience for a healthy spiritual society. If everybody does this social engineering work as a mission religiously, we can avoid most of the gyms, hospitals and social problems of the modern day even economic depression, unemployment and spiritual fallout. We should cultivate and instil in the minds of the budding generation to respect physical labour and its glory.

Wojtyla, later John Paul II, the most popular Pope, started his career as a blue-collar worker in Solvay Enterprises, a German chemical manufacturing company. This job involved heavy manual labour, sometimes having to work in freezing cold weather. Although it was physically exhausting, Wojtyla later recognized it as an important social learning experience for him.

He worked in the Zakrozowek quarry, his job was to dig out limestone blocks that were used to produce caustic soda. During the cruel winter of 1940, each day his job took him to the bottom of the pit. There he filled rail cars with limestone blocks. Sometimes he acted as a brakeman for the tram cars or laid new small gauge tracks. Later his job was to set explosives on the rocks and then detonate them. He was helpful, friendly, hardworking and very religious. At noon, when he heard the church bells ring out, he used to stand still for a few moments beside the trays of explosives and pray. Till he died, he was the eloquent proponent of the greatness of physical labour.

“Those who are stealing must stop stealing and start working. They should earn an honest living for themselves. Then they will have something to share with those who are poor” (Ephesians 4:28).

Prayer

Jesus, let us understand the greatness of physical labour. We pray for all the workers of the world and bread winners of our homes. Lord, provide jobs for those who are willing to do work. Keep way unemployment from our homes. We remember the days on earth when you worked as a carpenter. May all those who do physical hard labour be blessed. All we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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