Hungarian Church Press, 1968 (20. évfolyam, 2. szám)

1968-06-01 / 2. szám

HCP^oűLJüSLESpeqiai Number

1968 No 2-36 -(07800)

of work, is , "by itself, a part of God's work« Th^ weü-dcne work, whether done "by a baLLeker'-Cir—armuukbaliever, has its value by itself» Por every honest work is directed to the great and sacred end* of furthering the happiness and progress of mankind«, • The specific character of the Christian,s work lies in tbs fact that it is done in faith, out of thankfulness to Jesus Chiist, and in the servi.ce of our neighbour 0 Faith does not separate us from the work of our weekdays but rather strengthens our honesty and faithfulness in discharging our everyday obligations^

Luther launched an idea of revolutionary novelty when be , in his commentary on Stc Paul5s Epistle to the Romans, made physical labour equal -in value with the work of the Christian minister, and, in his polemics against mcnasticism (See, for instance, the relevant passages of his Schmalkalden Articles) he even pit the honest work of a peasant ccr a maid above the fruitless and inactive life on the monks« In opposition to medieval scholasticism which had some of its roots in tne aristocratic tradition of heathen antiquity, he reappraised the meaning of work in the life of the Christian« And whereas the Middle Ages grided the various types of work in the spirit of feudalism, Luther maintained that the value of work was independent of its rank hold in tho feuir.li.stic hierarchy of value a. The humble work of simple people was nc less obedience to the will of God the Creator than intellectual work, all types of wo lie being' related to tne command of God: The quality of work was not to be measured by its possible relation to things spiritual - that would have been the spiritualising view of the the clogy of Aquinas; the test was to ask how it served the order immanent in God'’s creation., It was not necessary that work serve God directly'; by serving man .work finds its specific realm of operation, the service of active Christian love« By serving man, work serves the will of God.

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As a matter of course, Luther was well aware of the toils and. fatigue which attended work, and he related this to the fall of nan, yet he did not believe that this entitled anybody to flee from work« Luther was not only an implacable enemy of the inactive life of the monasteries, but he also condemned the new type of loafing already in evidence with the emergence of the money economy of earl’/ capital ism; thus, for instance, some live5 .without • Trcridng on the irt erects of their invested capital (See the explanation of the 6th camr’^ndment in the Larger Catechism)®

It is therefore, nc coincidence if Prot estart ism - albeit using various supporting arguments «■» affirms wixat Luther said? "It is veritable prayer if one does his work faithfully!,0 Indeed, work may became "the prayerof faith to the glory of God, if we do it in a Christian spirite For love to our neighbour does not call for some special, "sacred” actions, but it is to be exercised in the honesty and faithfulness of our everyday work. It is here that our Christianity becomes visible©