Family and profession and the Kingdom of God
You live in a family. You have a father, mother, brothers and sisters. Your friends also have families. The whole society is made up of many families. Every day your parents rush to work. How many years have they been preparing for their profession. Maybe even today they are gaining higher qualifications. You go to school every day. You learn a lot of things. You often dream about it, who you would like to be someday. You are already thinking about choosing the right profession.
Christ called everyone to build the Kingdom of God. Does family life have anything to do with it? ? Does it have anything to do with God's Kingdom? Your parents' and other people's professional work, as well as your study at school ?
Family
God gave you life through your parents. your parents, brethren, sisters and you are a family. Parents took responsibility for you before God. They try to provide you with the right conditions for development. They work, that the whole family has food and housing. They also want their children to educate and prepare them for life. They even think about children more often than about themselves. Their work is a service to the family community and therefore to society. In doing so, they fulfill Christ's call :
„…who would like to become great among you, let him be your servant. […] For the Son of Man did not come either, to be served, but to serve " (Mk 10, 43. 45).
Children use the work of parents' hands. They look at their effort and dedication. They see their parents' joy, when a child does their bidding, or grief, when it is disobedient. The parents are the most happy, when children try to help them, they do their best to the best of their ability. Through consent and love among siblings, the love between children and parents grows. Thus they fulfill the Apostle's call : "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Ga 6, 2). Everything in the family is then imbued with kindness and respect for God and people.
Profession
Adults work. They devote many hours to their professional work every day. Some are farmers, other doctors, teachers, artisans, engineers etc.. By their work, they serve society and gain the necessary means of livelihood. Some work for others. A concerted effort produces it, what a man needs. The cooperation of all people allows us to produce more and more wonderful things. Thus, one man serves another, and everyone processes the world with their work and ,,subjugate the earth ".
Every year, thousands of people who are tired of work retire. Their place is taken by the young. They must be prepared for this. That is why they go to school for many years. Then they learn a trade, so that they can serve other people with their skills. From them, they themselves will need help in something else. In this way, the mutual cooperation of all professions allows us to better serve man. Preparation for the profession is your responsibility. God has called you to process the world with others.
God's call
It should be so, yet you know families that are divided and broken, abused children and abused parents. You meet people too, who work only for profit, and sometimes to the detriment of others. There are also those, who do not work at all and are parasites. We know such, who are not properly preparing for their profession. What Christ is calling us to do ?
St.. Mateusz gave us the summons, which Christ is addressing to us :
,,You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, what to salt it ? It will no longer be of any use, perhaps to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. The lights are not turned on, nor are they placed under the bushes, but on the lampstand, that it shines for everyone, who are at home. So let your light shine before people, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven " (Mt 5, 13-16).
As Christians, grafted onto Christ through baptism, we are creating the new People of God. With Christ and through Christ, we unite our work and the sacrifices of our whole life with His sacrifice. God called us, that when living in a family and in the exercise of our profession we may be guided by the teachings of Christ and thus contribute to the sanctification of the world. Then we are looking for the Kingdom of God, as we deal with the things of this world and direct them according to God's mind. We become then ,,salt for the earth "and" light for the world ". Through our family life and our work in the profession, we can make Christ known to others. We can act in the world from within, like leaven. In our family and in the workplace, we contribute to this, that all people may carry out God's plan of salvation.
How will I answer God ?
In my family home, at school, and also in preparation for the profession I am supposed to be : "Light for the world" and "salt for the earth". Through this, I build the Kingdom of God and show Christ to others. I am learning to serve other people. I understand, that I am responsible to God for all of this.
Can my behavior in the family home be called building the Kingdom of God? ? Can I say that about my schooling ? How I am preparing for my profession ?
I will ask God for help with words :
"Oh good god, make it happen, I would understand, that I am already preparing myself for my future tasks in the family and in society. Also, do, that I should remember not only about getting news, but also about getting better. Help me, God, with your grace, that my young years would not be wasted, but he used them solidly to educate my mind and will ".
■ Think :
1. What Task God Has Entrusted to Parents?
2. What responsibilities do children have in the family ?
3. How a Christian should fulfill his professional duties ?
4. How a Christian is supposed to be : "Salt for the earth" and "light for the world" ?
■ Remember :
45. "The task of lay people, for their proper appointment, is to seek the kingdom of God by dealing with secular matters and directing them according to God's plan "
(KK 31).
■ Task :
Explain, why a Christian should prepare solidly for professional work ?