Professional fulfillment

  The Second Vatican Council exalts lay faithful to be dedicated to their professional duties. They should also hold in high esteem professional competence in a civic sense, and the virtues related to social behaviour such as honesty, sense of justice, sincerity, courtesy and moral courage. Without these virtues there is no true Christian life […]

The Second Vatican Council exalts lay faithful to be dedicated to their professional duties. They should also hold in high esteem professional competence in a civic sense, and the virtues related to social behaviour such as honesty, sense of justice, sincerity, courtesy and moral courage. Without these virtues there is no true Christian life (Lumen Gentium 31). The spirituality of the lay faithful extends to the way he or she accepts his or her work. The ability to see one’s work as a vocation makes work a noble service by which one gives joy to the world. The world is an organic whole that has different parts, persons and work. Thus to make the world a happy place, interdependence becomes the rule of life. Given that “no one is an island,” the need for cooperation and collaboration cannot be overemphasized in the exchange of goods and services.
No particular profession provides all that a person needs to be happy. The doctor depends on the farmer for food while the farmer depends on the doctor for medical care and health services. The world keeps going because of food for the nourishment of the body. In the Old Testament of the Bible, the book of Genesis presents farming as the first profession in creation. In a world where farming is looked upon as an activity reserved for the peasants and illiterates, it could be observed that the challenges in the modern world have made many educated people return to farming especially when the monthly salary is not enough for sustenance. The lay faithful is called upon to see farming as a noble vocation. There are countries in the world where farmers are the richest in the society. Farmers indeed give joy to the world and farming should be respected as a noble vocation. This is why the government at all levels should encourage all forms of farming just as special attention is presently being given to cattle rearing.
In the world of aesthetics, the artist adds colour to the world thus becoming a co-creator with God. The picture of creatures raises the mind to heaven to think of divine realities. The work of artists proclaims the glory of God. The portraits of Jesus, Mary, and many of the saints are made available through the craft of the artists. Michael Angelo is one of the most renowned artists the world has produced in this regard. Good music gladdens the heart. In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Orison, Duke of Illyria said, “If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it” (William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act 1 Scene 1). St. Augustine affirms that he who sings well prays twice (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo). In social and cultural gatherings music adds joy to the events and activities of the day. The angels are portrayed as wonderful musicians in the Bible. Luke captures this in his narrative of the Annunciation: “And suddenly with the angels there was a great throng of the heavenly hosts, praising God and singing: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour” (Luke 2, 13). The Psalmist invites all worshippers to praise God with musical instruments (Psalm 150:3-6).
The trader enables the production of goods to reach the consumers. They render services in the distribution of consumer goods and social amenities. In the area of trade, the laity is called to be a beacon of justice and honesty. Cheating and stealing in the name of business is an abuse in the trading industry. The engineers in various fields give joy to the world. They design and produce industrial materials for the modern society. Through the services of the various engineers we have a lot of goods that give comfort and joy. We drive good cars instead of trekking long distances. We could enjoy uninterrupted power supply if the electrical engineers are given the space to work. Civilization is the brain child of philosophers and engineers. The engineers are people of great minds who give joy to the world. The manufacturers should make their products reach the common man and woman. In this context, the lay person who is called to bring a scientific renaissance to the nation should be honest and dutiful in the exercise of duty. A reasonable government would therefore give joy to the nation by not neglecting the engineers and technocrats.
Jesus went about healing the sick. Doctors are co-healers with God. Doctors and nurses care while God does the healing. The care of the sick is a unique vocation that doctors should never neglect. The humanitarian aspect should not be forgotten in the practice of medicine. This role is assigned to the lay faithful in the temporal affairs. That a dying patient is well again should give joy to the doctor and the nurse. This is a professional fulfillment. The world is fully aware that health is wealth hence it does not make sense for a medical doctor to abandon his or her practice after spending so many years in training, to pursue alternative careers like politics where the doctor has no sufficient acumen. Political leaders should therefore invest in the health care of the nation by engaging the available medical practitioners in the country instead of running to Europe and America for medical attention.
There is no peace without justice. The lawyer is specially called to give justice to the world so that the world can be at peace. If you doubt whether lawyers can become saints, examine the life of St. Thomas Moore who was a lawyer. The police are also called to be servants who should give joy to the world by making sure that there is order in the society. The police should be a friend who ensures that there is security for the citizens of the nation. They should not prey on the citizens. However, for the Police to be a friend of the citizens, the government should review the salaries of the police. Many people are of the opinion that a just remuneration could stop the police and all security agents from harassing innocent citizens and provide security to the nation.
The soldier is called to defend the nation. Today the army has become politicized. The soldier should feel called to save life akin to God in carrying out their primary assignments. This dedication alone can give the citizens a sense of security. The citizens will derive joy in seeing soldiers as friends not as dictators and terrorists. Let the army defend the nation. The civil servants can also give joy to the world by enhancing the dignity of the human person. The smooth running of the nation depends on the Civil Servants. The civil servant is called to be a light to the people by practicing honesty and justice. They are witnesses in various capacities to the love of Christ who offered his life as a ransom for many. The teacher is invited to present the values of Christ to the pupils and students.
The danger in our world today is that most people look at politics as the only career where happiness is achieved whereas money which has become the oxygen of politics does not always provide the joy that come from real contentment. Today, to be a politician is seen as the road to becoming a billionaire. The joy that the different professions ought to give to the world has been submerged in the greed for power and wealth. The reality before us today shows that the only reason why the world needs political leadership is the provision of good governance for the sake of the common good. Otherwise, it profits nothing if one gains the whole world at the expense of one’s soul. I pray that the world should wake up to the reality that political governance is a career out of the many professions that can give fulfillment to humanity and the society.
Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua is director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja ([email protected]; www.omonokhua.blogspot.com)