The Catechism explains the Tenth Commandment in these words: “Not to covet nor desire other men’s goods; but to learn and labour truly to get mine own living, and to do my duty in that state of life, unto which it shall please God to call me”. (1)

Vocation

You will notice that it says, “in that state of life, unto which it shall please God to call me”.  Many people, who ought to know better, think it says, “unto which it has pleased God to call me”, as if we ought not to change our job for the better.  But that, as you can see, is not so.

Work to which anyone is called is given the name of vocation, from the Latin word voco, I call.  So a vocation is a particular calling or walk of life which God means a person to follow.  For example, everyone regards it as a vocation to be a priest, a monk or a nun, or a missionary.  And one takes up that kind of work, not for the sake of the pay, but for the sake of the work itself which is in God’s service and has its own reward.  Indeed, a person who has a real vocation would not be happy doing anything else, and would not dream of going into anything different however much more money he or she was offered.

But Christians are called to serve God and their fellow human beings in very many other ways; for example, as plumbers, teachers, farm workers, paramedics and yes, carpenters.  Sometimes it can be difficult for young people to find their vocation in life straight away.  It is important that you start thinking and praying about this in good time as the choices you make at school can help or hinder later options.  And if you decide to apply for a university or college place try and choose subjects that will help you in what you believe God is calling you to do.

Doing a useful job and doing it well

Many people do not have much choice in what work they do when they leave school.  They have to get the most suitable job they can in the district.  But whatever work you do, it should be something useful and you should do it well.  We may be quite sure that Jesus was never satisfied with anything but his best work in the carpenter’s shop at Nazareth.  It has been said that work is the rent we pay for our room on earth; or, as St Paul has put it, “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat” (NRSV, 2 Thessalonians 3:10).  Notice Paul says “unwilling to work”.  So even if there is a shortage of jobs and someone cannot get a job, he or she should be willing to work and keep on trying to get into work.  Working as a volunteer in, for example, a charity is an option for some unemployed people.

Talents

Besides being useful, your work should also, as far as possible, make the most of the talents and skill God has given to you.  Some people are good at one thing, others at something else.  And that means that you ought to do all you can to develop and improve your abilities.  When God made you, he gave you these gifts for you to make the most of so that you can be as useful as possible to him and to other people.

The Parable of the Talents: Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus told a parable about this, the Parable of the Talents.  A certain man was employed by the owner of a large estate.  One day he and his fellow-servants were sent for by their master who told them that he was going on a long journey and was leaving them to look after his property.

Before he set out, he put each of them in charge of a sum of money.  One he entrusted with five talents, another two, and this particular servant with one.  A talent was a large sum of money – it would have taken a labourer more than 15 years to earn one talent. (2)  After their master had gone, the three of them talked together about what they were going to do with the money.  The first two decided to make the most of the opportunity by trading with the money and in this way to add to it.  But the third servant, who had been given the one talent, was a lazy fellow who simply could not be bothered.  So he put his talent in an earthenware jar and dug a hole and buried it.

A long time passed and then, quite suddenly, their master returned.  The first thing he did was to ask them to make their report to him.  While the other two went to him, the lazy one hurried to dig up the one talent he had hidden.  The first two servants had doubled their talents during their master’s absence, and were at once promoted by him.  Then it was the lazy one’s turn.  “Sir”, he said, “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground.  Here it is;” (and he held his hand out), “it was yours, you have it back”.  His master pounced on his words and used them against him.  “You wicked and lazy servant!  So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered?  Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest” (Jerusalem Bible, Matthew 25:24-27).  So the talent was taken from him and he was expelled.  And Jesus explained it all by saying, “For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Jerusalem Bible, Matthew 25:29).

Developing talents and abilities

So you see, if you do not use and develop your talents and abilities, you will lose them altogether.  And you ought already to be making the most of yours while you are still at school.  No one ever regretted having worked hard at school, but plenty of people have regretted their stupidity in slacking at school.  And when you leave school you ought to think seriously about how you could develop your particular talents still further.

And lastly, when you go out to work, don’t think only of the pay you receive.  Take a pride in doing your work well, and you will find that as a result you will be far more contented and happy than the person whose interest is focused on the money and not on what he or she does to earn it.

SUMMARY

1. If we are able, the proper way of getting a living is to work for it, and whatever our work is it should be useful.

2. We should make the best use of the talents and abilities which God has given us.

3. Work brings happiness and contentment if, instead of thinking only of the pay, we take a pride in doing our job well.

References

1. Church of England (1662)The Book of Common Prayer.  A Catechism.  Available from: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/liturgy/bcp/texts/catechism.html   (Accessed 20 August 2010) (Internet).

2. New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Anglicized Edition (1995) Oxford: Oxford University Press.