My Father Is Working Until Now, and I Also Work

The General Message of the Lecture

This lecture affirms that work is an essential part of Christian faith, and that God Himself works continuously in creation, care, and salvation, calling human beings to cooperate with Him according to their responsibility.

Lecture Summary

• His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that work is not merely for earning a living, but a spiritual and human necessity that protects a person from laziness and wrong thoughts.
• From the beginning of creation, God placed Adam in Paradise to work and keep it, although Paradise was full of goodness, showing that work itself is a blessing.
• God is always working: in creation, in caring for creation, and in teaching and guiding, as revealed in the Holy Scripture.
• The Lord Jesus Christ presented a living example of continuous work, as He went about doing good, teaching, healing, caring, and loving, even on the Cross and after His Resurrection.
• The Holy Spirit works continually in the Church, in the sacraments, in the servants, and in the life of every believer, leading them to spiritual fruit.
• True faith cannot be separated from work, because “faith without works is dead,” and every person will receive his reward according to his work.
• God grants every person talents, time, and life, and asks him to invest them in serving others and building the Kingdom of God.
• Work may be teaching, social service, giving, raising children, or offering a word of encouragement and love, but the most important thing is that life bears fruit.
• A person does not enter the Kingdom of Heaven alone, but enters with the fruits of his labor, meaning the souls he served, loved, and gained for good.

العمل
Work

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