The most serious attention is paid in the social doctrine of the Church to the “problem of the theology of labor”. In traditional Christian teaching, labor is presented as one of the consequences of original sin – the punishment of God for the willfulness of man. “In the sweat of your brow you will eat bread. (Gen. 3: 192), – the Bible says when describing the consequences for man of his “criminal sin”. In the modern social doctrine of the Church,

first of all, in the encyclicals and speeches of Pope John Paul II, the desire to give a humanistic color to Christian ideas about work is clearly expressed.

John Paul II does not focus on the sinful nature of man, but on what brings God and man closer together. He constantly emphasizes that man as “the image and likeness of God” is the only being endowed with similar abilities to God. In the Encyclical” Laborem ekzertsens ” work is treated not as a secondary side of human existence, but its very essence, a metaphysical condition of its existence.

“The Church is convinced,” says this document,”that work is the main aspect of human life on Earth.” The original sin did not lead to the origin of labor, but only to the fact that labor has become heavy – that it is accompanied by suffering. Having committed a sin, a person opposed the rule of God over himself. As a result, what was naturally subordinate to man rebelled against him. He deprived-

the natural dominion over nature is restored by labor.

The modern scientific and technical revolution significantly changes the position of man in the social sphere.-

historical practice, including in the production process. The normal course of the production process depends on the level of education and professional training of the employee, on his initiative and abilities, on his attitude to work-in General, on all those elements that we call the “human factor” and that characterize the creative attitude to work. The increasing role of the creative element in modern production is reflected in the Catholic concept of work as a way of cooperation between man and God to transform the world. In this concept, man is regarded as a “Creator”, as a continuer of the work of God. “In the words of the divine revelation, the basic truth is deeply rooted that man, created in the image of God, participates in the work of the Creator and, to some extent, continues to develop and Supplement it to the extent of his capabilities, increasingly succeeding in revealing the resources and values of the entire totality of the created world”, – stated in the Encyclical “Laborem zhertsens”. In this Encyclical, John Paul II also points out that ” man must possess the earth, have dominion over it, because, as the image of God, he is a person, a subject, able to act expediently and rationally, capable of self-determination and self-realization.”

Noting the importance of labor in the creation of material goods, the social doctrine of the Church emphasizes the spiritual creative function of labor. The spiritual creative function of labor is considered in Catholic social teaching mainly from the point of view of the ascent of man to the absolute of God. “The Church sees its special duty in the formation of the spirituality of work that can help people through it (work-ed.) to approach God-the Creator and Redeemer, to participate in the plan of salvation of man and the world…»

Therefore, recognizing a certain positive value of human activity to transform the world into a better being, into a better life, the social doctrine of the Church emphasizes that the main value for religious life is not due to its creative side, but primarily due to the”hardships of labor”.

One of the main dimensions of human labor in “Laborem zzertsens” is declared that all labor, physical or mental, is inevitably associated with grief. “The cross is a necessary condition for the spirituality of labor.” In Catholic teaching, it is emphasized that the results of labor in themselves do not matter for “salvation”. The value of labor, from the point of view of this doctrine, is that ” people can prove by their activity loyalty to God, submission to the divine will.” “Gaining more and more power over the earth, thanks to labor