The good news is that nature is on your side when teaching your sons how to work. Since Genesis, man has had an affinity for productive work as a means of co-operating with God’s creation. Work was even part of the life of Christ himself. And while it’s a consequence of the Fall, it is transformed into a gift—one God gives us and one we give back to God.
This year’s Fathers Conference featured a keynote on work by Mr. Austin Hatch. A father and long-time teacher, Mr. Hatch brought together Aristotle, Shakespeare, Maria Montessori, St. Josemaría, and Pope St. John Paul the Great to reflect on the nature and needs of work. His talk invites us to delight in the gift of work and, in less ideal circumstances, to meet the moment God has arranged for us.
Chapters:
4:27 Defining terms: teaching, sons, work
13:12 Nature of man is to imitate
16:28 Preference for the real
20:32 Virtue enables good work
25:23 Living and working in relationship
30:12 Work in Genesis and the life of Christ
34:21 Grace and sacraments as proper maintenance
36:57 Rest in imitation of God
Links:
Holiness through Work: A Dialogue by Fernando Ocariz
Christ Is Passing By by Josemaría Escrivá
Successful Fathers: The Subtle but Powerful Ways Fathers Mold Their Children’s Characters by James Stenson
Rerum Novarum, papal encyclical by Leo XIII (1891)
Laborem Exercens, papal encyclical by John Paul II (1981)
Magnifica Humanitas, papal encyclical by Leo XIV (2026)
Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Also on the Forum:
The World Needs Your Son to Be Professionally Ambitious by Alvaro de Vicente