"Soft Power": “Till and Keep” (Gen 2:15) and the Benedictine Mot "Ora Et Labora"

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n his landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, the late Pope Francis offered the Church and the world a deeply theological and pastoral framework for ecological conversion. Central to this vision is the reclamation of the three vital relationships that ground human life: with God, with our neighbor, and with the Earth itself (Laudato Si’, 66). These relationships are not isolated but intricately intertwined. Their rupture—what Scripture names as sin—manifests not only as spiritual alienation, but also as social injustice and ecological degradation.

Drawing from the Genesis narrative, Pope Francis reflected on the human vocation to “till and keep” the garden (Gen 2:15). This ancient image expresses a timeless tension: the need to balance use with care, action with contemplation, dominion with stewardship. Rather than promoting rigid extremes—be it exploitative dominion or anti-human biocentrism—Francis called for a balanced anthropology: one that affirms human dignity while restoring our place within the broader web of life (Laudato Si’, 118). This vision invites a renewal of humanity itself, a rediscovery of our role as humble co-creators, tending the earth in reverent partnership with God.

In this light, the ancient monastic wisdom of St Benedict of Nursia provides a living and timely complement to Francis’ ecological vision. His enduring motto, ora et labora (“pray and work”), reflects a rhythm of life in which labor becomes prayer, and care for the land is inseparable from care for the soul. Benedict did not advocate a life dominated by either excessive work or excessive contemplation. Instead, he sought a dynamic balance—rooted in daily rhythms of prayer, manual labor, study, and community life.

Yet this balance is not self-sustaining. It must be continually rooted in a living relationship with the Creator, who alone can guide the harmony between inner stillness and outward action. Without this grounding in God, even the most disciplined or well-intentioned lives risk becoming imbalanced or self-referential. As Laudato Si’ reminds us:

Science and technology are not neutral; from the beginning to the end of a process, various intentions and possibilities are in play and can take on distinct shapes (Laudato Si’, 114).

Our choices—especially those driving progress—are always shaped by values, whether acknowledged or not. The call, then, is not to reject modernity or to return to the Stone Age, but, as Francis urged, “to slow down and look at reality in a different way”—to discern what is genuinely sustainable, to reclaim values and noble goals that may have been swept aside by our "delusions of grandeur."

Seen through this lens, ora et labora becomes more than a monastic ideal. It becomes a concrete expression of Genesis’ call to “till and keep”—a way of life in which contemplation and action are harmonized, and every act, no matter how small, is ordered toward a greater whole, guided by the Creator.

Pope Francis also highlighted the social and economic dimensions of ecological sin. He warned that an economy fixated on profit—especially in the global north—often exploits both human labor and the natural environment of the global south, deepening poverty and increasing vulnerability to climate change. Yet he did not condemn capitalism outright. Rather, he called for its conversion: toward an economy of integral ecology, where the dignity of people and the health of the planet are upheld together.

One of the most enduring aspects of Pope Francis’ legacy was his use of “soft power”—a non-coercive leadership rooted in the Gospel. In a world divided by ideology and hardened by politics, his moral clarity and pastoral tenderness offered a compelling alternative. His voice was firm but non-divisive, prophetic yet compassionate—a soft power solution for a hard world. This echoes the Benedictine model of leadership, where the abbot is not a stern ruler, but a spiritual father—a guide who governs the community not with force, but with wisdom, humility, and care. According to the Rule of St Benedict, the abbot must adapt himself to the needs of each member of the community, encouraging the strong and supporting the weak, “so that he may gain them all.” Such leadership—rooted in relationship, guided by prayer, and directed toward the good of the whole—offers a living witness to the kind of authority the world desperately needs: firm in principle, but always moved by love.

As we respond to the call of our time, may we walk this path with the hands of a tiller, the heart of a keeper, and the spirit of ora et labora—faithfully cultivating a world in which all of creation may flourish. Fr JM Manzano SJ