May 1 2023 - St. Joseph the Worker - Open to the mystery

 For many years, the Soviet Union and other Communist countries held massive rallies and marches on the first day of May, which they called May Day,  to celebrate the contribution of workers to the Communist State. “Celebrating the dignity of work”, sounds like a noble ideal.  In fact, in our own country, we celebrate Labor Day on the 1st Monday of September, as a national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

In 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted this feast of St. Joseph the Worker, as a sort of liturgical labor day. And, he did so, partially, to counter Communist error. Remember, that Communism is essentially atheistic. For the Communist, the highest good is not to serve God, but to serve the state. The Communist labors under the error that human effort can create a utopia on earth, and that God is neither necessary for human flourishing or for eternal life.

According to Communism, the individual is a mere cog in the wheel for the prosperity of the collective, rather than a unique being created in the Creator’s image.

So, when Pope Pius XII instituted today’s feast in 1955, he wished to remind the world that the good of the individual and the good of a society are inseparable from God—that our human labors are to serve God, point to God, and reflect God’s goodness. As Psalm 127 says, unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.  In other words, when our work or any of our endeavors are merely self-serving, we are wasting our time.

But Pope Pius didn’t just call today Holy Labor Day. Rather, he gave us the example of a holy laborer to celebrate, contemplate, and imitate, St. Joseph.

In the daily work of his carpenter’s shop, Joseph labored mindful of God and his vocation and husband and father. He labored with patience, took joy in producing things of value, knowing that his sweat and effort would enable him to provide for his family through an honest living. Joseph’s sturdy, quiet, contemplative, providential, and faithful image is an example for the type of man we should strive to become. 

 Some 50 years after the institution of today’s Feast, Pope Benedict wrote, “Joseph reveals to us the secret of a humanity which dwells in the presence of mystery and is open to that mystery at every moment of everyday life (Pope Benedict XVI).”

In other words, Joseph shows us the attitude and orientation we should possess in all of our earthly endeavors. “Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”.  Be mindful of God and the reasons why you are doing what you are doing. Slow down and be diligent, focused, find joy in hard work, grateful to God for the time you’ve been given to produce something of value, that put food in people’s bellies and roofs over their heads. 

- - - - -  

That the Holy Catholic Church, entrusted to the protection of Saint Joseph, may continue to labor faithfully for the salvation of souls.

That our young people, especially those at risk of disengaging from society, may come to discover the fulfillment found in work and self-sacrifice.

For the unemployed and underemployed, and that all who work may receive a just reward for their labors.

That St. Joseph patron of the dying may help all those who will die today to know repentance of their sins and the grace of a peaceful death.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, those who have supported us by their work, those who fought and died for our freedom, for all of the souls in purgatory and for X, for whom this mass is offered.

Gracious Father, you created us in your divine image, hear our prayers, and grant us the help we need to work always for your Holy Will, through Christ Our Lord.  

- - - - - - 

A reading from the epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians

Brethren: Over all these things put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one Body. And be thankful. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.

A continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew

At that time, Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, "Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?" And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house." And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

May 01 2019 - St. Joseph the Worker - Work and the Meaning of Life

For many years, the Soviet Union and other Communist Eastern Bloc countries held massive rallies and marches on the first day of May, which they called May Day,  to celebrate the contribution of workers to the Communist State. “Celebrating the dignity of work”, sounds like a noble ideal.  In fact, in our own country, we celebrate Labor Day on the 1st Monday of September, as a national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

In 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted this feast of St. Joseph the Worker, as a sort of liturgical labor day. And, he did so, partially, to counter Communist error. Remember, that Communism is essentially atheistic. The highest good is not to serve God, but to serve the state. Communism strips the individual of his God-given dignity, and treats him as a cog in the wheel for the prosperity of the State. 

When Pope Pius XII instituted this Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955, he wished to remind the world that all of our Human Labor should be aimed, not merely at the prosperity of the state or even the individual, but God. 

The Psalmist says, “Unless God is the builder, our building is in vain.”  Saint Paul says, “whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”. 

Our society is in danger of falling into the communist error again.  When a society or an individual removes all reference of God from life, we end up, as Pope Francis stated in his first encyclical “worshiping the work of our own hands”.  Pope Francis called this sort of idolatry, “an aimless passing from one lord to another…a plethora of paths leading nowhere.” 

And St. Joseph is such a wonderful example and model for us. Think of how Joseph offered to God with patience and joy, the daily labor of his carpenter’s shop, and provided for the necessities of his holy spouse and the Incarnate Son of God. His labor was at the service of helping his family be at the service of God. When God is removed from the equation, our earthly realities are transformed into idols and our labors are stripped of meaning.

When our labors are begun with faith, and carried out with faith, as it is in the example of St. Joseph, labor can become an opportunity for an encounter with God and imitation of God, who Himself is depicted in Scripture as a worker—a shepherd, a tender of vineyards, a gardener, a creator.

May God bless the work of our hands today, begun in faith, carried out in faith. Whatever we do, may we do in the name of the Lord Jesus, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -
 
That the Holy Catholic Church, entrusted to the protection of Saint Joseph, may continue to labor faithfully for the salvation of souls.

That our young people, especially those at risk of disengaging from society, may come to discover the fulfillment found in work and self-sacrifice.

For the unemployed and underemployed, and that all who work may receive a just reward for their labors.

That St. Joseph patron of the dying may help all those who will die today to know repentance of their sins and the grace of a peaceful death.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, those who have supported us by their work, those who fought and died for our freedom, for all of the souls in purgatory and for X, for whom this mass is offered.

Gracious Father, you created us in your divine image, hear our prayers, and grant us the help we need to work always for your Holy Will, through Christ Our Lord. 

May 1 2018 - St. Joseph the Worker - Will your children become workers or thieves?

It was very common for sons, in Jesus’ time, for young boys to learn the trade of their fathers. This was important so that the young man would be able to provide for himself and for his wife and family. There was even a saying among the Jewish men of Israel at Jesus’ time: "If you do not teach your son how to work, you teach him how to be a thief." A man who does not learn how to work will be a drain upon his family and his community.

St. Joseph, in raising Jesus as if he were his own true son, took Jesus into the carpenter’s workshop and taught him to use the tools and skills of a manual laborer. Jesus ministry and teaching was infused with practical knowledge and self-sacrifice that no doubt filled Joseph’s workshop. Contrast the spirit of hard work and discipline of Jesus, Son of the Father, Jesus Bar Abba, in Hebrew, with the thieving, murderous Barabbas, from the passion story. Perhaps, one of the great differences of these two sons was the presence of a father who taught them how to work with their hands.

The feast of St. Joseph the Worker was instituted in 1955 to emphasize the dignity of work, and this feast is needed now more than ever. There is a growing disdain for work among our young people. Many young people, boys in particular, are opting not to enter the work force, but would rather stay in their parents’ basement and engage in virtual fantasy worlds in video games. Many of our schools put so much emphasis on head knowledge now, to prepare students for a college degree they do not necessarily need, that the young people see no reason to develop real life skills.

The dignity of real work runs throughout the Scriptures. I think of how St. Paul laments the fact that some of the Christians in Thessalonica were leading undisciplined lives, accomplishing nothing for the Christian community, they were acting like busybodies, instead of working to support the Church. And to them, St. Paul says, “those who are unwilling to work, should not eat.” And he was speaking about eating at the communal Christian table and perhaps even the Eucharistic table.

The Christian community needs examples of laborers, who, as Pope Francis said recently, “work with integrity and skill in the service of their brothers and sisters.”

Young boys in particular may need special attention these days, so let us hold up St. Joseph as a model for fathers, men, and all adults to serve as good Christian role models for our young people, that through their hard work, they will continue to build up our young people and build up the Church for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - - -
 
That the Holy Catholic Church, entrusted to the protection of Saint Joseph, may continue to labor faithfully for the salvation of souls.

For Pope Francis prayer intention for the month of May: “That the lay-faithful may fulfil their specific mission, by responding with creativity to the challenges that face the world today.”

That our young people, especially those at risk of disengaging from society, may come to discover the fulfillment found in work and self-sacrifice.

For the unemployed and underemployed, and that all who work may receive a just reward for their labors.

That St. Joseph patron of the dying may help all those who will die today to know repentance of their sins and the grace of a peaceful death.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, those who have supported us by their work, those who fought and died for our freedom, for all of the souls in purgatory and for X, for whom this mass is offered.

Gracious Father, you created us in your divine image, hear our prayers, and grant us the help we need to work always for your Holy Will, through Christ Our Lord.