Labor Day 2025 - Engaging in God's work and rest

 

For over a century, Americans have celebrated Labor Day on the first Monday in September. This national holiday was established in the 1880s for two reasons: to mark the irreplaceable role of the American worker in making this country prosperous and strong; and to have time to attend speeches and events on the spiritual and educational aspects of work, the worker and the good that comes from work.

From the very beginning of our Sacred Scriptures, God the Creator is revealed to be quite different from the gods of the various pagan religions. Unlike the greek gods who lay in luxury on Mt. Olympus, for example, aloof from the toils of man, the God of the Bible is very clearly a worker. He’s more like a farmer, gardener, a sculptor, and builder than an apathetic aristocrat.

God is intimately involved in His creation, getting his hands dirty to bring about his salvific plan. He cultivates land into a garden. He fashions man out of the clay of the earth.

It follows then, that created in God’s, image man and woman, too, are to be workers—filling the earth, subduing it. God personally creates, sustains, cultivates, and redeems the world, and so our work is a continuation of God’s own labors. Whether you are a factory worker, a teacher, a nurse, an engineer, a parent, or retired but still giving your time in service, work is the way we participate in God’s creative action.

Good honest work is also at the service of others: The person who garbage man is making life safer and more pleasant for his neighbors. The parent who prepares a meal is serving the well-being of their family. The student who studies hard is preparing to offer their gifts to society in the future.

But work is not meant to consume us or define us entirely. God Himself rested on the seventh day, teaching us that while work is good, it is must not be all-consuming. Our ultimate dignity does not come from productivity but from being children of God. That’s why Labor Day, like the Sabbath, calls us not only to honor work, but also to remember the importance of reflection and renewal in God.

In the Gospel today, those who use the talents given to them by their master are praised by the Lord, and those who squander them and hide them, are condemned.

Labor Day is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how you have used your talents for the glory of God and for betterment of your family and fellow man, to repent of those times when talent has gone squandered, and also to listen to the voice of inspiration. Even if you are retired from formal work, you do well to consider what new project might God be calling you to, in order to serve the community and the Church.

As we prayed in our Psalm today, may the Lord grant success to the work of our hands, and in all things, in all pursuits, in all our labors help us to serve Him, for the cultivation of the earth, for the building up of His kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians will work together in harmony for the building up of the Church and the spread of the Gospel

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.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: may they know God’s strength and peace and the assistance of the Christian people.

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. 

 

Labor Day 2024 - Vocation to work (Laudato Si)

 For over a century, Americans have celebrated Labor Day on the first Monday in September. This national holiday was established in the 1880s for two reasons: to mark the irreplaceable role of the American worker in making this country prosperous and strong; and to have time to attend speeches and events on the spiritual and educational aspects of work, the worker and the good that comes from work.

The orations and scripture readings we use today are from the votive Mass for the Blessing of Human Labor.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II issued an encyclical titled “Laborem Exercens”—On Human Labor.  Laborem Exercens is just one encyclical in the long line of Catholic Social Teaching by our Popes in modern times. Holy Father Pope Francis has touched upon the topic in a number of his writings.

In his encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis writes, “We were created with a vocation to work. The goal should not be that technological progress increasingly replace human work, for this would be detrimental to humanity. Work is a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfilment…We need to remember that men and women have “the capacity to improve their lot, to further their moral growth and to develop their spiritual endowments”. Work should be the setting for this rich personal growth, where many aspects of life enter into play: creativity, planning for the future, developing our talents, living out our values, relating to others, giving glory to God.”

Becoming the people God made us to be involves work, often hard work. This includes the work of our profession, but also, the other efforts that each of us are called to make in cultivating our families, neighborhoods, communities, and parish. The work of spreading the Gospel especially, along with the works of charity—the corporal works and spiritual works of mercy—involves cultivating all those different gifts and talents with which God has blessed us.

So we mustn’t bury our talents, our hide our lights under bushel baskets out of fear or laziness. As Saint John Paul II taught, “by enduring the toil of work in union with Christ crucified for us, man in a way collaborates with the Son of God for the redemption of humanity”.

May this Labor Day be a day of rest for workers, but also a day of blessing in which we all consider how God is calling us to more fruitful work, in which come to discover the many ways God has blessed us in order to be a blessing for others, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That all Christians will work together in harmony for the building up of the Church and the spread of the Gospel

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.

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.  

Labor Day 2023 - Hikikomori and Good Honest Work

 I was watching a documentary recently about the social group in Japan known as the Hikikomori. The Hikikomori have this extreme disinterest in going to work and engaging in society that they isolate, usually in the home of their parents, and spend the day playing video games or consuming media. These are abled bodied adults who could work, who could engage, but have chosen isolation, and as a result they are depressed and often develop other mental illnesses. 

When St. Paul was wrote his second letter to the Thessalonians, he was addressing a similar problem. There were Christians, who were able, but who were choosing not to work. Even though he had instructed them to imitate his example of remaining industrious until the coming of the Lord, these non-workers were taking advantage of the generosity of their brother Christians.

And so St. Paul gives this stark instruction “if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.” He called those unwilling to work, disordered, as well as those who were “too busy minding the business of others.” Unwillingness to work, like the Hikikomori, and many in our own culture, who could work, but who take advantage of the system or their parents and family or the generosity of charities, is a disorder, a disordered life.

The Catechism says that Working with God to bring the best out of creation is part of God’s original plan—we are Co-laborers with God—who himself is the original worker, the shaper of the universe, the bringer of life, a Gardner. Good holy work therefore honors God. Work honors the Creator’s gifts and the talents received from him. Good honest work is not only good for the soul, it is in imitation of the Divine--one might say, a participation and cooperation in divine life.

Labor Day, for much of the our society, is an extra day off, and many of us need it, because we do have to work very hard to meet our basic needs. I saw that in you compare the purchasing power of the dollar, we are worse off right now than in the Great Depression. Good honest laborers are working very hard for those basic necessities. And so we do need to be generous with those who are struggling to make ends meet like so many of the people we assist in our St. Vincent de Paul Society, as well as the mentally ill. 

But we also need to give encouragement to the discouraged, and lazy, to work to the extent they are able. We must also cultivate a much healthier attitude toward honest work in our young people. The addiction to the instant gratification of entertainment needs to be replaced with the lasting fulfillment that comes from honest hard-work and contribution to the common good. 

May this Labor Day be a source of true refreshment for laborers, for society, and the Church. God made us to imitate him in our work, may our work be rightly ordered to the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Labor Day 2020 - Labor and Human Fulfillment

For over a century, Americans have celebrated Labor Day on the first Monday in September. This national holiday was established in the 1880s for two reasons: to mark the irreplaceable role of the American worker in making this country prosperous and strong; and to have time to attend speeches and events on the spiritual and educational aspects of work, the worker and the good that comes from work.

Likely, not many of our contemporaries will be focusing on the spiritual meaning of work today, they simply see today’s civic holiday as a celebration of not having to work.  

In 1981, Pope John Paul II issued an encyclical titled “Laborem Exercens”—On Human Labor.  Laborem Exercens is just one encyclical in the long line of Catholic Social Teaching by our Popes in modern times—teaching that touches upon the Catholics involvement in society, and what makes a just society which reflects the values of heaven.

John Paul wrote that Human work is a fundamental dimension of man’s existence on earth.  In the very first words of the book of Genesis, our Creator tells man to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.”  Through work, we earn our daily bread, and are able to provide for ourselves and our loved ones.  

Work is not merely a necessary evil. St. John Paul said, “Work is a good thing for man-a good thing for his humanity-because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfilment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes "more a human being".” So, not only does work transform the world out there…it transforms the soul in here. 

The saintly Pope recognizes though that that without God man loses his way, work becomes disordered. Without God we begin to misuse the things of earth, abuse his fellow man. This evil causes us to be less human, sin dehumanizes us.  But when our priorities are straight, when we are in right relationship with God, our work  glorifies God, and we regain and develop our authentic selves—we become more human.

Becoming more human requires work.  Being human, being good to each other, being virtuous, building a just society, fulfilling our religious obligations to God requires work.  

Eight years ago on Labor Day weekend I had the great honor of celebrating the Wedding of my little sister.  The day before the wedding, a parishioner came into the office and said,  “Father, you look happy,” she said.  “Well, I should be,” I said, “tomorrow I get to celebrate the wedding of my beautiful and dear sister Ashley.”

“That’s wonderful, Father,“ she said.  “My husband and I got married 46 years ago on Labor Day weekend, too!  And that’s what it’s been, Father.  46 years of Hard Labor!  But Father, I love him more today, than on the day I married him”

I told that little story at my sister’s wedding, and tried to emphasize that important lesson: that holy, healthy, happy marriage takes work—it’s a real effort—a labor of love. And so is society. And so is the Church. And so is our eternal soul. A labor of love that requires work, effort.

Perhaps, we do well today to recognize some areas in our life where we have grown slothful, where have I failed to labor for the good of my soul, the good of my fellow man, my family.

May this Labor Day be a time of rest for workers, but also a time of reflection, that workers can ensure that their priorities are in check, that they are serving God rather than themselves, that they are setting good Christian example to their fellow workers in their speech and in their deeds.  May all of our workers be strengthened in Spirit this day, for the Glory of God and Salvation of souls. +++

That all Christians will work together in harmony for the building up of the Church and the spread of the Gospel

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.

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.  

Labor Day 2017 - Work and Cultivation

It is quite fitting to read from the book of Genesis on Labor Day. For the first two chapters of Genesis reveal much about the labors of God, and our call to labor.

In Genesis chapter 1, God the Creator is shown to be quite different from the gods of the pagans. Unlike the greek gods who lay in luxury on Mt. Olympus, aloof from the toils of man, the One True God is shown to be a worker, more like a farmer or a gardener than an apathetic aristocrat. The Creator is intimately involved in His creation, getting his hands dirty to bring about his salvific plan. By creating man and woman in His own divine image, men and women, too are to be workers—filling the earth, subduing it.

The vocation to work is repeated and developed in Genesis chapter 2, which we heard today. The man is told not simply to care for the earth but to cultivate it and to make it fruitful.

Work is often seen as a necessary evil: we must work if we wish to eat. But there is intrinsic value to work. Pope Francis wrote recently how “Work should be the setting for rich personal growth, where many aspects of life enter into play: creativity, planning for the future, developing our talents, living out our values, relating to others, giving glory to God.”

To live a fruitful life man must work at developing himself, his mind, his virtues. Scripture is quite severe about the sluggard, the idle person who neither helps himself or his fellow man, and also quite encouraging of hard work, the skillful application of one’s strengths. The Bible is full of admiration for artistic endeavors.

In the Gospel today, those who use the talents given to them by their master are praised by the Lord, and those who squander them and hide them, are condemned.

This Labor Day is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how you have used your talents for the glory of God and for betterment of your family and fellow man, to perhaps repent of those times when talent has gone squandered, and also to listen to the voice of inspiration. What new project might God be calling you to, in order to develop some dormant aspect of your personality. How might God be calling you to deepen your relationships with your coworkers, perhaps a bible study over lunch once a week.

As we prayed in our Psalm today, may the Lord grant success to the work of our hands, and in all things, in all pursuits, in all our labors help us to serve Him, for the cultivation of the earth, for the building up of His kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation.

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For Bishop Nelson Perez, as he begins to take up his new work as Bishop of the diocese of Cleveland, that his labors may bear fruit for the kingdom. We pray to the Lord.

That those in civil authority will dedicate themselves to justice, peace, and the generous defense of the poor, the elderly, and the unborn. We pray to the Lord.

For all those who labor and for those seeking employment, and that Christian workers may be signs of hope and give courageous testimony to the Gospel of Christ. We pray to the Lord.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of September: “That our parishes, animated by a missionary spirit, may be places where faith is communicated and charity is seen.” We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, especially the people of Houston Texas, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for those who struggle to live the call of Christian chastity, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

Homily: Labor Day 2016 - "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it"

The U.S. civil holiday of Labor Day gives us the opportunity to consider the Catholic Vision of human work.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II issued an encyclical titled “Laborem Exercens”—On Human Labor.  “Laborem Exercens” is just one encyclical in the long line of Catholic Social Teaching by our Popes in modern times. Pope Francis referred to “Laborem Exercens” in his own most recent encyclical “Laudato Si” (LS 124).

Both Saint Pope John Paul and Pope Francis call us to consider God’s plan for humankind revealed all the way back in the book of Genesis. In fact, the very first words of God to mankind are a command to work: “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.” 

Notice how human labor precedes original sin. We don’t engage in work because we’ve sinned, as a sort of punishment. Laboring, cultivating the land, gathering the fruits of nature, working is part of our original dignity. Working with God to bring the best out of creation is part of God’s original plan—we are Co-laborers with God—who himself is the original worker, the shaper of the universe, the bringer of life, a Gardner. Good holy work therefore honors God. Work honors the Creator’s gifts and the talents received from him (CCC 2427).

Because of sin, however, work can sometimes appear like a cross—involving suffering, sweat, and pain. But we know, because of Christ, crosses are transformed into instruments of redemption. Through Christ’s labor of love we are redeemed. And so even sweaty, painful work, perhaps even imposed upon us unjustly, can be transformed in Christ, for a sanctifying and redemptive end. Painful crosses united to Christ can bring about great grace for ourselves and others.

We also recall today that we work not just to benefit ourselves but also to contribute to the good of everyone. The purpose of work isn’t just to collect enough paychecks so we can retreat to an island paradise in a life of opulent luxury, so we can separate from our neighbor. All of our gifts, talents, abilities, and earthly treasures are to be at the service of God and our fellow man.

May this Labor Day be a time of rest for workers, but also a time of reflection, that workers can ensure that their priorities are in check, that they are serving God rather than themselves, that they are a positive example of Christian virtue to their fellow workers in their speech and in their deeds.  May all of our workers be strengthened in Spirit this day, for the Glory of God and Salvation of souls. +++

For blessings on Christ’s Church: for all bishops, for guidance in faith and morality, for sanctification. We pray to the Lord.

That those in civil authority will dedicate themselves to justice, peace, and the generous defense of the poor, the elderly, and the unborn. We pray to the Lord.

For all those who labor and for those seeking employment, and that Christian workers may be signs of hope and give courageous testimony to the Gospel of Christ. We pray to the Lord.