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April 29, 2018On May 1st, all over the world celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph, the worker. To foster deep devotion to Saint Joseph among Catholics, and in response to the "May Day" celebrations for workers sponsored by the Communists, Pope Pius XII, put the life of the worker in the context of the values of the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ, instituted the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955. This feast extends the long relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers in both Catholic faith and devotion.
Beginning in the Book of Genesis, the dignity of human work has long been celebrated as a participation in the creative work of God. By work, humankind both fulfills the command found in Genesis to care for the earth (Gn2:15) and to be productive in their labors.
The Church teaches us that no matter what work we undertake in life, we are to do so with dignity and humility and in a manner, that allows us to contribute to both God's kingdom and to human society. We can find dignity in all human work, no matter what kind of work it is. We can lift up any work we do to the glory of the lord, for the glory of our faith, rather than our own self-interests and selfish glory. It is easy for us to see our work and our lives as our own, to see what we do in life as the result of our own efforts. However, our faith challenges us to look at our work in a wider context that goes even beyond our earthly existence.
In Saint Joseph, we can see ourselves, our nobility, our dignity and a society that is bigger than mere economics! In hi we have a force larger than the fraudulent political and legal power plays. In him, we have the capacity to become our "better" selves, to become the very worker that God made us to be. Wish you all a happy May Day.
