5/1/2013 – St Joseph the Worker – Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter – John 14:1-6

       With our efforts focus on global terrorism and the precarious situation in many countries in the Middle East, we remember that not too long ago the main focus was the Cold War and the block of Communist countries that dominated a large part of Central and Eastern Europe for decades.  In those Communist countries that were allies with Russia, May 1 was traditionally celebrated as the Day of the Worker.  To put the worker in the context of our Christian values, Pope Pius XII established the feast of St Joseph the Worker in 1955, which we celebrate on May 1 in our liturgical calendar.  We also celebrate St Joseph on March 19 in our liturgical calendar as the spouse of Mary. And to celebrate Joseph as the archetype of the worker makes a lot of sense. We know from Scripture that Joseph was a carpenter, that he probably taught Jesus this trade as well.  The Church teaches us that no matter what work we undertake in life, we are to do so with dignity and in a manner that allows us to contribute to both God’s kingdom and to human society as well.  We can find dignity in all human work – no matter what kind of work it is – and we can lift that work up for the glory of the Lord.

         It is easy for us to see our work and our lives as our own, to see what we do in life as our own efforts.  But Pope John Paul II, who is now a saint in our Catholic Church, used the poignant expression “the Gospel of Work.”  He explained in his encyclical “On Human Work,” that in the industrial age, men and women were often reduced to instruments in a society that emphasized "productivity" over the dignity of the worker. Just a few generations ago here in the United States, the majority of youths did not attend high school, but rather started their full-time work lives in the factories and in the fields. The technological age of our modern world promised something different but has failed to deliver. In fact, many young adults in the work force today find themselves in a more precarious situation when compared to their parents.  Human beings are still reduced to human doings rather than human beings in many senses.

        Jesus tells us today - Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Have faith in God and faith me.  It is easy for us today in the modern world for an individual to but his faith in humankind and all its accomplishments.  It is easy for us to buy into this secular vision that has taken over much of the world, especially in countries where the majority used to be Christian.  Yet, the Church has so much to contribute to what goes on in our world as we see today in the Church's teachings on the dignity of work. 
        As we think about St Joseph the Worker today, may we lift up our work and our efforts here on earth to the glory of God.