In Communist countries throughout
Europe, 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.
We know that Joseph was a carpenter, that he probably taught Jesus this
trade as well. The Church teaches 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 was just canonized
over the weekend and is now a saint, used the poignant expressions “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. The technological age of our modern world promised
something different but failed to deliver. Human beings are still reduced to
human doings rather than human beings.
In the Gospel today, we hear how Jesus
is dismissed in his hometown because he is known as the boy who grew up in
their community. There vision of him
became distorted. John Paul II declared
that our vision of work "has been profaned by sin and contaminated by
egoism," that it is an activity
that "needs to be redeemed" in our world today. He reminds us that "Jesus was a man of
work and that work enabled him to develop his humanity". Jesus’ work in Nazareth allowed him to
dedicate himself to the affairs of his Father.
Through God’s providential plan, man, by working, can realize his own
humanity and that of others.
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.
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