In the ground breaking encyclical Rerum novarum ,
the first major papal address on modern labor, Pope Leo XIII wrote: “According
to natural reason and Christian philosophy, working for gain is creditable, not
shameful, to someone, since it enables that person to earn an honorable
livelihood; but to misuse people as though they were things in the pursuit of
gain, or to value them solely for their physical powers—that is truly shameful
and inhuman.” Pope Leo XIII wrote this encyclical back in 1891
when the working conditions for much of the world were not very humane. Pope Leo felt that the Church needed to
address the reality of the world that was present, and to interpret that
reality through the values of our Catholic faith. What is so striking is that the words of Rerum
Novarum are so fresh and relevant today.
The address conditions that unfortunately still exist in the world, even
though this encyclical was written 123 years ago.
Today, we celebrate Labor Day. I mentioned the comments that Pope Leo XIII made
about the dignity of work more than a century ago. What is Pope Francis saying today? He adds to what has been said in our tradition of
Catholic Social teaching by stating that work "is fundamental to the
dignity of a person.... Our work 'anoints' us with dignity, (it) fills us with
dignity, (it) makes us similar to God... (It) gives one the ability to maintain
oneself, one's family, [and] to contribute to the growth of one's own
nation." The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, the
Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops adds to Pope Francis' comments by stating that: “Work helps us realize our
humanity and is necessary for human flourishing. Work is not a punishment for
sin but rather a means by which we make a gift of ourselves to each other and
our communities.”
Our Gospel today from Matthew states the
Christian perspective that should be central to our life of faith, in which we
sees everything in light of the reign of God: to seek first the Kingdom of God
and his righteousness . . .” Yes, Labor Day is more than a vacation day for
us. It is more than the end to the
summer and a signpost that show that we are indeed back to the beginning of the
school year. Labor gives us the chance to see how work in
America matches up to the lofty ideals of our Catholic tradition. Catholic Social Teaching is to challenge us and
to make us think. Hopefully our reflection today during mass on
Labor day is doing just that.
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