Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker
Saint Joseph was the husband of Mary. We know Him from the Gospels. We Honor him twice a year: on March 19 - as the Bridegroom of the Mother of God, and today - as an example and patron of working people. On May 1, 1955, addressing the Italian Catholic Association of Italian Workers, Pope Pius XII proclaimed this day the feast of Saint Joseph Worker, thus giving a religious significance to the secular Labor Day celebrated all over the world since 1892. From that day on, the Church also emphasized the special dignity and importance of work. This memory is an expression of understanding and respect for its role in the spiritual development of man, as well as an opportunity to pay tribute to its values that allow relations between working people to be based on the principles of social peace, far from discord and hatred.
All his life, St. Joseph worked as a craftsman and laborer doing hard work. The Gospels refer to him as tektōn (Latin faber), which was understood as a laborer - a craftsman for the repair of agricultural tools, wooden objects, etc. So, these were works related to construction, with work in wood and iron. Joseph made it to order and thus support the Holy Family. It was this work that also became a source of sanctification for him. He was a mystic not by contemplation, by acts of penance or by works of mercy, but precisely through his daily work. The work sanctified him, because he performed it honestly, he fulfilled it quietly and humbly as his mission on earth from God. It was fulfilled by his fixation on Jesus and Mary. For them he lived, for them he labored, for them he was ready to make the highest sacrifices. This should be the work style of every Christian worker. Work is to sanctify us, it is to be a source of accumulating merits for heaven, just as it was in the life of St. Joseph.
The Holy Scriptures not only do not condemn work, but recommend and command it, in all its forms, including when it comes to manual work. The first parents in Paradise were already working: " The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it." (cf. Genesis 2:15). The book of Proverbs commends a hardworking woman and lists the benefits and blessings for the husband and the whole household (cf. Prv 31: 10-31). Scripture, on the other hand, rebukes the lazy and warns against them: " Go to the ant, O sluggard, study her ways and learn wisdom; For though she has no chief, no commander or ruler, She procures her food in the summer, stores up her provisions in the harvest. How long, O sluggard, will you lie there? when will you rise from your sleep?" (cf. Prv 6: 6-9). " The slack hand impoverishes, but the busy hand brings riches." (cf. Prov 12:11). " Sloth does not catch its prey, but the wealth of the diligent is splendid." (cf. Prv 12:27). St. Paul directly writes: " In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. " (cf. 2 Thes 3:10). The parable of the Lord Jesus about the workers in the vineyard (cf. Mt 20: 1-16) and about the talents (cf. Mt 25:14-30; Lk 19:11-28) emphasize that man is responsible for his work not only towards society, but also in conscience towards the Lord God.
Work releases a person to the fullest extent ofhis talents, energy and initiative. It is a school of many personal and social virtues, such as, for example, endurance, solidarity, patience, bravery, courage and order, cooperation, and competition. Work makes rich and brings people together. It also compensates for social inequality. If a man treats work as his mission, as a mission entrusted to him from God, it becomes for him a means of sanctification and accumulation of merits for heaven. The Church has raised to the altars not only rulers, bishops, popes and religious, but also fervent fathers, brave mothers, craftsmen, soldiers and farmers.
The discreet presence of St. Joseph in the life of the Lord Jesus shows the special value of earthly life, which cannot be wasted. A properly lived life is also characterized by work - honest, solid, well-done, serving others. On the day devoted to reflection on human work, the Church sets Christians as the example of the Worker of Nazareth and the Guardian of the Son of God, in order, especially today, to make us reflect on the meaning and purpose of work on the path of every person redeemed by Christ to ultimate union with the Risen Lord in Heaven.
The fathers of the Second Vatican Council said a lot about the meaning and value of human work, recalling the teaching of Sacred Scripture that, The fathers of the Second Vatican Council said a lot about the meaning and value of human work, recalling the teaching of Sacred Scripture that, man created in the image and likeness of God, was tasked with governing and transforming the world into justice and holiness (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 34), which is being done primarily through work. The Council teaches that " By his labor a man ordinarily supports himself and his family, is joined to his fellow men and serves them, and can exercise genuine charity and be a partner in the work of bringing divine creation to perfection. Indeed, we hold that through labor offered to God man is associated with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, Who conferred an eminent dignity on labor when at Nazareth He worked with His own hands. From this there follows for every man the duty of working faithfully and also the right to work. It is the duty of society, moreover, according to the circumstances prevailing in it, and in keeping with its role, to help the citizens to find sufficient employment. Finally, remuneration for labor is to be such that man may be furnished the means to cultivate worthily his own material, social, cultural, and spiritual life and that of his dependents, in view of the function and productiveness of each one, the conditions of the factory or workshop, and the common good. "(Gaudium et Spes, 67).
Work is an important part of human fulfillment in mortality. That is why the lack of it becomes so dramatic at a time when unemployment affects many members of our families, often to the extent that these families are unable to support themselves on a decent standard of living. In this difficult situation, the Church, showing the figure of St. Joseph, the patron saint of working people, reminds us that every human being has the right to work that would provide him with proper living conditions. Work in today's world cannot become a commodity like other material goods. Its tasks and value are much greater - it is thanks to it that a person can improve himself, strive for holiness, and at the same time live in a way that would give him the opportunity to establish and maintain a family.
Thus, unemployment is not just one of the many problems plaguing today's Societies - it is primarily a challenge for the rulers. Those who are trusted by society, entrusting them with the reins of government, are also responsible for ensuring that those in need are provided with appropriate living conditions, which is inherent in work. Hence, concern for new jobs and economic development of the country is a task that the state authorities should be carefully accountable for. Related to this is also the issue of the working conditions of those who are employed - their decent treatment and fair salary.
At present, the entire responsibility for the unemployed and the concern for the creation of new jobs cannot be passed onto the rulers. Each and every Christian having the appropriate possibilities, also has the task of providing help for those suffering from unemployment - whether it is feasible by finding a decent job for them or by loving help and support. The Church has a special place in mitigating the effects of unemployment and fighting for the rights of workers. This is expressed in the direct material help provided by church institutions and organizations to families suffering from a lack of livelihood, as well as a constant concern for respect for human work. In today's world, where the pursuit of money often obscures the good of the human being by employers, the shepherds of the Church tirelessly appeal for appropriate treatment of employees, fair salary for them and legal provision of such working conditions for them so that they do not have to live in anxiety for their own and their families' future.
The Day of Saint Joseph Worker is an opportunity for Christians to reflect on the value of work for them. For those who have work, the example of St. Joseph reminds of the importance of treating it seriously and respecting it expressed in honesty, solid and reliable performance of the tasks entrusted to them, so that the received salary corresponds to the effort and commitment put into it. For the Employers St. Joseph points out that they are never free from the obligation to take into account human welfare above all, they cannot disregard the obligation to pay them fairly, remembering that often the well-being of entire families depends on work.
In turn, for those suffering from unemployment, the Guardian of Jesus should become a model of unlimited trust in God, even in the most difficult moments of life. Only strong faith can give a person the certainty that God always cares about the fate of his children, although He sometimes tests them. The Church teaches that we cannot limit all our plans, hopes and dreams only to this earthly life. Therefore, we should be aware that our every action, every act - hard, honest work, managing the company, going through difficulties and suffering without doubting God's protection - should lead us to union with Christ in our heavenly homeland.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george