May 1st is
the Feast Day of St. Joseph the Worker. The feast day
“proper” of St. Joseph is March 19th. But in 1955 Pope Pius XII instituted a
second feast day to honor St. Joseph under his role as Worker.
St. Joseph is not only the patron saint of the Universal Church
and of fathers, but he is also the patron saint of workers. Through this
special feast day Pope Pius XII hoped to promote the dignity of labor and to
encourage a spiritual dimension to labor unions.
Pope Pius XII emphasized the importance of work to the Christian
life and to show how the labor of man is a dimension of faith in which we can
pursue Christian virtue. This is a good reminder that labor and the
working man should be receptive to God’s grace perfecting its nature, and not
degraded or manipulated for political gain.
Not only was the feast day intended to emphasize the importance of
work for the individual (which is especially relevant to fathers) but also to
emphasize the importance of work for the Church itself. The Church
militant exists on earth because, of course, there is much work to do. For both
individual workers and the Church, then, this feast day provides an occasion to
reflect on the importance of the “Gospel of Work” which is especially
exemplified by St. Joseph the carpenter.
Blessed
John Paul II, in his encyclical on human work, LABOREM
EXERCENS, encourages us to live with the awareness that
“work is a participation in God’s activity” –an awareness that “ought to
permeate . . . even the most ordinary everyday activities.” By our labor
and personal industry, we “are unfolding the Creator’s work . . . and
contributing to the realization in history of the divine plan.”
St. Joseph did this by living a largely hidden life with Mary and
Jesus. He provided for them through his work of carpentry and taught his
adopted son Jesus the family trade. His virtuous life as a laborer and
provider then becomes the model not only for all fathers, but for all workers
in general.
“Workmen and all those laboring in conditions of poverty will have
reasons to rejoice rather than grieve, since they have in common with the Holy
Family daily preoccupations and cares” (Leo XIII).
For a
practical application of this feast day, perhaps we can reflect on ways we
could better incorporate a life of faith into our daily work. Perhaps we could
make a point to stop at noon and pray the Angelus. Perhaps we can pray
the rosary on the way to work or on the
way home instead of turning on the radio. Even making a point to pray the Sign
of the Cross throughout the day before coming and going can be a meaningful way
to sanctify your work day. Do you already find opportunities to add a spiritual
dimension to your labor?
From Catholic Dads at http://ow.ly/wlZoB
