Sept 2: Labor Day in the U. S. The first Labor Day was observed on September 5, 1882, to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers and to give them a day off on the last day of the summer. Today, Labor Day unofficially signals the beginning of a new “school” year of work and study and the end of the “lazy days of summer.” It was President Grover Cleveland who signed a bill into law on June 28, 1894, declaring Labor Day a national holiday.
1) It is a day to acknowledge the dignity and
necessity of labor and workers. We participate in the creative act of
God by the various forms of work we do using our God-given talents, a) The
Bible presents God as working six days in the creation of the world and
commanding Adam to work six days and rest on the seventh. b) Jesus, God’s Son,
was a professional carpenter. c) Most of Jesus’ apostles were fishermen, and
Paul was a tentmaker. d) In his inaugural speech in the synagogue at Nazareth,
Jesus expressed his preferential option for the poor – the working class and
those who cannot work. Work is necessary for our own well-being, for health of
body, mind, and spirit. It enables us to be independent and to help those who
are less fortunate and unable to work. e) Works of charity are the main
criteria of our Last Judgement: “Whatever you did to one of these least
brethren you did to Me.”
2) A day to remember the Church’s teaching on
the nobility of work and the necessity of just wages. In the encyclical, Laborem
exercens (September 14, 1981), Pope St. John Paul II instructs
us that all of us are called to work together for a just society and a just
economy which allow us all to share God’s blessings. He reminds us that
governments should see that the greed of a minority does not make the life of
the majority miserable. He advises labor unions to fight for social and
economic justice, better wages and better working conditions.
3) It is the day to remember and pray for the
jobless people: There are thousands without work and millions more who are
underemployed, working at part-time jobs or jobs that do not pay a decent wage.
Society has a moral obligation to reduce joblessness because it is through work
that families are sustained, children are nurtured, and the future is secured.
Joblessness is also a clear threat to family life.
4) It is an appropriate time to acknowledge and
bless the temporal and spiritual work that our parishioners do for
their families, for their neighbors, and for the parish community. It is also a
day to remind ourselves that our workplace gives us an opportunity to practice
what we believe, and to display a level of integrity that matches our Faith,
thus witnessing to Christ.
5) It is a day to pay attention to a warning:
The warning is that we should be aware of the danger in work. If not properly
oriented it can make us workaholics: we may turn work into our God or may use
it as an escape mechanism to run away from spouse, children, and neighbors.
Thus, on this Labor Day, let us try to realize the dignity of work, the necessity of work, and the danger involved in work. Let us thank the Lord for the talents and work he has given us to do. Let us pray that we may find joy and satisfaction in our work, realizing that we are co-creators with God and stewards of His creation. By offering our work for God’s glory, let us transform our work to prayer.
