Importance of Work

09-05-2021Pastor's CornerRev. Robert J. Deehan, V.F.

This Labor Day weekend causes us to consider the importance of labor for the operation of our society, the opportunity that a job provides a person to use their gifts and make a living, and the tragedy experienced by those who lose their jobs and become desperate to find new work. The pandemic has only exacerbated the situation. More than just a civil holiday that offers us a long weekend to enjoy, I invite you to use this occasion to prayerfully reflect upon how important your work is to you and to others, to think about the gifts God has given you to be able to do the work you do, and in turn, the benefits you enjoy as a result of the salary you receive.

How have you experienced work as a form of participation in God’s creative action? For those who are business owners, managers, or supervisors, Labor Day draws us to consider how we can help ensure that our businesses and organizations are offering family wages and the dignity-affirming benefits that our long Catholic tradition teaches should be available for all workers and their families. What role can you play in reshaping workplaces built upon justice and dignity?"

Pope Francis calls us to “more inclusive and equitable economic models” that place people, not capital, at the center. How are you motivated to “give back” to God and to our less-fortunate neighbors in some measure reflective of the blessings you have received? On this Labor Day, please remember in your prayers those in our midst who are either under-employed or unemployed, that they may obtain what they truly need, and ask God to move those of us with sufficient means and authority to share what we don’t need, and to make decisions in charity and justice for the good of us all.

I have witnessed great generosity within our community. May that wonderful spirit be especially directed to our neighbors searching for a job or are struggling to maintain a job. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Luke 12:48.