May 1st Joseph The Worker

Joseph,   Just  and  Tireless

       St. Joseph was a just man

a tireless worker and

upright protector of those

entrusted to his care.

May St. Joseph guard, protect and

protect and guide all Essential

Workers and their families,

during these days of the

Covid-19 Global Pandemic.

May 1^st  is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

The feast was originated by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to counter the “May Day” celebrations sponsored by the Communists.  But the relationship between St. Joseph and the cause of workers goes further back, all the way to the early Church, which emphasized that Jesus was himself a worker – a humble carpenter – trained by his carpenter father, Joseph.

In the Gospel Reading for today’s feast (See Matthew 13:55), Joseph is seen as a lowly carpenter and Jesus referred to as, ‘the carpenter’s son’?  Their work had no respect and the Joseph and Jesus doing the work, had no dignity in the eyes of those challenging Jesus. What good could Jesus do as the son of a carpenter, they questioned?

United States Conference of Bishop Statement on the Economy states:

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.

 

We believe in the dignity of work and the right to meaningful work for all. We call for National legislation during this time of the Covid-19 Pandemic to provide all that is needed for our nation’s Essential Workers… those on the Frontline who are at risk.

Prayer and Action

Celebrating St Joseph the Worker today, we recall all Essential Workers who are today experiencing injustice in the workplace and seek protection and better working conditions for themselves and those around them. Their contribution to the common good at this time cannot be understated. All workers deserve dignity, fair compensation, and safe work environments that allow them to shape our shared future and contribute to the common good. They are needed if we are going to begin opening our Economy -  Protecting Lives and Livelihoods.

Sign if you agree: Essential workers are on the frontlines & deserve labor and health care protections.

A Prayer for Workers

O glorious Joseph! Who concealed your incomparable and regal dignity of protector of Jesus and of the Virgin Mary under the humble appearance of a craftsman and provided for them with your work, protect with loving power all workers during this Global Pandemic.

You know their anxieties and sufferings, because you yourself experienced them at the side of Jesus and of His Mother. Do not allow them, oppressed by so many worries, to forget the purpose for which they were created by God. Remind all the workers that in the fields, in factories, in mines, and in scientific laboratories, they are not working, rejoicing, or suffering alone, but at their side is Jesus, with Mary, His Mother and ours, to sustain them, to dry the sweat of their brow, giving value to their toil. Teach them to unite their work with the Mission of Jesus and for building up the Body of Christ and the good of all societies and nations.  AMEN.