The dignity of human work

It’s Labor Day Weekend and my mind naturally turns to workers, specifically those workers whose work generally goes unnoticed until ‘something’ happens.

August 6th a coal mine collapsed, trapping six men in Utah. As many as 130 rescue workers immediately swung into action doing everything possible to locate and rescue the trapped miners.

A few days ago a second collapse killed three rescue workers and injured six more. 

The men and women who worked tirelessly to rescue the victims of these two tragedies, risking their own lives in the process, are loved by a nation.

They are the unsung heroes who “…take the lowest place…”, people who would probably say that they were only doing their job.

This Labor Day we take a moment to celebrate and ‘esteem’ those invisible workers whose labor continues to serve us and our community so well.

Among them St. Joseph. He cared for the Holy family silently. He wanted to have a normal family with Mary, and God changed his plans.

He was promised that is son would have sat on the throne of David. But he saw him lying in a manger and persecuted by Herod, the tyrant of the day, so much so that he had to experience the humiliations, poverty and discriminations of a foreigner worker.

He never witnessed a miracle by Jesus, he never heard Jesus preaching.

He fed Jesus, he taught Jesus how to write and to read, how to pray.
He was such a good father that it was natural for Jesus when praying, to address God as “Father”. In His prayer life and in His relationship with God, Jesus was facilitated by the fact he had an excellent father.
Joseph tiptoes outside the Gospel’s narration without having said a single word, in silence. He though of himself to have done simply his duty; most probably saying with the Gospel: ”I have done only my duty, I am a useless servant’’

Our Church continues to operate only because of the hidden dedication of many parishioners who with their financial generosity, with their dedication and sharing of talents in the music ministry, teaching of catechism, hospitality, barbequing, organizing events make it possible.

Today we want to celebrate these hidden workers of the kingdom of God on earth.

We live in a society that has an extreme need to hear this Gospel message of humility again.
Running to take the first seats, perhaps without scruple, using others as steppingstones, being opportunistic and viciously competitive, these are things that are universally condemned but, unfortunately, they are also universally practiced.