FEAST OF ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER - DIGNITY OF LABOUR

St. Joseph – Patron saint of Workers and Families

St. Joseph is the Patron Saint of Workers and Families and there is a reason for this. He was a humble carpenter whom was mysteriously called by God to offer himself in sacrificial obedience to God’s plan of salvation for humanity. St. Joseph’s courage and sacrifice made this possible. He stood up to the challenge and became the husband of Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.  

1 May which is celebrated as ‘May Day’ or ‘Workers’ Day’ universally is also dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker in the Catholic Church to remind us of the dignity of labour from a Christian perspective and particularly the salvific value of work  which should always point to God’s kingdom.

If we remember well, the lockdown necessitated by Covid-19 five years ago forced people to do their own sweeping, cooking, washing, cleaning, gardening, and a number of chores at home which are usually done by hired employees.  The media took delight in highlighting ‘celebrities’ in aprons doing their house cleaning with brooms, mops and dusters in hand. There’s no doubt that, despite the disastrous effects of the lockdown, there were some valuable side benefits for growth in humanity such as, recognizing the dignity of the human person and dignity of labour, realizing the unity of humankind, awareness of the fragility of human life and the constant need for God in our life. As Covid-19 has become a nightmare of the past and the world has moved forward, let us pray that we may not need another pandemic to teach us the essential lessons of life.

The feast of St. Joseph the Worker was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to remind us of the spiritual dimension of our daily work, i.e., the sacredness of human labour and the dignity of the human person in the workplace.

Dignity of Work and Dignity of the Human Person

Work as an expression of the dignity of human beings is a revealed truth laid down in the Book of Genesis where human dignity is essentially linked to human work from creation itself. We are told that, before the creation of man “there was no man to work the ground” (Genesis 2:5). After creating man from the dust of the ground and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life. the Lord God planted a garden in Eden and “took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Man’s first task in the garden is to name the animals: “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field” (Genesis 2:20).  Ater that the Lord God creates the woman as “helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:20) – the wife who is his own rib so that the two could be “one flesh” (Genesis 2: 24), and in that oneness they work the ground and fructify it.

In the earlier account of creation God blesses the man and woman whom he has created in his own image and tells them: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1: 28).

Just as God gives names to Adam and Eve, so Adam names the animals, which are entrusted to his care. In so doing Adam accepts his role as steward of the earth, and asserts his authority over creation. By entrusting creation to man, and giving him the responsibility to ‘subdue’ the earth by exercising ‘dominion’ over it, God affirms the dignity of the human person. God allows human beings to participate in his role as creator. Thus, humans become ‘co-creators’ with God, for they share in God’s eternal creative act through their work of caring for God’s creation, which begins from the mandate to Adam.

Adam, while collaborating with God in caring for the earth, has been given the responsibility of being ‘steward’ of creation. In this way, Adam is ‘distanced’ from the animals because he finds his dignity through work. Out of all creation, only Adam is capable of work, and only Adam is called to work. In the Garden, Adam realizes the importance of his calling, and views his labours as a blessing, for he shares in the creative power of God himself.

After the fall, human labour which was a blessing becomes burdensome to human beings. It becomes a source of toil and pain: ”By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken: for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3: 19).  

Sin brought about disharmony in the relationship between Adam and creation. The responsibility of stewardship becomes more difficult and man’s role as provider more challenging. The earth’s elements which were once in perfect harmony with man turn against him bringing natural disasters.

Because human nature is now broken and disordered, man no longer experiences the beauty of his call to work, and experiences the difficulties and stress, whether physical or mental, which his labours bring. In this way, man lives out his days until he returns to the dust from which he came.

Yet, the hardships of work and the ‘sweat of the face’ that accompanies it do not in any way minimize the dignity of labour nor the fact that is  a good thing for man because, through work, man not only transforms nature, adopting it to his needs, but he also achieves fulfilment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes ‘more a human being’. This is the teaching of St. Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Laborem Exercens (1981) on Human Work.  

Thus, in the Christian perspective, all work has equal dignity before God and nobody can be considered less a human being because of the work one does. If any such discrimination exists in our society, it is the result of sin and it has to be our collective endeavour to eliminate this sinful state in our society if we truly believe in the truth that all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. A nation can be called truly developed when all its citizens enjoy equality of dignity and respect, equality of opportunities, and equal access to the resources of the country. The mission Christ has entrusted to the Church is directed towards this goal which is the sum and substance of the Social Teachings of the Church.

Reflections of Pope Francis on St. Joseph

Why is St. Joseph the patron of workers?

Pope Francis gives us the answer in his Apostolic Exhortation Patris Corde  in the year 2020, the year dedicated to St. Joseph. It can be summarised in the following points:

·       He was a lowly carpenter who earned an honest living to provide for his family.

·       From him Jesus learned the value, the dignity and the joy of what it means to eat bread that is the fruit of one’s labour.

·       In our day, when employment has once more become a burning social issue, and unemployment at times reaches record levels even in nations that for decades have enjoyed a certain degree of prosperity, there is a renewed need to appreciate the importance of dignified work, of which St. Joseph is an exemplary patron.

·       Work is a means of participating in the work of salvation, an opportunity to hasten the coming of the Kingdom, to develop our talents and abilities, and to put them at the service of society and fraternal communion.  

·       It becomes an opportunity for the fulfilment not only of oneself, but also of that primary cell of society which is the family. A family without work is particularly vulnerable to difficulties, tensions, estrangement and even break-up. How can we speak of human dignity without working to ensure that everyone is able to earn a decent living?

·       Working persons, whatever their job may be, are cooperating with God himself, and in some way become creators of the world around us.

·       The crisis of out rime, which is economic, social, cultural and spiritual, can serve as a summons for all of us to rediscover the value, the importance and necessity of work for bring about a new “normal” from which no one is excluded.

·       St. Joseph’s work reminds us that God himself, in becoming man, did not disdain work.

·       The loss of employment that affects so many of our brothers and sisters, and has increased as a result of Covid-19 pandemic, should serve as a summons to review our priorities.

·       Let us implore St. Joseph the Worker to help us find ways to express our firm conviction that no young person, no person at all, no family should be without work! (Patris Corde No. 6).

PRAYERS to St. JOSEPH

For Protection

St. Joseph, guardian of the Holy family, I ask for your protection and guidance in my life. protect me from all harm and evil, amd help me to walk in the path of righteousness,. Keep watch over my family and loved ones, guiding us with your fatherly care. Amen.

For Employment

 Dear St. Joseph, patron saint of workers, I humbly ask for your intercession as I seek employment. Guide me in my job search, open doors of opportunity, and provide me with the skills and wisdom needed to excel in my work. Help me to find fulfilment and purpose in my career. Amen.