Labor Day

09-03-2023Pastor's CornerVery Rev. Robert J. Deehan, VF

Our Catholic social teaching is a rich resource of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents. The depth and richness of the tradition can be understood best through a direct reading of these documents. On this Labor Day weekend, I summarize for you one area the Church has addressed: The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, taken from Themes from Catholic Social Teaching from the USCCB, Publication No. 5-315. “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.”

This Labor Day weekend invites 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. More than just a civil holiday which 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 are you motivated to “give back” to God and 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 to share what we don’t need. I have witnessed great generosity within our community. “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.

To learn more about the Church’s Catholic Social Teaching, check out the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, which is available on line HERE.

God bless you!

Fr. Bob