St. Joseph The Worker

As husband of Mary, St. Joseph has a special place in the spiritual lives of Marists. His faith, strength as family provider, guide and protector and his humility are qualities we emulate. It is no surprise, then, that he holds a special place in the spiritual life of the Church. In 1955, Pope Pius XII proclaimed May Day as the feast of St. Joseph the Worker to highlight the dignity of work and to support efforts in progress for just and fair work conditions and compensation. The new feast stood as the Christian counterpart to the extensive May Day celebrations of the Communist World. Pope Pius called it "a day of rejoicing for the concrete and progressive triumph of Christian ideal of the great family of labor. Acclaimed in this way by Christian workers and having received, as it were a Christian baptism, the first of May, far from being a stimulus of discord, hate and violence, is and will be a recurring invitation to modern society to accomplish that which is still lacking for social peace."
Looking at unemployment world-wide, and in some countries, deplorable and abusive work conditions, we can appreciate the foresight of Pope Pius and the continual need to pray and work for justice in the workplace. Holding St. Joseph up as our model will also help us approach our own work with a greater amount of respect, appreciation, and determination to be fair and just to our fellow workers, employers and ourselves.
"Lord God, You have created all things and imposed on us the necessity of work. Grant that, following St. Jseoph's example and under his protection, we may accomplish the works You give us and obtain the rewards you promise. Amen."
Bro. Rene