St. Joseph the Worker

 We begin the month of May, Mary's month, by honoring her husband.  At one point in our liturgical history, this memorial was looked upon as the Church's counterpoint to the Soviet celebrations of May Day, but today we want to look at the deeper reason why this memorial is necessary.
It seems that a majority of people over-work, are obsessed with work to the point of becoming "workaholics".  Others seem to do all they can to do a minimal amount of work, yet still collect a big fat paycheck.  And, or course, there are the millions who would like to work, but can't find it, or, because of disability, can't do it
As mundane as work might seem at times, there is a spiritual element to it. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 2427 tells us:
"Work honors the Creator's gifts and the talents received from him. It can also be redemptive. By enduring the hardship of work in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish.  Work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ."  We might at times find our job either just routine or even drudgery, but done for the sake of others, our families, our co-workers, it becomes a labor of love, and a means of becoming holy.
  Just imagine Joseph, and later with Jesus, circulating through the villages around Nazareth, seeking jobs among that poor population.  It can be very hot and dusty in July, and very wet in April.  There must have been times when staying home might have been very tempting. Yet, it's hard to imagine them "giving in".
When the first parents were expelled from the Garden of Eden, the law of work by the sweat of the brow was established and still remains on the books.  In the collect for Mass today we read:
O God, Creator of all things,
who laid down for the human race the law of work,
graciously grant that by the example of Saint Joseph and under his patronage
we may complete the works you set us to do
and attain the rewards you promise.
Through Christ, our Lord, Amen.
May our reflection on St. Joseph help us appreciate the gift and purpose of work in general and ours in particular.
Bro. Rene