Homily: Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

Feast of St. Joseph the Worker (Mt. 13:54-58) “Hard Labor”

The Feast of St. Jospeh the Worker is special to me for many reasons. My father’s name was Joseph. The name of my home parish was St. Joseph. My confirmation name was Jospeh. The feast was instituted on May 1st of 1955. That was the year I was born.

I grew up in a factory town where everyone’s father seemed to be a blue-collar worker. I recall walking by a factory one afternoon and there was a window open that looked in on a machine operator. Attached to the machine was a holy card of St. Joseph. It struck me that Joseph was a saint that many men related to.

Why is that? I think many men through the centuries have engaged in physical labor. These men were often people who did not have access to an education. Because of that they had to take up menial jobs that were for minimum wage and took a toll on their health. Why did they do it?

Men wanted to have families and they wanted to have children. If sacrifices had to be made for people that they loved, they would make those out of love for their wife and children.

The word “carpenter” was a term that had a wide meaning. We romanticize St. Joeph’s occupation. We talk about the carpenter shop and his woodworking ability, but there is nothing in the scriptures about that. It says simply, “He was a carpenter’s son.”

The carpenters were construction workers. Great cities were being built around where Jesus lived. All kinds of men were needed who were mason’s, woodworkers and day laborers. Joseph was probably a man like this.

Such men longed to be seen as people who had human dignity. They were men who wanted a just wage. The Feast of St. Jospeh the Worker reminds us that Jesus and Jospeh were hard working men and that having work of any is a desire for many impoverished people throughout the world.

Reflection Questions:

1.    How do I picture St. Jospeh and his work? Why did engage in the work he did?

2.   Could Jospeh have avoided hard labor? What would have happened if he did?

Dear Parishioners,

             The Feast of Pentecost is fast approaching. Bishop Lou will be making decisions about how to reorganize parishes in our diocese. He is asking us to pray for him and for all those who will be touched by the consolidations. We are also to reflect on how our parish can do a better job evangelizing others.

            This weekend we will announce a Novena that we can pray as May 19th approaches. We need to ask that the Holy Spirit will guide the whole “Making Disciples” process.

            May Our Lady of Peace pray for us,

            Fr. Mark