Feast: St Joseph the Worker

We are called to bear fruit with our hands and mind,

ultimately for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Therefore, whatever you do, work at it with your whole being.
Do it for the Lord rather than for men. ~ Colossians 3:23

FEAST DAY

ST. JOSEPH the WORKER

May 1

On May 1, 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St Joseph the Worker -

a day dedicated to the dignity of labor and to honoring workers.   

   

“St. Joseph, who by

the sweat of your brow obtained

the living Bread for your children,

pray for us.”

St. Peter Julian Eymard

 

"What is said about Joseph can be summarized like this:  accept the mission from God, let yourself be led by God, embrace the hardship and danger in order to save the Savior.  Joseph saves Mary's reputation, the lineage of Jesus, the integrity of the Child, his rootedness in the land of Israel... Joseph is also saved from an isolated life, form a life that would have been perhaps less turbulent, but that would have lacked the consolation of carrying God in his arms." - Pope Francis (as Jorge Mario Bergoglio)

"Take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work!
For I am with you, says the Lord of hosts." - Haggai 2:4

The Office of Readings contains an excerpt from the Vatican II document on the modern world: "Where men and women, in the course of gaining a livelihood for themselves and their families, offer appropriate service to society, they can be confident that their personal efforts promote the work of the Creator, confer benefits on their fellowmen, and help to realize God's plan in history" (no. 34).
 

 Prayer to St. Joseph for Employment

Dear Saint Joseph, you were yourself once faced with the responsibility of providing the necessities of life for Jesus and Mary. Look down with fatherly compassion upon me in my anxiety over my present inability to support my family. Please help me to find gainful employment very soon, so that this heavy burden of concern will be lifted from my heart and that I am soon able to provide for those whom God has entrusted to my care. Help us to guard against bitterness and discouragement, so that we may emerge from this trial spiritually enriched and with even greater blessings from God. Amen.

St Joseph the Worker, pray for us!