On Monday, we will celebrate Labor Day, a holiday originally
intended to celebrate the dignity of the worker. St. Joseph is, among other things, the patron
saint of workers. He made his living as
a carpenter, engaged in manual labor, and he passed on his trade to Jesus. Jesus took it a step further in his role as
the Son of God.
Jesus engaged in the work of conversion through prayer. He called his apostles from their daily work
to a different calling, but one that is still work. “Come after me, and I will make you fishers
of men,” He tells them in Matthew 4:19.
It is work to follow Jesus. It is
sacrifice. The conversion of hearts takes
effort, both on the part of the convert and the converter.
The idea that prayer and work go hand in hand has survived
through the centuries. Ora et labora (prayer and work) became
the motto of many monasteries as a key component of the Rule of St.
Benedict. His Rule sought to ensure that
there was balance in life rather than a tending toward one extreme or the other.
When prayer guides our work, we can be assured that God will
have a hand in it somehow. It may not be
in the way we expect, but He is working in and through us. As we celebrate Labor Day, let us call to
mind all those who work with and for us to better our lives.
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