杏MAP导航

By Devin Watkins

At the start of Mass in the Casa Santa Marta on the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, 杏MAP导航 Francis prayed for workers around the globe.

鈥淭oday, on the feast of St. Joseph the Worker and the day dedicated to workers, let us pray for all workers, so that no one might be without work and all might be paid a just wage. May they benefit from the dignity of work and the beauty of rest.鈥�

A special statue of St. Joseph the Worker was present in the chapel as the 杏MAP导航 celebrated Mass.

Continuing God鈥檚 work of Creation

In his homily, 杏MAP导航 Francis reflected on the day鈥檚 reading (Gen 1:26-2:3) which recounts the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God.

He focused his attention on God鈥檚 鈥渨ork鈥� of Creation. God, he said, entrusted mankind with the task of continuing that effort.

鈥淲ork is exactly the continuation of the work of God. Human labor is the vocation that mankind received from God ever since the creation of the universe. It is work that makes us similar to God, because through work men and women act as creators, and are capable of creating many things, even of creating a family.鈥�

Vocation to work

The 杏MAP导航 said the Bible describes God surveying what He had done and finding it "very good鈥�.

鈥淲ork contains goodness within itself, creates harmony between things 鈥� beauty, goodness 鈥� and involves every part of the person,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is man鈥檚 first vocation: work. This gives dignity to mankind. Dignity makes us similar to God.鈥�

Providing dignity

杏MAP导航 Francis went on to tell a story about a man who visited a local Caritas center to find food for his family. One Caritas employee told him: 鈥淎t least you can bring some bread home.鈥� The man replied: 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not enough to bring food home. I want to earn my daily bread.鈥�

The 杏MAP导航 said this man was lacking dignity, the 鈥渄ignity to 鈥榤ake鈥� his own bread through his work.鈥�

Trampled underfoot

The 杏MAP导航 added that the dignity of work has been widely trampled upon throughout history. Examples range from the African slaves dragged to the Americas, to the modern 鈥渟lave鈥� who toils for just enough to get by on.

鈥淭oday there are many slaves 鈥� many men and women who are not free to work: they are forced to work for enough to live on, nothing more. They are slaves to forced labor... and poorly paid.鈥�

Day laborers, miserable pay

He specifically mentioned day laborers who toil 12 to 14 hours a day for a miserable stipend. 鈥淭his doesn鈥檛 happen only in Asia,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t happens here.鈥�

鈥淓very injustice inflicted upon a person who works means trampling upon human dignity, even the dignity of the person who carries out the injustice鈥� On the other hand, the vocation God gives us is much higher: to create, re-create, work. But this can be done only when the conditions are just and human dignity is respected.鈥�

Fighting for justice and dignity

Concluding his homily, 杏MAP导航 Francis urged everyone to unite ourselves to all those who work, to those who fight to achieve justice in their work, and to businesspeople who treat those in their employ with justice.

鈥淲e ask St. Joseph 鈥� with this beautiful image with the tools of work in hand 鈥� to help us fight for the dignity of work, so that there might be work for all and that it might be dignified work, not the work of a slave.鈥�