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Saint Joseph the Worker
There is a phrase I love – a worker among workers. It speaks of humility. But how many of us are that way in our jobs? The workplace is often full of competitive energy. Ambition, drive, and, unfortunately, backbiting and greed can be the norm.
However, there are those who go about their business, working calmly and with a purpose, happy to be doing what they do, using the gifts God gave them.
Joseph, husband of Mary and father of Jesus seems to have been a good, solid and forthright individual. That is certainly the sense I get from reading about him in the Gospels. Let’s face it, he was in a difficult position, finding out his bride-to-be was pregnant, and then told it was by the Spirit of God. He had decided he would keep the whole thing quiet and allow Mary to save face. But God wanted him to be part of Jesus’ life. He sent an angel in a dream to encourage him to protect his small family. Joseph did that and he also raised Jesus to be a man with a craft. Tradition tells us Joseph was a carpenter and Jesus followed in his footsteps.
It is important to do honest labor. We can share in the way of the Creator when we make use of our talents in our work. We should all strive to find jobs that we love. That is tough right now when many of us are struggling just to find employment to make ends meet. If that is you, take heart, and look to the model of St. Joseph, patron saint of workers. May 1 is his feast day, as instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to counter the communists’ celebration for workers on “May Day”.
You don’t have to be a Roman Catholic to appreciate Joseph the Worker. Christians can all stand united in the spirit of “workers among workers” as we go about our lives, doing honest labor and living a life of love and service. There is holiness about that.
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