Genesis 1:26-2:3 or Colossians 3:14-15, 17, 23-24 / Matthew 13:54-58 (2024)
The feast of St. Joseph the Worker was instituted only in 1955 and so it was a fairly recent addition to the feastdays of the Church.
There were many reasons for the institution of this feast but the main purpose is to give a religious understanding to the meaning and purpose of work and labour.
Labour day is a public holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement and the rights of workers.
Yet the Church also celebrates the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on this same day so as to give a spiritual dimension and direction.
The 1st reading from Genesis tells us that God Himself does the work of creation and after completing the work He was doing He rested on the seventh day.
Hence work has a holy and sacred meaning because we are also the work of God's hands and we are called to continue the work of God's creation.
Yet we must also remember that when man sinned and broke the harmony of God's creation, work is seen as a curse - "By the sweat of your brow, you shall eat your bread"(Gen 3:19)
Well that makes us think. Tomorrow we will be going back to work. Are we dragging our feet there? Does going to work make us stressed and anxious? Does meeting our boss or colleagues give us a pain in the neck?
Yet the alternative 1st reading from Colossians also tell us that whatever our work is, we are to put our heart into it as if it were for the Lord and not for men, because it is Christ the Lord that we are serving.
Let us do our work for the Lord and make it a holy and sacred offering to Him. In this way we follow our Lord Jesus who came to serve and not to be served.