Prosper the Work of Our Hands  (Psalm 90: 17)

“So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2:2-3)

This universe is a holy place.  Each part offers a glimpse of the creator.  Heavenly bodies and lowly creatures reflect God’s power.  Persons reveal God in striking ways.  Through our labor, creation grows.  In rest we take delight in the world.  Our Sabbath echoes the Yes of God.  We too find it very good.

For humans, labor is a natural necessity.  With raw materials, tools, intelligence, and energy, we meet needs and sustain the community.  Nature is our partner.  The church teaches that work is a vocation in which our dignity should be recognized.  Through labor, we develop talents and know the pride of creation.  Good jobs achieve the security that builds up families.  To participate in the larger community through work releases us from isolation and despair at our insignificance. The lowliest worker contributes to the good of all.

Pope Francis speaks of the “correct understanding of work” in Laudato Si.

We need to remember that men and women have “the capacity to improve their lot, to further their moral growth and to develop their spiritual endowments.” Work should be the setting for this rich personal growth, where many aspects of life enter into play: creativity, planning for the future, developing our talents, living out our values, relating to others, giving glory to God.  (#127)

After the Pullman Strike was put down in 1894, the U.S. government designated a day to recognize workers.  Labor Day.  A secular sabbath.  Today we honor the work of many hands.  We remember the steadfastness of those who came before us, those lives cut short by hard labor.  We remember the enslaved and others denied basic rights.  I remember my grandfather, Steven, who never missed his union meetings in Chicago.  After all, the union saved jobs during the Great Depression.  Facing trouble together teaches solidarity. 

It is not enough to honor the past.  For some households, even two wages do not stretch far enough.  The children of the working poor are numerous; their futures are precarious.  The work of justice begins here.  Prosper the work of our hands.  We are in this together.