Labor Day
Labor Day signals the end of summer for many people. We think of summer as vacations and outdoor activities. With long days and short nights, we are more active outdoors or have the time to get work on crafts and projects. Now, it is as if our internal clock turns to hunkering down and getting to work. Maybe in the back of our minds we think of the holidays that come at the end of the year without saying what they are, it is too early to mention that, right? Yet we also did work through summer.
Work is important and it carries a dignity. God created everything in six days and then rested. Jesus tells us that God continues to work and Jesus continues the work of the Father. As Jesus sets the example, we, too, continue to work. Jesus heals the man with the withered hand, doing the work of creating done by the Father. Everything we do is focused on God, to do God’s work. It should not be seen as a burden, but a joy to do the work God has given us. Remember the song, Take This Job and Shove It? There are times to leave one job and go on to another. Those times should be focused on the gifts given us by God. Are we using them to the best of our ability? Are the requirements of our current job beyond our ability to produce fruits for God? It is more than just a positive attitude; it is an attitude for God.
In the mass, we bless the bread and wine for the consecration.
“… the bread we offer: fruit of the earth and work of human hands…”
“…the wine we offer: fruit of the vine and work of human hands…”
Look to this coming Sunday. Our work in the mass is to bring forward the work of our hands. Your offering, do you bring it forward with a heart filled with joy?
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen