A joint resolution of both houses of the Wisconsin State Legislature recently declared May 1 of every year as St. Joseph the Worker Day, a moment to recognize and appreciate the dignity of all working people in Wisconsin.
The text of the resolution, proclaimed at a special ceremony at the State Capitol on May 1, reads like a homily on St. Joseph, replete with Scriptural and papal quotes.
I found this document, passed by our legislature, to be extraordinary and inspiring.
Work and holiness
During the height of the Cold War, Pope Pius XII instituted the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955, intentionally on May 1, because the Communist world celebrates this Red May Day as a salute to workers.
His Holiness wanted to lay before the world the rich Catholic understanding of work as a theological counterpoint to the dehumanizing Soviet vision of the human person and work.
The Scriptures show us that God has been at work from the beginning of the world.
The Father creates and holds in existence all that beautifully is, the Son accomplishes the work of Redemption in every soul open to His grace, and the Holy Spirit, poured forth at Pentecost, sanctifies the Church and individual believers.
In Jesus’ hidden years at Nazareth, under the tutelage of St. Joseph the Worker, the Son of God completely identified with family life and human labor.
The Lord offered His energy, sweat, and sacrifice as a carpenter, in both humility and obscurity, and thus consecrated our work as a holy and fruitful participation in the ongoing salvation of the world.
The Church teaches us that work is not simply the means to a paycheck or a necessary evil, but rather an integral part of our Christian vocation.
To do our work well, to utilize our intelligence, time, and energy in a task, is to cooperate with God in the upbuilding of His Kingdom in Christ.
No matter how humble or simple, any work that authentically contributes to the common good has the potential to sanctify us, the Church, and the world.
The altar where we make our daily sacrifice may be the kitchen stove, the office desk, the classroom, or an 18-wheel rig.
Offered to God, our labor finds its unity and purpose in the altar of sacrifice at Mass, where we offer all our holy efforts to the Lord, within the saving work of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
A part of our lives
In the Catholic vision, work and leisure find a natural rhythm in the Christian life.
We work during the week, but we rest on Sundays. We worship the Lord at Mass, but live out the implications of that sacrifice in our daily labor. We fast in Lent and feast at Easter.
Unlike the false vision of Communism, we are not simply cogs in the machine of the state, but rather children of God with an inestimable dignity.
The human person is never the means to an end, but rather the object and end of all economic activity.
This truth motivates the Church’s defense of workers — safe conditions, just wages, the right and obligation to work, and the ability to not only participate in the means of production, but also to enjoy the fruit of the process in an equitable manner.
The burning goal of our lives should not be to retire at the age of 50 to play golf for the next 30 years.
The vocational question which the Lord poses to all of us is a vision much more interesting and significant: How can we use the gifts and time the Lord has graciously given to each of us, to make our unique contribution to the salvation of the world and the flourishing of a culture of life and love?
I pray that the establishment of May 1 as St. Joseph the Worker Day throughout the state of Wisconsin will inspire many people to understand and live the spiritual implications of their daily labor.
St. Joseph the Worker, pray for us!