Dear Parishioners,
As we mark the end of most summer vacations this Labor Day Weekend, we celebrate the work and workers not only of our country but also of the world. Sometimes we are tempted to think of work as drudgery and the exploitation of freedom. Certainly, when we think about slavery in the past and some of the injustice in some places in the world today, that is true. However, work in itself has been ennobled not only by Jesus and Joseph in their work as carpenters but also by the Father himself. The Book of Genesis portrays the story of creation as the work of God. “Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on all the work he had undertaken. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.” (Gen 2:1-3)
Now before the fall of Adam and Eve, life in the garden was not an idyllic stroll in the park. Since God worked, so too did Adam and Eve, for they were created in the image and likeness of God. They were told by God to not only be fertile but also fill the earth and subdue it. In giving them seed-bearing plants and seed-bearing fruit trees, God was turning them into farmers to produce food. And while it was work, it was a sharing in God’s work and therefore satisfying. Only after original sin, did it become more difficult and challenging.
Still along with work, God gives us a day to rest, recharge our batteries, build family relationships, and the opportunity to strengthen our connection to God in worship. In the old covenant, it was the Sabbath (Saturday); in the new covenant, it is Sunday, the new creation occasioned by the Resurrection of Jesus. The two—rest and work—give balance to our lives. Work gives meaning to our lives from which we can take pride of accomplishment; rest and Sunday worship put it all in perspective. We need both; that’s why God worked and rested. May you have a Happy and Restful Labor Day.
Fr. Carl
