Reflection
Acts 5: 27-33
Psalm 34
John 3:31-36
Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, and an appropriate gospel we have for today. The Memorial was put in place by Pope Pius XII in 1955 in response to a Socialist and Communist celebration of International Workers Day, or commonly known as May Day. Socialism and Communism denigrate the dignity of the human being by declaring the value of the individual rests only and singularly in their ability to contribute to the society and the revolutionary movement. That is absolutely counter to God’s design.
St. Jospeh reflects the value of labor for the sake of God. St. Joseph used his talents and skills to take care of Mary and Jesus by laboring as a father and carpenter. Each and every person has been given talents by God – regardless of the mental or physical differences, or even disabilities, each person has a value to God and we should therefore recognize those talents by helping others become the person God intended them to be.
As reflected in our gospel today, we are all called to obey the words of Christ. And what are His strongest words? Love God with all you have in you and love others the way you want to be loved. That means we value each and every person from the moment of conception to the moment they pass from this world – destroying those people outside of those time frames is a pathetic turning away from the words of Christ.
Let’s face it, many of us continually turn away from the words of Christ – that is why He gave us the sacrament of Reconciliation. God constantly calls us. Go answer that call by turning back to Him!
It is a beautiful day! Go smile at God today!