Monday of the
Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
(I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Luke 4:16-30)
Americans tend to rest or recreate on Labor Day. Unlike the other two national summer
holidays, Labor Day has always fallen on Monday to make a long weekend. Also, Labor Day marks the end of the vacation
season – the last day of ease before the fall harvest of research papers or of
production quotas. Although election
campaigns traditionally begin on Labor Day giving some cause for reflection,
the United States seems to have deliberately avoided a May 1 holiday when most
of the world meditates on the meaning of work.
How opportune then is it for us to have today this gospel
passage where Jesus proclaims good news to the poor! Only in recent times has technology delivered
many workers from poverty in developed economies. Jesus brings salvation for the poor even
ahead of the rich since money cannot buy entrance into the Kingdom of God
Jesus’ good news includes the message that work itself is a
gift from God. Whether we are the
architects of a cathedral rendering glory to God or the bricklayer’s
apprentices mixing cement to hold its stones together, our work contributes to
the advancement of society. It also
provides the bread for our tables, the roof over our heads, and medical
assistance for our bodily welfare.
Finally, work disciplines us to be industrious, efficient, and
considerate. We need work almost as much as we need to relax and to celebrate
God's goodness.
