By Susan Ciancio
On May 1, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. The Vatican explains that Pope Pius XII officially instituted this feast day in 1955 “to ensure that workers not lose this Christian understanding of work.”
Why St. Joseph? The Vatican stated, “The life of St Joseph shows us the dignity of human work, which is the duty and the perfection of human beings, who in this way exercise dominion over creation, share in the work of the Creator, offer their service to the community, and participate in God’s plan of salvation.”
There is dignity in actual work, and that is where many find their purpose in life. But when we think about work, we must understand that there are three types, all of which are vital to our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
There is the physical work we can consider our actual jobs; there is the spiritual work we undertake every day as we strive to follow the Church and attain heaven; and there is pro-life work that protects and defends the vulnerable and helps build the kingdom of God here on earth.
Each of these three types of work has dignity and is crucial to our souls. Christ does not want us to live a lazy life never contributing to society. Nor does He want us to falter from the path to heaven or forget the people around us who need our help.
So as we celebrate this feast day, let us examine some of the characteristics of St. Joseph that will help us on our pro-life journey, as the Christian understanding of work demands that we become more Christlike.
St. Joseph remained faithful.
We know this not by his words but by his actions. He did as God commanded and protected and cared for Mary and Jesus. We too must be faithful. Jesus told His disciples that “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” How we treat others matters. Jesus calls us to look at others through His eyes and to treat people with love and compassion.
Our pro-life work is to care for others in any way possible. Maybe that’s donating time or money to a homeless shelter or a pregnancy resource center. Maybe that’s sitting with an elderly friend or neighbor and keeping them company. Maybe it’s counseling pregnant moms outside an abortion clinic. Or maybe it’s simply praying for those who are lonely or sad. Regardless of which thing or things we choose, this work has immense value.
St. Joseph obeyed God.
In 1 John, we read, “For the love of God is this, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” The Ten Commandments and the tenets of the faith taught in the Catechism of the Catholic Church serve as roadmaps for how we must live our lives. As the Catechism states, “God blesses those who come to the aid of the poor and rebukes those who turn away from them: ‘Give to him who begs from you, do not refuse him who would borrow from you.’”
Many people can be considered poor, and Jesus calls us to help as many of them as we can. There are the actual impoverished, but there are the poor in spirit as well. While we can help people meet their physical needs by donating food and money, we must also help them meet their spiritual needs by evangelizing about God as we work to draw others to Him.
St. Joseph loved.
When we truly love someone, we want what is best for that person. Love is more than a feeling; it’s an action, and thus it requires work and effort. St. Joseph didn’t have an easy life taking care of Mary and Jesus, but he embraced this enormous responsibility. So we must embrace the responsibility we have when raising our children in our faith or when showing love and compassion to those around us.
As St. Paul taught, “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.”
That truth is God and our faith. And the saints in heaven, especially St. Joseph, who lived and toiled with Jesus, serve as role models for how we can work toward our own good and the good of others, always upholding the dignity of every human being.
Teach your children about the foster father of Jesus with our lesson entitled St. Joseph: Pro-Life Saint, Hero, and Role Model.