Stewardship of Labor: Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

St. Joseph and the Child Jesus at work

Today is the Feast day of St. Joseph the Worker.  Pope Pius the XII instituted this day to honor labor and the serious role it plays in our lives as Christians.  Our work is glorified because sacred scripture places the role of work in our lives in such high esteem that Jesus, himself, was taught to work. St. Joseph whom scripture describes as a righteous man and whom God chose to be our Lord's foster father, taught Jesus the honorable trade of carpentry.  In this way, even our Lord took His place in society, using His gifts as a good Steward to build up the Kingdom of God through the labor of His hands.   In the below prayer, Pope Pius tells us how we are to be good stewards of our work:

 

Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker

Glorious St. Joseph,
model of all those who are devoted to labor,
obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously,
putting the call of duty above my many sins;
to work with thankfulness and joy,
considering it an honor to employ and develop,
by means of labor,
the gifts received from God;
to work with order,
peace, prudence and patience,
never surrendering to weariness or difficulties;
to work, above all, with purity of intention, and with detachment from self,
having always death before my eyes
and the account which I must render of time lost,
of talents wasted,
of good omitted,
of vain complacency in success
so fatal to the work of God.
All for Jesus,
all for Mary,
all after thy example, O Patriarch Joseph.
Such shall be my motto in life and death.