Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker
The following homily was delivered by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades during an All-Schools Mass livestreamed from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne, May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
In the first reading today, we heard St. Paul’s simple exhortation to the Colossians: “Be thankful.” Be thankful! I want you to know how thankful I am for our Catholic schools, especially during this coronavirus pandemic. I’m very thankful for the hard work of our teachers, principals and Catholic school staffs who are making sure that you, our children and young people, continue to receive a great education. I know it’s not been easy to switch to on-line teaching, yet many have worked so hard and made many adjustments to make sure you continue to learn, to grow in knowledge and advance in your education. So thank you to everyone! But also I’m thankful to all of you students. You’ve also been working hard, reading and studying and completing assignments. I’m sure you miss being with your friends in school. We all look forward to our schools reopening in the fall, to come together again in our school and parish communities.
The Lord calls us to be thankful. I also think it’s important for all of us to be thankful for the many doctors, nurses and health care workers who are working so hard to care for the sick and dying at this time, even at the risk of becoming infected with the virus themselves. Please be sure to pray for all those who serve and are in harm’s way, including all those workers who have been serving during this time, like police officers, firefighters, first responders, those working in food production and grocery stores, garbage collectors, postal workers and other important services. They have continued to work so that we can all have what we need during this time.
I mention all these workers specifically today May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. We ask St. Joseph to pray for them and to protect them, just like he protected Jesus and Mary. St. Joseph was the protector of the Holy Family and he is also the patron and protector of the Catholic Church. We can always turn to St. Joseph for his prayers and protection. It’s also important for us to remember in prayer all those who are out of work during this time, all those who have lost their employment because of the pandemic. We ask St. Joseph to intercede for them.
In the Gospel today, the people in the synagogue in Nazareth were astounded by Jesus’ wisdom, by His teaching and His miracles. But they questioned how Jesus could have such wisdom and power. They knew him as the son of Mary and Joseph, a part of their community. They said: “is he not the carpenter’s son?” Joseph was a carpenter, a regular worker. How could his son have such wisdom and power? So they were doubtful about Jesus. The Gospel says that “they took offense at Him.” They did not have faith in Him. They didn’t believe that this Jesus, whom they knew, could be that special. But Jesus was special. He was the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior. And He indeed came into the world as the son of Mary and the son of a simple carpenter. In fact, he worked in his father’s carpenter shop. He learned the trade of carpentry from his earthly father, Joseph. And He also learned a lot more from Joseph and from Mary. He grew in wisdom and grace in His home in Nazareth. Of course, He had the greatest Mom and Dad anyone could ever have.
Today, we remember St. Joseph as the worker. He worked with His hands. He worked with wood and made furniture. He shows us the importance of human work. Because of his work, he was able to support his family. And he did his work with dedication and skill. He’s a good example for us of the dignity of human work. He did his work for the glory of God and for the love of his family. He shows us that all the work we do, including your schoolwork, should be for the glory of God.
In our first reading, St. Paul wrote: “Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, g