all worked up?
"The One Whom God has sent speaks the words of God." —John 3:34
On this feast of St. Joseph the Worker, it is especially appropriate to recall the Lord's revelation concerning work.
Work:
- should not be done by our power or might but by the Spirit (Zec 4:6), Who is poured out on us richly, in an unrationed way (Jn 3:34; Ti 3:6),
- is to have faith in Jesus (Jn 6:29),
- is not to be done primarily for man but for God (Eph 6:7; Col 3:23),
- is to be of the highest quality, because it must be an unblemished offering to the Lord (see Lv 1:3),
- must be done from, in, and for love, for without love any amount of work or pay is of no value (1 Cor 13:1-3),
- should not be done primarily for pay but for a result "that remains unto life eternal" (see Jn 6:27), and
- should not be done on Sundays and holy days, except for emergencies.
All of these aspects of work go together. Our work must be totally under the lordship of Jesus. For example, if we are working for pay, we will be more likely to work on Sunday to make more money. If we are not working by faith, we are very susceptible to falling into the temptation to work for money. If we are not working in the Spirit, how could we have faith? Let the Lord, through St. Joseph the Worker, work on your work to make it totally according to His will.
Prayer: Father, make me Your apprentice to teach me how to work.
Promise: "Better for us to obey God than men!" —Acts 5:29
Praise: St. Joseph's greatest work was his faith in his Foster-Son, Jesus. "This is the work of God: [to] have faith in the One Whom He sent" (Jn 6:29).
Reference: (For related teaching, order our leaflet, Job Performance for Jesus, or on audio AV 43-3 or video V-43.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Giles H. Pater, October 17, 2002
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 21, 2002