DAILY MASS REFLECTIONS MAY 1 ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER

 

This is the Catholic Daily Mass Readings and Reflections for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter Season. Today we celebrate, St. Joseph the Worker. Today’s first reading is from Colossians 3:14-15,17,23-24 and Gospel Reading is from Matthew 13:54-58.

Colossians 3:14-15,17,23-24.

Brothers and sisters: Over all this put-on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Responsorial Psalm.

R.    Lord, give success to the work of our hands.

Before the mountains were begotten

and the earth and the world were brought forth,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

R.    Lord, give success to the work of our hands.

You turn men back to dust,

saying, "Return, O children of men."

For a thousand years in your sight

are as yesterday, now that it is past,

or as a watch of the night.

R.    Lord, give success to the work of our hands.

Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Return, O LORD! How long?

Have pity on your servants!

R.    Lord, give success to the work of our hands.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,

that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

Let your work be seen by your servants

and your glory by their children.

R.    Lord, give success to the work of our hands.

Gospel Acclamation.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed be the Lord day by day,

God, our salvation, who bears our burdens.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Matthew 13:54-58.

Coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Gospel Reflection.

Reflection is taken from the book: The Consecration to St. Joseph. Donald Calloway.

“At the workbench where St. Joseph plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption” St. John Paul II. The devil hates an honest and diligent worker. At the beginning of human history, the wicked serpent initiated his attack on the human family in the workplace — that is, the garden God gave Adam and Eve to tend and keep. Lucifer hates work. He particularly disdains the fact that because of love, God humbled himself and became a man, making himself capable of manual labor. Jesus spent many years in St. Joseph’s workshop diligently working. It was preparation for his re-entering man’s original workshop — a garden; the Garden of Gethsemane, specifically — and accomplishing the work of our redemption.

Jesus is God. Together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, he made the heavens and the earth. Our Lord’s ability to create far exceeds anything we can possibly imagine. When he became flesh, Jesus sanctified human work and elevated it to a level of greatness that did not exist prior to his Incarnation. Though divine, God humbled himself, became a man, and worked like a man. In his humanity, he learned how to work as a man by imitating the example of his earthly father, St. Joseph.

If St. Joseph taught the God-Man how to work, he is more than capable of serving as our model as well. Hard work benefits the person, the family, and society. “St. Joseph belongs to the working-class, and he bore the burdens of poverty for himself and the Holy Family, whose tender and vigilant head he was” Pope Pius XI. Work is not always easy and pleasant. Putting in a hard day’s work can be taxing on the mind, body, and soul. Sometimes work can be downright burdensome. As a carpenter, Jesus knew this firsthand. He offers comfort to all who make their living by the sweat of their brow. “Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” Mt 11:28-30.

Our Lord desired to do manual labor for many years before initiating his public ministry. Why did he do it? He did it because he wanted to sanctify work and teach us that work is honorable and pleasing to God. However, neither Jesus nor St. Joseph were workaholics. Workaholics are of no benefit to themselves, the family, or society. God does not delight in a workaholic. Jesus learned the proper place of work in his life through the loving example of St. Joseph. Saint Joseph made time for God, family, recreation, and rest. Saint Joseph modeled these aspects of human life for Jesus. Saint Joseph will teach you these important lessons as well. Saint Joseph also serves as the model workman for the imitation of those who work for the salvation of souls, especially deacons, priests, bishops, and religious. Consecrated souls are to work diligently and faithfully in God’s vineyard. This work, too, can be difficult and burdensome. Priests, deacons, and consecrated religious are human; they need rest and recreation like everyone else. On rare occasions, God gives extraordinary graces for a person to perform heroic penances, fasts, and mortifications. However, God never desires for his workers to burn out from sheer exhaustion. He wants them to take delight in mountain streams, forests, and sunsets. He wants priests and nuns who are like St. Joseph: loving, prayerful, hard-working, and not afraid to rest. Let us ask St. Joseph to foster staunch vocations for our Lord.