Work is a blessing! It is also a gift to be able to take a holiday and rest from work. When I say work is a blessing, I am thinking of the ability to work, to earn a living; I cannot understand why we are refusing to insist that workers receive a living wage. We are supposed to be a wealthy country, but we cannot provide jobs with fair salaries for all those who seek work. Let us pray today for just wages for all. 

Labor Day is really a day of rest for so many and even the school children enjoy having a holiday so close to the start of classes. I remember when schools actually only began after Labor Day!

Many will be spending this holiday cleaning up after the hurricane and the storms. Let us pray for them also and for those who have lost their lives and for those who morn them.

Let us also think of Jesus working as a carpenter in Nazareth, having learned from Joseph. I had a great uncle who gave up his job to come back to St. Louis to be near me when I was still too little to remember. He kept his tools locked up and away from children, but he could do anything that was needed around the house or yard, fix bikes, wagons, and other toys. He came three times a week to help my mother by first caring for me, then for my sister, and finally for my brothers; he would arrive around three and stay until after dinner, helping with the dishes, listening to the radio with my father, and he was just a wonderful part of our family. He lived in a hotel but managed on his Spanish-American War pension. He was a holy man and utterly selfless. 

I am sure we all know many who do all kinds of work and work with joy. Let us pray for them, too, today!