St. Joseph the worker

WITH this feast of St. Joseph the worker on May 1, we are

reminded of the great value that our work represents in our life and

in our need for salvation. We have to revisit the basic character of

our work that we often take for granted as we allow it to be overtaken

by other considerations that, while important, only hold secondary

importance.

  

            The first thing to remember is that our work, whatever it

is, as long as it is honest, is an integral part of our nature. It is

not a mere obligation or an unavoidable necessity. It somehow defines

us.

  

            And more than that, it is what enables us to correspond

and cooperate with the God’s continuing providence over all of us. In

a sense, our work is sacred, since it cannot help but be a

participation in God’s continuing sacred work over all his creation.

            For us to see the sacredness of our work, we need to be

driven first of all and always by faith and an abiding piety. There is

a great need to bring our faith and piety down to the middle of the

world. There is a great need to develop and live an authentic

Christian spirituality of secularity and not confine them in churches

or some sacred places alone.

  

            We should therefore love our work, doing it as best as we

can. And this can mean that we carry it out very conscientiously,

“squeezing” each hour for all it is worth. And we should work in such

a way that we would always be short of time for finishing what we

would like to do?

  

            It can also mean that we look very carefully after the

details in finishing well our daily work. We should lovingly exert the

necessary effort for it and embrace the sacrifices involved—that is,

the setbacks, the difficulties, the tiredness and fatigue.

  

            These are normal occurrences in our daily work that we

should not anymore be surprised about. We just have to be prepared for

them, since they are occasions to grow in our love for God and others.

In short, in our holiness.

             One big challenge we now face with respect to our work is

the issue of how the new technologies should be used. These things

definitely offer us a lot of good, but they too can occasion a lot of

disorder in us, since they can be a big, almost irresistible

temptation to be simply on our own, that is, separated from God and

from others.

  

            Our new technologies should, in fact, nourish our piety

and our relation with others. That´s why, the tremendous practical

advantages offered to us now by our growing technology should always

be related to God. We just cannot get stuck at the level of

fascination because of the novelty it offers, the convenience and

practicality it gives.

             At the very least, we can thank God for them. These new

things should bring us closer to God and to one another, instead of

distancing us from Him and putting us in self-absorption.

             From here, let´s try to discern what God´s purpose is for

these new powerful things. They are supposed to boost our love for God

and for others.