For many, Labor day is the official end of summer, one last day to celebrate before putting away the boat or camper, and settling down for a long fall of football. Of course, summer does not actually end with Labor day, although it certainly is feeling cooler in the evening. Fall does not start until the autumnal equinox, which is the day when day and night are equal. This will happen on September 22. So, if you're like me, get out there and enjoy every minute of summer, even if everyone else is saying it is fall. If you have been a reader of my blogs for a while, you know I get a little upset when I go into the stores and see giant Halloween decorations already. To be sadly honest, in one store I already saw Christmas decorations. Who wants that? Not me. Anyway getting back to the topic on hand, Labor day. Why do we celebrate Labor day, and what should it bring to mind for each of us?
For many of us, when we think of Labor, we think of toil. Working hard and getting dirty and looking forward to the weekend. We give labor a bad rap, the product of sin. But Labor Day is much more, it is about being grateful for our labor. Why should we be we grateful for our Labor? It is not just because it helps us put a roof over our head, or bread on our table, although these are good, we should be grateful for our labor because it helps us become who we are called to be. As Pope John Paul II put it, “Work is a good thing for man-a good thing for his humanity-because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfillment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes ‘more a human being.’” What is he talking about fulfillment as a human being? To be honest, I do not always feel fulfilled dragging myself out of bed in the morning to labor another day. Give me another hour of sleep or two. But I think we can see goodness in our work, if we really think about our own experience. As a society we recognize and celebrate those who work. Not being forced to work, not told what to do, those are evils, but willingly giving our strength and mental acuity to make a better world for ourselves, our families, and our fellow man. Those are goods that we should celebrate.
The struggle I think in our culture today, is not so much that our money does not go as far as it used to, try buying a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. No, the real struggle is that we as a culture have lost our sense that our lives have purpose beyond our own entertainment. We are not created for our own selfish ambitions or our own materialism. Thus our labor has a meaning, or should have meaning, beyond our own bellies. It's not, I worked hard, now I can enjoy my 60” television. Wait a minute- my neighbor just bought a 70” television. The problem with endless materialism is you can never keep up, you can never have enough or be satisfied. Labor becomes just chasing an endless empty dream. What we all should do on this labor day, is be thankful not for what we have, not for our toys, but for our health, our strength, our minds, and even our sweat. We all know our lives are passing, and one day all of us, if we live long enough, will look back and wish we had one more day to work. Think about that for a minute. If you complain about your work now, remember the day will come when you will long to work. When you will wish you would have the strength to work hard again. So please enjoy your Labor day today, but tomorrow, if you are blessed and able, enjoy your work even more. Work can be a cross, but accept it in freedom, the freedom that only God can give to you. Remember, in your work you are becoming more human, not less. And if you can no longer do strenuous work, instead use your mind to work for others, the greatest work indeed. Pray for one another!
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