With a Father's Heart – Ann Gotfryd

May 1^st is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

In his letter, With A Father’s Heart, Pope Francis draws a parallel between Joseph and the ordinary, usually overlooked workers: shopkeepers, cleaning crews, nurses, transit and delivery drivers, who have played such an important role in our survival this past year. The Pope writes:

Each of us can discover in Joseph—the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet, and hidden presence—an intercessor, a support, and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all (PATRIS CORDE).

In this year dedicated to St Joseph, when workers everywhere have struggled because of the pandemic, we have an even greater need of Joseph’s intercession.

So today let us pray that all workers may find satisfaction and economic security in their jobs and that workplaces become safe, healthy, and inviting environments. We ask St. Joseph who “did not look for shortcuts, but confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it” (PATRIS CORDE) to pray for us as we recover from the pandemic. May we imitate Joseph’s virtues and zeal by cooperating with God to build a new society that is just and in right relationship with all of creation.