6 September 2015 – Labour Day
23rd
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reflection
|
First
Reading |
Proverbs
9:1-6 |
|
Second
Reading |
Ephesians
5:15-20 |
|
Gospel |
John
6:51-58 |
A
few words and phrases stood out for me in today's readings. The
phrases of the first reading, “a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do
not fear!” speak to the conflicting moods of North America and
Europe today. Our leader's are promoting a climate of fear,
especially fear of the other. Yet, there are those who are inspired
to be strong and refuse be paralyzed by fear. They refuse to give up
hope for the world. They believe things should and can be better.
The
words from today's Gospel, “‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be
opened’”, just would not leave my consciousness. Could Jesus be
speaking to us as well as the deaf and speech impaired man in the
gospel? Is Jesus asking us to open our ears and hear the cries of
the strangers, widows, and orphans asking the greed-world countries
for asylum from wars, poverty and oppression? Is He asking that we
open our ears and hear the peacemakers and climate activists pleading
for an end to the war on nature and an end to wars between and within
nations? Could Jesus be asking us to to open our ears and hear the
cries of migrants and the working poor for fair wages and working
conditions? Likewise, is Jesus asking us to loosen our tongues and
speak plainly against all that is unjust?
This
is Labour day. So today, I'll focus on labour injustice by reading
“Our Path Forward” an adapted excerpt from the Labor Day
Statement issued by Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, Chairman of
the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the U. S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops. It states:
We
share one common home as part of a larger, single family, so the
dignity of workers, the stability of families, [] the health of
communities [and the health of the natural world] are all
intertwined. The path to a renewed society is built on authentic
solidarity and rooted in faith. It rejects the individualism and
materialism that make us indifferent to suffering and closed to the
possibility of encounter.
Individual
reflection and action is critical. We are in need of a profound
conversion of heart at all levels of our lives. Let us examine our
choices, and demand for ourselves and one another spirits of
gratitude, authentic relationship and true concern. Pope Francis
reminds us that “Saint Therese of Lisieux invites us to practice
the little way of love, not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or
any small gesture which sows peace and friendship . . . [and] break
with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness” (no.
230). The changes we make to how we live and interact with each other
[and nature] can help change the world.
Yet
individual effort should not stand alone. Our faith calling to love
one another impels us to share that vision of charity and justice
with others, and to go forth and encounter those at the margins.
Through collective action and movements, we have to recommit
ourselves to our [relatives] around the world in [our] human [and
non-human] family, and build systems and structures that nurture
family formation and stability in our own homes, neighborhoods [and
in our relationship with Mother Earth]. Sufficient decent work that
honors dignity and families is a necessary component of the task
before us, and it is the Catholic way.
In
demanding a living wage for workers we give hope to those struggling
to provide for their families, as well as young workers who hope to
have families of their own someday. Unions and worker associations,
as with all human institutions, are imperfect, yet they remain
indispensable to this work, and they can exemplify the importance of
subsidiarity and solidarity in action. This Labor Day and always,
let us pray, reflect, and act, seeking to restore our work and
relationships to the honored place God has ordained for them.
Please
share your thoughts.
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