Word to the Wise
Monday, September 7, 2009 - Monday in the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time [Labor Day]
[Colossians 1:24 -2:3 and Luke 6:6-11]......[I]t is Christ in you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me.
We are a nation of "do-ers." One of the first questions we ask in meeting someone (sometimes before we even know their name) is "What do you DO for a living?" We have numerous expressions that reinforce this way of looking at life. "Handsome is as handsome does!" "Actions speak louder than words." "Don't just sit there! Do something!" We also celebrate this particularly with a special observance called LABOR DAY. Today's the day! Although we sometimes try to find ways to avoid admitting it, we owe a lot to the philosopher, Karl Marx, for "discovering" the profound connection between labor and identity. It is he who put a finger on the weakness of a capitalistic economic system by showing how it is dependent on the labor of millions of human persons who are never allowed to enjoy the fruits of their labor in a fair and just manner. When this happens, humans become a statistic or a commodity and not Children of God. Of course, Marx would have nothing to do with faith since he believed the Church reinforced the system that exploited human labor. The first scripture today, from the Letter to the Colossians, illustrates that faith can motivate "labor" and bring about profound things. Indeed, this is what we call "ministry!" The danger in our cultural way of looking at work is that we become so identified with what we DO, we forget who we ARE. A person who loses his or her "job" can lose a sense of purpose in life. The primary identity of being a Child of God, loved for all of his or her life, seems little consolation in the face of "unemployment." The response to a reminder of this is "I can't eat faith! My children and spouse need food, shelter, clothing, education, transportation, etc. etc." The irony in this is that we are the "product" of God's "labor" in Genesis! We are made in the image and likeness of God, but human labor is presented as a penalty for disobedience! A further irony is that we "take a day off" to celebrate "labor." (Well, of course, lots of folks will work today. Those last minute purchases for the picnic are made possible by those who run the convenience stores!) Today we can enjoy the fruits of a holiday but in our current economic downturn it is especially important to pray for all those who suffer from the loss of employment or who lack a meaningful andjustly rewarded way of making a living. AMEN
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