JOSEPH THE WORKER
To the people of Nazareth, Jesus was known as the son of a laborer, the son of the carpenter. Yes, God’s Son born in a workman’s family, and like the young people of his time, presumably helping his father in the carpentry workshop. The readings of today also present human work as a cooperation with the creative act of God: we are stewards of creation, to whom God has entrusted the work of his hands. Let us work as stewards of one another and of God’s creation.
Reading 1: Gn 1:26B-2:3
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
29-30 Then God said, “I’ve given you
every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
And every kind of fruit-bearing tree,
given them to you for food.
To all animals and all birds,
everything that moves and breathes,
I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.”
And there it was.
31 God looked over everything he had made;
it was so good, so very good!
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Six.
2 Heaven and Earth were finished,
down to the last detail.
2-4 By the seventh day
God had finished his work.
On the seventh day
he rested from all his work.
God blessed the seventh day.
He made it a Holy Day
Because on that day he rested from his work,
all the creating God had done.
Gospel: Mt 13:54-58
When Jesus finished telling these stories, he left there, returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He stole the show, impressing everyone. “We had no idea he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise, get such ability?” But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “We’ve known him since he was a kid; he’s the carpenter’s son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?” They got all bent out of shape.
58 But Jesus said, “A prophet is taken for granted in his hometown and his family.” He didn’t do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference.
Prayer
Creative God,
when by your word
you had accomplished your creation,
you entrusted it to people
whom you had created in your image
and you said: fill the earth and subdue it.
Fill us with your Spirit, Lord,
that we may preserve the beauty and order
of your magnificent creation
and that like St Joseph
we take up the task entrusted to us
of perfecting your creation
in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Reflection
1 May 2023 – St. Joseph the Worker
John 10:11-18 Or Matthew 13: 54-58
Be shepherds with the smell of the sheep
Only three saints have more than one feast day dedicated to their honour on the Church’s liturgical calendar: The Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Joseph. Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on 1 May 1955 in response to the surge of atheistic communism after World War II. The Pope dedicated all the workers of the world to the patronage of St. Joseph. Honouring Saint Joseph, the Worker, as a true icon of human labour, was a source of comfort and strength for labourers around the world.
Unlike the revolutionaries, Saint Joseph did not have his fist raised in anger at the Roman oppressors of Judea. He was not leading a mob of Zealots to burn down the houses of the ruling class. All his concern was to provide his family with food and shelter. He taught his child life lessons to care for the neighbour and to be compassionate and merciful. And when that child grew up, he taught the world mercy, compassion, and love for God and humanity.
The Church calls us to look at Joseph and meditate on his life and the examples he sets before us. He reminds us that hard work and struggle for excellence are essential to participating in God’s creative work.
The image of the shepherd is often used in the Bible to refer to the leaders assigned to protect and lead the people. God called David “from the sheepfolds” to shepherd the Israelites.
Shepherds were often hired hands who worked for a salary. They had no emotional attachment to the flock and fled in the face of danger. They were not interested in the fate of the sheep but only in the salary.
But, the Scriptures also use the image of the shepherd who guides, protects and nourishes his people; “he gathers the lambs in his arms, and gently leads those that are with young”.
Jesus’ statement, “I am the good shepherd,” with which today’s Gospel begins, refers explicitly to the fulfilment of this prophecy. He is the fighter who, at the cost of his own life, confronts anyone who endangers the sheep. He has the figure of David, who fought the lion and the bear to save his sheep. He pursued and knocked them down and rescued the victim from their mouth. Jesus undertakes a more dangerous mission to rescue his sheep, his people, by willingly offering his life for them.
Love knows no boundaries. Whoever has a heart like Jesus, does not count the cost; they do not stop in the face of any obstacles, risks and sacrifices. St. Joseph lived his call to shepherd his family, even risking his life. May he intercede for us to be shepherds with the “smell of the sheep.”