Click here to read the USCCB Labor Day 2015 Statement, written by Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, FL, and to find other Labor Day resources. Here's an excerpt of the statement:
This Labor Day, the violation of human dignity is evident in exploited workers, trafficked women and children, and a broken immigration system that fails people and families desperate for decent work and a better life. How do we participate in this wounding of human dignity, through choices about the clothes we wear, food we eat, and things we buy--most of which is unaffordable to the very workers who make it? Do we give a thought to this truth, that for our wants to be met, economic realities are created that cause others to live in ways that we ourselves would not? How can we advance God's work, in the words of the Psalmist, as he "secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, [and] sets captives free" (Ps 146:7)? These are difficult questions to ask, yet we must ask them.
On this Labor Day, perhaps Colossians 3:23-24 could be our prayer: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord, and not for yourselves. Remember that the Lord will reward you; you will receive what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real master you serve."
Finally, an often-quoted maxim of Pauline von Mallinckrodt, founder of the Sisters of Christian Charity, expresses sentiments appropriate for Labor Day. In a January 20, 1880 letter, Mother Pauline advises Sister Honorata to assist as best she can in the formation of young Sisters and postulants: "Let their hands be at work, their hearts with God."
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