This is Labor Day weekend; a time to celebrate one last bit of summer with a day off.  For some reason, I don’t get a day off, but I hope you do!  In our Catholic Tradition, we honor the role of labor in our society.  The Catholic Church challenges businesses to treat their workers with dignity and respect and to avoid racial, sex, age, and other forms of discrimination.  This is why the Catholic Church says workers have a right to form Unions that negotiate with businesses to do so.  In addition, there are plenty of laws that mandate some of this behavior.   As Catholics, we are called to go beyond the bare legal minimum or the negotiated bargaining agreement.  We are called to see those with whom we work as brothers and sisters in Christ, who have a God-given dignity we must respect and nourish.  Sometimes it’s as simple as taking the time to greet people warmly and ask how their week is going.  At other times, it may involve sacrificing efficiency and profit in order to help an employee through a personal or family crisis or illness.  Not only is this required of us as followers of Christ, but studies show this kind of genuine warmth and caring builds stronger work relationships that is great for worker retention and positive consumer experiences.  My prayer is that this Labor Day you recommit yourself to bringing Christ with you into your workplace.  That’s the kind of labor that’s worth celebrating!

Fr. Steve Boes