The Lord Jesus is working and laboring non-stop, after healing Peter's Mother in law, who was afflicted with a severe fever, and at sunset, he continued to heal people sick with various diseases, and casting out evil spirits. He also took time for some rest and solitude as the disciples came looking for him, and then he said to them: “To the other towns also, I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Last Monday, we celebrate Labor Day in our nation. After labor day, the school year begins again. Our teachers and students are heading back to school. Summer is coming to a close, as we usher in the new fall season. Many of us have enjoyed our short time of vacation, a time for R & R.

The word Labor is a word that we may not favor or like, because who among us, if we were honest, do we actually enjoy our work? Many of us probably dread going to work, especially if we don't like our co-workers, or our Boss. Certainly, some of us do enjoy work, and don't see it as work, but more so as a vocation, or a ministry.

If we go back to the book of Genesis, labor is something that was given to humanity after the fall of Adam and Eve. Labor may have been seen as a punishment upon Adam and Eve, but it could also be seen as a solution. It can be seen as a resolution, a way to keep us busy, and keep from the life of sin and trouble. Labor or work, in many ways, helps us, it enriches us, it makes us feel valuable, dignified, it makes us feel that we have contributed to something valuable to our world. So labor and work is not completely bad. You may remember the saying: “Idle hands is the devil’s workshop.” Labor and work may actually be good for us. So let's not fear work, and see it as something negative. But to actually see it as something fruitful, and joyful.

Labor Day is a time to give thanks and appreciate labor and work. Within the Church, how often we are grateful to the people who have contributed to make the liturgy possible, from priests to lay ministers, our parish staff, altar servers, musicians, Eucharistic ministers, hospitality ministers, etc. The work of the liturgy cannot be done by one person, but it is the total contribution and collaboration among many people. We also give thanks for the people who have composed our prayers and music, those who have made the furniture, those who have helped to build our church, those who have made the bread and wine, those who have made the pews, those who have designed the stained glass windows, the icons, the crucifixes, the statues.

We give thanks also for the people who work on farms so that our grocery stores are filled with food, always ready when we need it. We give thanks for the people who serve in public offices. We give thanks for people who keep us safe and protected, the police officers, firemen. We give thanks for the people who serve in the military. We give thanks for the people who provide news for us, so that we know what is happening in our world. We give thanks for all who work in the teaching profession. We give thanks for the people who work in hospitals and nursing homes. We give thanks for counselors.

We give thanks for the people who work our properties and lawn. We give thanks for all the people that help us to have cell phones, computers, television, internet. We give thanks for the people who work to provide entertainment for us, those who work in the malls, those who work in the movie theaters, those who work in the restaurants.

There are so many people that we can be grateful. Let us always be grateful to God for labor and work. Let's also keep in our prayers for those who cannot work, and those who are unemployed for one reason or another. Thank God for labor and work!