Today is a day that many of us in America celebrate Labor Day. Our lives are by no means as easy we would like. We forget how far we have come as a society, and Labor Day is a moment to remember. At the beginning of the 1800s, we were in the throes of the Industrial Revolution. To earn a living wage, workers had to work 12 hour days, often seven days a week. It was common for children as young as 5 to be working in mills, coal mines, and factories, earning just a fraction of what adults made.
The idea of safe working conditions had not yet made it into the mindset of those in charge, seeing workers as commodities to be used up and then replaced. Immigrants, the poor, widows, and orphans were often the targets. They were desperate to survive, and greed caused men to use their desperation to make money.
Labor unions began to form to organize workers and get them safe working environments, wage increases, and benefits. All of this culminated in the Haymarket Riot of 1886, were several police officers and workers lost their lives. Labor Day reminds us of the basic need for us to treat all people with dignity. With all that is going on in our society right now, it’s clear we need to think long and hard about how that looks and what that means.
The Church today has Jesus standing in the temple, asking the men gathered around if it’s better to do good or evil? He then proceeds to heal someone to free them from the confines of their physical limitations. The answer to those around him was to plot to kill Him. The Pharisees had become so caught up in their mental understanding and legal structures that they no longer saw the person’s need before them.
I think Jesus is reminding us today that we need to take a moment to look at those around us. To work together as a society to ensure that all people have safe working environments, living wages, and the essential ability to care for themselves and their loved ones. While the world focuses on each person’s transgressions, let us instead focus on those standing among us who have a need.
Mother Theresa reminds us of Matthew 25, by saying: “If we recognize [Jesus] under the appearance of bread,” she explained, “we will have no difficulty recognizing him in the disguise of the suffering poor.” That’s our calling as Catholics. When we gaze upon the Eucharist, we should see Jesus. Then when we go forth into the world, we should be looking for Him in the eyes of each person we meet. Especially those on the margins, those without a voice of their own.
A reflection on the readings for Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time: September 7, 2020