Easter Reflections
Monday, 1st May 2017.
Third Week of Easter
Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker
Acts 6:8-15;
Ps 119:23-24,26-27,29-30, (R. 1);
Jn 6:22-29.
Or Memorial Readings
Gen 1:26-2:3; or Col 3:14-15,17,23-24
Ps 90:2-4,12-14,16 (R. 17);
Mt 13:54-58.
ST. JOSEPH, MODEL FOR WORKERS
The Gospel today, speaks of a crowd that searches for Jesus, a day after the multiplication of the bread. The search was not out of love for him, but to benefit from him. Jesus gently rebukes them, taking this as an opportunity to point out the real reason they should be seeking Him. The real reason is that He wants to provide the spiritual food of eternal life.
“Are you seeking Jesus for the right reason?” Most of the times, we seek Jesus only for benefits, may be a car, a house, a good spouse, healing from sickness. Jesus warns us not to search for perishable things, but to seek the Eternal, Jesus himself.
The Church today celebrates St Joseph, the Worker. He was entrusted with the care of God's mother and God's own Son, in charge of God's household. No other person ever had such a great privilege. Joseph lived up to God's demands. He was a righteous man. What made him acceptable in the sight of God was his great faith and obedience. His hard work and love of labour, was the reflection of humility and dependence on God. Even as he enjoyed great favour from God, he did not withdraw from the manual labour.
In this sense we can point to him as the patron of all those who work, the work that is the expression of our humility and dependence on God. Today we remember the many people in the world who work hard with total dedication and commitment for the good of humankind.
Prayer: Thank you, St. Joseph for teaching Jesus to do your trade. Thank you for giving manual labour a sense of honour and holiness. May we learn to revere work and be useful for others like you. St. Joseph, in charge of God’s household, Pray for us. Amen
Prayer: Lord, I’m restless until I find rest in you. Amen.
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