Monday - Labor Day

 Today is Labor Day, a civil holiday, which honors human labor.

In the beginning, man’s work was not to be toilsome nor was it a burden. The work of Adam and Eve before the fall would not have caused sweat or pain. It would have been a joy to work. It would have been easy and simple. And God would provide for their every need.

But when Adam and Eve fell, and committed original sin, the Lord God said to Adam, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, “you shall not eat of it”, cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Because of original sin, the ground is cursed, and in toil and labor Adam and Eve shall eat of it. To provide for their necessities will take sweat and toil and be a burden to them.

Man was not the only one who worked. God Himself worked, as He created the earth and the heavens in six days, but on the seventh day He rested.

Most people, if they had the choice and did not have to work-- wouldn’t work. They would choose to the freedom and luxury of resting, relaxing as long as all their needs would be provided.

In the beginning, God told man to subdue the earth and to have dominion over the fish, the animals and all living things on the earth. The earth, its creatures, and resources were to be used for man’s needs. The primary purpose of these things was for man. Man’s dominion over all these things, would come about by work.

Jesus Himself worked. He was a carpenter. His manual labor elevated labor and gave it a greater meaning. If Jesus had to work, so can we. Despite Our Lord’s work, labor would continue to be a burden and toilsome. However, on the Cross, Our Lord would give the greatest meaning and dignity to work, by His greatest work--- our Redemption.

His work of salvation was immeasurably greater than His work of creating the entire universe. It was a greater work for God to open the gates of heaven, and to save souls, than to create the entire universe. Due to the mystery of Our Lord’s suffering and death, the meaning and effect of work would cause labor to have great dignity.

The sacrifice of work, the toil and burden of it all, would take on a whole new meaning. It would become the cause for our sanctification. Now when we work and unite the toil and sufferings of work-- with the sufferings of Christ on the Cross, we become holy. When we accept the work we have to do, for the glory and honor of God, we enter into the mystery of God’s kingdom, the mystery of His will, and in fact, participate in helping to bring about His kingdom on earth, all the while, becoming sanctified by the toil and burden of work.

Today, let us give thanks to God for the blessing of human labor. May we accept the burden and toil of it, whether its cleaning the house, mowing the yard, or working for our employer, and unite it to the work of Christ-- on the Cross, that it may be the cause of our sanctification, and the bring about of God’s kingdom, on earth, as it is in heaven.