St. Joseph the worker

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Wednesday, 1 May 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, in conjunction with the secular celebration and commemoration of the May Day or Labour Day in many countries, celebrated on the first day of May each year. On this day we remember the workers in our midst, all of us who are working, labouring and toiling each day for our livelihood in various ways, in our respective areas in life, in whatever we are doing in this world to sustain ourselves, our families and our loved ones, and we unite all these efforts and works, with the great role model for all workers, that is St. Joseph himself, the Patron of all workers and all those who work hard to make ends meet for themselves and their loved ones.

St. Joseph, the foster father of Our Lord and Saviour, as His protector and guide was also a carpenter, who was hardworking and upright in his life and works. St. Joseph was not described much in the Gospels but according to what was available and to Apostolic tradition, he was a righteous man who dedicated himself to his family, and he was honest in his dealings, as a role model for his family and for the people all around him. At that time, being a carpenter was not an easy thing to do, as this job often required a lot of physical work and effort while at the same time, carpenters were often looked down upon by many people because it was considered as a menial and hard work, deemed as a job for the uneducated and poor people.

However, arguably St. Joseph was way better and more exemplary in his life than all those so-called educated and intelligent elites of the society, such as the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who dominated the politics and the community of the people of God at the time. While the latter disobeyed and disregarded God’s Law and commandments to satisfy their own desires and worldly ambitions, resisting the works and the words of the Lord Himself, preferring to keep on their own understanding and interpretation of the Law of the Lord, St. Joseph quietly listened to the Lord and obeyed, doing whatever he had been tasked and entrusted to do, humbly and without much noise or complaining, even when he was faced with a lot of difficulties.

For example, when St. Joseph had to protect the Holy Family, the Lord and His mother Mary from the great dangers facing them immediately after He was born, he had to take care of them and bring them away from the land of Judea, and into exile in Egypt away from those who sought to kill Him, just as earlier on he had to help the heavily pregnant Mary to find a place to stay in as she was about to give birth in Bethlehem during the census. Yet, despite all these things and all the hardships that he had to bear and endure, he did all of them quietly and faithfully, entrusting everything to the Lord and doing whatever he could in fulfilling what he had been entrusted to do. St. Joseph was a man of action and in all of his actions he always made sure that God is always at the centre of them all.

This is why St. Joseph is truly a great role model for all of us, as a faithful disciple and follower of the Lord, as a righteous and upright man, as a good and hardworking person, dedicated in whatever he does, so that in all that he had done, he always did them with grace and love, in remaining humble and unassuming in all things, allowing himself to be a great role model and inspiration to everyone else, in showing us all how we can live our lives worthily of the Lord and be the inspirations for others. By his labours and hard works done with righteousness and justice, St. Joseph showed us that it is truly better for us to do what is right and just in our actions and remain worthy in the eyes of the Lord rather than to gain the glory and riches of the world and yet losing our souls to the darkness of sin and evil. That is why we should follow his good examples.

Now, let us examine our Scripture passages carefully that just as St. Joseph had shown us through his actions and works, we may also be better able to live our lives worthily in the Lord at all times. In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which the arguments that happened between the Apostles and the members of the Church who proposed the imposition of the strict Jewish laws and customs upon all the faithful were told to us. At that time, the Church was growing rapidly and many people from both the Jewish community and diaspora as well as from the non-Jewish peoples, or the Gentiles, came to believe in the Lord and followed Him. However, some of them disagreed in the manner how they should live as disciples and followers of the Lord.

Some of the disciples came from among the Jewish elites like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were very particular and strict regarding the Law of God and the practices as revealed and passed down through the generations of many Israelites from the time of Moses. However, those practices would have made it rather difficult for many among the non-Jewish peoples to follow the Lord because of the cultural differences, obstacles and context of the time. But the two Apostles, St. Paul and St. Barnabas, who had ministered and proclaimed the Word of God among the Gentiles spoke up courageously and firmly against those who sought to impose false ways on the Church and the people of God. They laboured faithfully among the people in the mold of St. Joseph himself, in doing God’s good works and obeying His will, not for their own glory but for the greater glory of God.

Ultimately, they also carried out the good works of the Lord, Who had molded this world in the image that He had imagined for it. The Lord Himself was also often described as a Potter, as the Scriptures quoted Him as a Potter before, and like a carpenter such as St. Joseph, God sent out His servants into this world so that through each and every one of them might bear God’s truth and love to the world, and bring everyone ever closer towards Him. Through His countless efforts and works He made through His Apostles and disciples, and through His saints like the great St. Joseph, Holy Patron and Protector of workers, He has shaped us and our lives, and brought us all into this great Church, the great Ark through which He has gathered all of us much like what Noah had done, to bring us all out of the darkness and certainty of destruction into a new life and existence with Him.

Brothers and sisters, as we reflect upon the words of the Scriptures that we have heard today, and as we look upon the examples of St. Joseph, and also the Holy Apostles and the many other holy saints, holy men and women of God, let us all therefore be inspired by their examples and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord our God in all things. In all of our labours and works, let us always remind ourselves to do everything not for our own personal ambitions and desires, but instead seek to proclaim the truth and glory of God. We should also always be honest, righteous and good in all of our actions, words and deeds, to be exemplary in our faith at all times, following in the footsteps of St. Joseph the Worker.

May the Risen Lord continue to guide and strengthen us in all of our resolve and efforts so that we may continue to do great works for the glory of God and for the good of His people. May God be with us always, and may He empower and bless the Church, all of us, in all the things we say and do, now and always, forevermore. Holy Patron, St. Joseph the Worker, pray for us all to the Lord. Amen.

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Wednesday, 1 May 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 15 : 1-8

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the True Vine and My Father is the Vinegrower. If any of My branches does not bear fruit, He breaks it off; and He prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit.”

“You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you. Live in Me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you do not remain in Me. I am the Vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in Me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from Me you can do nothing.”

“Whoever does not remain in Me is thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burnt. If you remain in Me and My words in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit : it is then that you become My disciples.”

Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Matthew 13 : 54-58

At that time, Jesus went to His hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did He get this wisdom and these special powers? Is He not the carpenter’s Son? Is Mary not His mother and are James, Joseph, Simon and Judas not His brothers? Are not all His sisters living here? How did He get all this?” And so they took offence at Him.

Jesus said to them, “The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family.” And He did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

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Wednesday, 1 May 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 121 : 1-2, 3-4a, 4b-5

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” And now we have set foot within your gates, o Jerusalem!

Jerusalem, just like a city, where everything falls into place! There the tribes go up.

The tribes of the Lord, the assembly of Israel, to give thanks to the Lord’s Name. There stand the courts of justice, the offices of the house of David.

Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Psalm 89 : 2, 3-4, 12-13, 14 and 16

Before the mountains were formed, before You made the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity – You are God.

You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.

So make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. How long will You be angry, o Lord? Have mercy on Your servant.

Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. Let Your work be seen by Your servants and Your glorious power by their children.

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Wednesday, 1 May 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 15 : 1-6

Some persons who had come from Judea to Antioch were teaching the brothers in this way, “Unless you are circumcised according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Because of this there was trouble, and Paul and Barnabas had fierce arguments with them. For Paul told the people to remain as they were when they became believers. Finally those who had come from Jerusalem suggested that Paul and Barnabas and some others go up to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with the Apostles and elders.

They were sent on their way by the Church. As they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they reported how the non-Jews had turned to God, and there was great joy among all the brothers and sisters. On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, the Apostles and the elders, to whom they told all that God had done through them.

Some believers, however, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, stood up and said that non-Jewish men must be circumcised and instructed to keep the law of Moses. So the Apostles and elders met together to consider the matter.

Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Genesis 1 : 26 – Genesis 2 : 3

God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, to Our likeness. Let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over the wild animals, and over all creeping things that crawl along the ground.” So God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, over every living creature that moves on the ground.” God said, “I have given you every seed bearing plants which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree that bears fruit with seed. It will be for your food. To every wild animal, to every bird of the sky, to everything that creeps along the ground, to everything that has the breath of life, I give every green plant for food.” So it was.

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. There was evening and there was morning : the sixth day. That was the way the sky and earth were created and all their vast array. By the seventh day the work God had done was completed, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day He rested from all the work He had done in His creation.

Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Colossians 3 : 14-15, 17, 23-24

Above all, clothe yourselves with love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. May the peace of Christ overflow in your hearts; for this end you were called to be one body. And be thankful. And whatever you do or say, do it in the Name of Jesus, the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, working for the Lord, and not for humans. You well know, that the Lord will reward you with the inheritance. You are servants, but your Lord is Christ.

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Monday, 1 May 2023 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, the Patron saint of all workers and all those who labour in this world, in conjunction with the secular celebration of the Labour Day or May Day. This Feast was instituted by the great Pope Pius XII in the year of 1955, during the time when the threat of Communism was rising everywhere in the world, with many Christians and people all around the world oppressed by Communist regimes and governments, and others yet having dangerous Communist movements and uprisings that were aiming to destroy the Christian faith, the Church and the belief in God. The atheistic Communists thought that they could overcome God and His Church, but the Lord showed them through this Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, that their belief and understanding of labour was truly flawed and inadequate, and one that the world should be wary about.

As compared to the soulless, empty and futile celebration of human and worldly labour in the Labour and May Day commemorations, and the glorification of worldly achievements and desires, which is the way how the Communists and the secular world tend to celebrate this day, and for the former which focused a lot on the matter of class struggle between the workers against the so-called more privileged classes, the true commemoration of labour and work as we celebrate today is not by focusing on ourselves and on our worldly achievements. Instead, St. Joseph as the Patron of the whole Universal Church, the foster-father of Our Lord and Saviour, is also the role model and patron for all the workers of the world. In his virtues and inspirational way of life, serves as a good example and shining beacon to help and guide us down the right path in life.

St. Joseph in his dedication to the Lord, his righteousness and virtues, and in his simple but honest living as a humble and unassuming carpenter in his village of Nazareth, is the perfect role model for all of us as Christians in our work life and ethics. Instead of the endless pursuits of worldly desires, achievements, ambitions and other forms of desires and pleasures of this world, as is common in our world today, as it has been in the past, St. Joseph showed us all what true workmanship is like, and he also reminds us what our labours and works are actually for. Many of us did not understand and realise what we should be doing in reconciling and harmonising our Christian faith with our work life and ethics. St. Joseph, the holy patron of the Church and all workers is our perfect guide to help and guide us down the right path, that we do not end up falling into the wrong ways in this life.

The job of a carpenter is a tough and often unappreciated one. Carpenters were important then as it is today because they made the important tools required in many aspects of life, especially in agriculture and husbandry, in taking care of the crops and the animals. However, despite the importance of the carpenter’s role, nobody usually remembered or thanked the carpenter, and they were usually treated with indifference, or even contempt and disgust. Carpenters were looked down upon and considered as a low-paying job and one that did not bring about prestige and good living. Yet, without them and their works, the society could not have survived or functioned properly as it was. St. Joseph, amidst all these, worked humbly, lived righteously and justly, and became a great role model and father figure not only for Our Lord Jesus Christ, His foster Son, but also to all of us as Christians.

In today’s Scripture readings, we heard of the works that the Lord our God, our Creator and Master Himself had done, in making us and in bringing us to life. In our first reading today, from the Mass of St. Joseph, we heard of the account of the creation of Man, how God made our first forebears and then placed everything under our care, stewardship and dominion, and then rested from all of His labours at the end of His work. In that passage, we can clearly see how the Lord’s own works in creating the world is also likened to that of a craftsman, and a carpenter. God is indeed the One Who had crafted and made the world, and He had patiently created us all, cared for us and provided for us all throughout despite our constant rebelliousness and unwillingness to listen to Him and obey His Law and commandments. Like St. Joseph, who as a carpenter, was looked down upon, we tend to do the same to the Lord as well, ignoring and abandoning Him, and only remembering Him when we have need of Him.

Not only that, but the Lord Himself has willingly then come down upon us as we all know it, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, sent into this world. He was born of His mother Mary, and became the Son of a humble and upright carpenter, St. Joseph himself. From St. Joseph, the Lord likely learnt the virtue of obedience and also other good and virtuous values and deeds, which we ourselves should take heed of and follow as well in our own lives. This same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, would go on to bear His Cross, bearing the whole burden of our many and innumerable sins and punishments due to those sins, obediently following the will of His heavenly Father, and doing all just as how His foster father, St. Joseph, the model of all workers, has shown and taught Him earlier on in His life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired as well by the good examples showed by St. Joseph, holy worker and man of God, in all of his righteousness and virtuous life. Let us all commit ourselves to the Lord anew in the same manner as St. Joseph had committed himself, and let us all come closer to the Lord and carry on living our lives in the best way possible, as virtuous and faithful Christians, in doing God’s will and in living our lives to the best of our ability, in proclaiming God’s love and truth in our respective communities, now and henceforth. Each and every one of us have our part to play as Christians, to be exemplary and faithful in our daily living, and to inspire each other to walk ever more faithfully in God’s Presence, to live as how St. Joseph had once lived his life, with virtue and devotion to God. Let our work glorify the Lord and not for our own personal glorification or for the pursuit of our own selfish ambitions.

May the Risen Lord continue to bless each and every one of us, and guide us in our works and ministry, and with the intercession from St. Joseph, His foster father, the patron and model of all workers, may all of us who labour and work continue to be reminded to do our work in accordance with God’s will and in line with our Christian faith and beliefs, and to carry on our works with consideration and care for others all around us. May God be with us all and with His Church, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 1 May 2023 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 10 : 1-10

Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. Not so the hired hand, or any other person who is not the shepherd, and to whom the sheep do not belong. They abandon the sheep as soon as they see the wolf coming; then the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep. This is because the hired hand works for pay and cares nothing for the sheep.”

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. Because of this, I give My life for My sheep. I have other sheep which are not of this fold. These I have to lead as well, and they shall listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, since there is one Shepherd.”

“The Father loves Me, because I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down freely. It is Mine to lay down and to take up again : this mission I received from My Father.”

Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Matthew 13 : 54-58

At that time, Jesus went to His hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did He get this wisdom and these special powers? Is He not the carpenter’s Son? Is Mary not His mother and are James, Joseph, Simon and Judas not His brothers? Are not all His sisters living here? How did He get all this?” And so they took offence at Him.

Jesus said to them, “The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family.” And He did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

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Monday, 1 May 2023 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 41 : 2-3 and Psalm 42 : 3, 4

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for You, o God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I go and see the face of God?

Send forth Your light and Your truth; let them be my guide, let them take me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You reside.

Then will I go to the Altar of God, to God, my gladness and delight. I will praise You with the lyre an harp, o God, my God.

Alternative Psalm (Mass of St. Joseph)

Psalm 89 : 2, 3-4, 12-13, 14 and 16

Before the mountains were formed, before You made the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity – You are God.

You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.

So make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. How long will You be angry, o Lord? Have mercy on Your servant.

Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. Let Your work be seen by Your servants and Your glorious power by their children.

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Monday, 1 May 2023 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 11 : 1-18

News came to the Apostles and the brothers and sisters in Judea that even foreigners had received the Word of God. So, when Peter went up to Jerusalem, these Jewish believers began to argue with him, “You went to the home of uncircumcised people and ate with them!”

So Peter began to give them the facts as they had happened, “I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when, in a trance, I saw a vision. Something like a large sheet came down from the sky and drew near to me, landing on the ground by its four corners. As I stared at it, I saw four-legged creatures of the earth, wild beasts and reptiles, and birds of the sky.”

“Then I heard a voice saying to me : ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat!’ I replied, ‘Certainly not, Lord! No common or unclean creature has ever entered my mouth.’ A second time the voice from the heavens spoke, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call unclean.’ This happened three times, and then it was all drawn up into the sky. At that moment three men, who had been sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were staying.”

“The Spirit instructed me to go with them without hesitation; so these six brothers came along with me and we entered into the man’s house. He told us how he had seen an Angel standing in his house and telling him : ‘Send someone to Joppa and fetch Simon, also known as Peter. He will bring you a message by which you and all your household will be saved.”

“I had begun to address them when suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them, just as it had come upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said : ‘John baptised with water, but you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ If, then, God had given them the same gift that He had given us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to resist God?”

When they heard this they set their minds at rest and praised God saying, “Then God has granted life-giving repentance to the pagan nations as well.”

Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Genesis 1 : 26 – Genesis 2 : 3

God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, to Our likeness. Let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over the wild animals, and over all creeping things that crawl along the ground.” So God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, over every living creature that moves on the ground.” God said, “I have given you every seed bearing plants which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree that bears fruit with seed. It will be for your food. To every wild animal, to every bird of the sky, to everything that creeps along the ground, to everything that has the breath of life, I give every green plant for food.” So it was.

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. There was evening and there was morning : the sixth day. That was the way the sky and earth were created and all their vast array. By the seventh day the work God had done was completed, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day He rested from all the work He had done in His creation.

Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Colossians 3 : 14-15, 17, 23-24

Above all, clothe yourselves with love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. May the peace of Christ overflow in your hearts; for this end you were called to be one body. And be thankful. And whatever you do or say, do it in the Name of Jesus, the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, working for the Lord, and not for humans. You well know, that the Lord will reward you with the inheritance. You are servants, but your Lord is Christ.

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Saturday, 1 May 2021 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we mark the occasion of the celebration of the feast of St. Joseph the Worker which falls on the first day of May every year. On this day, which is also celebrated as May Day or Labour Day by secular organisations and governments all around the world, we remember the nature of Christian work and charity as highlighted in the role model of all Christian workers, that is St. Joseph, the foster-father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was a carpenter in the small town of Nazareth.

St. Joseph was the model of virtue for all Christians, of obedience and righteous living and as a simple, humble carpenter, he led a mostly unassuming life in a small, unassuming town of Nazareth, in Galilee at the peripheries of the Jewish world and community at that time. As a carpenter, he was often overlooked and ignored, needed by the community but often unappreciated and disregarded by them in general, as carpenter was considered as the job of the illiterate and the uneducated, skilled but without much power and influence, or fame and glory.

That is why when the Lord came to Nazareth, His own hometown to reveal to the people there, His own townspeople regarding the truth that He has brought into this world, He was ridiculed and rejected, as the people there pointed out how He was just the Son of the village carpenter, a lowly person without much pedigree and status, and therefore, they ridiculed and rejected Him as such, even though He truly had spoken in such great wisdom and authority and done many wonderful deeds before them and across all of Galilee.

That brings us therefore to the reality of our world today, brothers and sisters in Christ, a world where workers all over the world are often under-appreciated and under-provided, treated badly and subjected to horrible working conditions and being treated unfairly, while those who manipulated and exploited them had free reign in doing whatever they wanted in order to maximise profits for themselves and to enjoy the fruits of those who have laboured under them without fair compensation and treatment.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are called in our own respective lives to reflect on the realities of our world’s working community and the well-being of workers in general. We are called as employers and those who are in the position of influence and power to be fair in how we treat our fellow men, and not to treat those whom God had entrusted to be under our authority and guidance without justice. And as those who are working, and are labouring, we are also called to be just and virtuous ourselves, that we treat one another with respect, and also obey the good rules and laws of our employment.

Today, as Christians, all of us as part of the same Christian community, assembly of all the faithful, are called to be more like St. Joseph in how we live our lives, as humble and God-centred people, as those who place God as the focus of our respective lives and obey His will and His laws as we carry on living our lives and doing whatever we can throughout life in order to fulfil our obligations as Christians, to be good role models for one another and to be faithful witnesses and disciples of Our Lord through our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us also take some time to reflect on how we are going forward in our lives and balancing our work obligations, our commitments in life, and most importantly our faith life and relationship with God. It is too often that many people have been so absorbed into their work and career that they ended up forgetting that their work and career is only a means to an end. Instead, they allow those things to control them and enslave them to their own desires and ambitions.

Let us all not lose sight of our true focus on life, brothers and sisters, that is the Lord, our God. He is the true centre of our lives, the reason of our very existence, and why we labour daily in order to glorify His Name by our works, and proclaim His truth through our exemplary faith and dedication. Let us all be the pillars of virtue and justice as St. Joseph, the righteous and virtuous Worker had shown us, as a most devoted servant of God and as the Protector of the Church.

Let us ask St. Joseph for his constant intercession, for all of us working out there, and especially for those who are on the forefront of the struggle against the pandemic, all of our frontline healthcare workers, who toiled daily, day and night to care for the need of those who are sick and suffering. Let us ask him to pray for the sake of all those who have also been exploited and manipulated for their work without fair treatment and justice, that God may recourse them and protect them in their hour of need.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He strengthen each and every one of us, to be His most faithful disciples, doing our respective work and duties in life, first and foremost as Christians, and living our lives genuinely with faith, in our working places and within each and every one of our communities. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 1 May 2021 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 7-14

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If you know Me, you will know the Father also; indeed you know Him, and you have seen Him.”

Philip asked Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough.” Jesus said to him, “What! I have been with you so long and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever sees Me sees the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?”

“All that I say to you, I do not say of Myself. The Father Who dwells in Me is doing His own work. Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; at least believe it on the evidence of these works that I do. Truly, I say to you, the one who believes in Me will do the same works that I do; and he will even do greater than these, for I am going to the Father.”

“Everything you ask in My Name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Indeed, anything you ask, calling upon My Name, I will do it.”

Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Matthew 13 : 54-58

At that time, Jesus went to His hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did He get this wisdom and these special powers? Is He not the carpenter’s Son? Is Mary not His mother and are James, Joseph, Simon and Judas not His brothers? Are not all His sisters living here? How did He get all this?” And so they took offence at Him.

Jesus said to them, “The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family.” And He did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.