Young Bride

A young bride was extremely anxious on the day before her wedding. The priest realized she was nervous, and he asked her about it.

"I'm going to make a mess of the whole thing," she said. "There are just so many people looking at me!"

The priest broke the ceremony down into small parts. "Hey," he said. "This is your church, your family's church. You know everything about this church. So, as your dad takes you by the arm, concentrate on the aisle. Just focus on the aisle."

"OK," she said.

"Then, as you turn the corner, you'll see the altar. It's the same altar that's been here for years, and you're familiar with it. Focus on the aisle, and then the altar."

"OK," she said.

"And then," said the priest, "you'll see your groom! Just focus on him, and you're there! Focus on the aisle first, altar second, and him third!"

So, just as she'd been promised, she zoned in on the three simple steps. But imagine her Dad's feelings when he heard her saying it over and over and over, as they got closer and closer and closer . . . "Aisle, altar, him. Aisle-altar-him. Aisle-alter him!"

Give it a Try

A Mountaintop View

A police car pulled up in front of an older woman's house, and her husband climbed out. The polite policeman explained that "this elderly gentleman" said that he was lost in the park and couldn't find his way home.

"How could it happen?" asked his wife. "You've been going to that park for over 30 years! How could you get lost?"

Leaning close to her ear so that the policeman couldn't hear, he whispered, "I wasn't lost - I was just too tired to walk home."

These bodies become less cooperative as we age. For some, work becomes less fun and fun becomes more work. One older friend commented, "I've reached the age where the warranty has expired on my remaining teeth and internal organs."

But I like the spirit of Charles Marowitz. "Old age is like climbing a mountain," he says. "The higher you get, the more tired and breathless you become. But your view becomes much more extensive."

Atop the mountain, one has a better view of the world. One can see above the differences that divide people. One can better see beyond petty hurts and human fragility. Atop the mountain, one has a longer view of the past and can therefore understand the future with more clarity. Atop the mountain, one looks down on dark clouds of gloom and despair and fear and notices that they are neither as large nor as ominous as those beneath them would believe. It is also clearer that however dark they may appear, they too, are fleeting and will someday pass.

George Bernard Shaw said, "Some are younger at seventy than most at seventeen." I think it is because they have a broader outlook.

It will take a lifetime to climb the mountain, but, for me, the view will be worth the journey.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the United States we always celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday of September. Labor Day is more than an observation of the end of summer or the beginning of the football season. Created by the labor movement in 1882, Labor Day celebrates the "social and economic achievements of American workers"(US DOL). Labor Day received official government recognition by the US Congress in 1894.

The Catholic Church also has a long and distinguished history of supporting and encouraging labor movements throughout the world. Pope Leo XIII wrote a seminal document supporting labor and worker's rights, Rerum Novarum in 1891. There are six themes in Rerum Novarum that form part of today’s Catholic Social Teaching:

1. Cooperation between the classes – Labor and capital must work together (cooperate). Each has rights to be upheld and duties to society & the other classes.

2. Dignity of Work – Work should provide a decent life for workers & their families. Workers should have the right to safe working conditions and reasonable time off.

3. Just wage and worker’s associations - Right to a wage sufficient to provide a decent life for worker & family and right to unionize in order to negotiate wages & good working conditions.

4. Role of the State - State should not interfere in private/local matters, but may need to intervene for the Common Good ((Subsidiarity).

5. Private ownership of property - All have the right to own property and it must be equally available to all. Private property must be used for the Common Good.

6. Defense of the poor - Concern for and meeting the needs of the poor must be a priority not only for people of faith, but for government as well.

While many of these themes are widely assumed today, in 1891 they were revolutionary. Rerum Novarum was the first Catholic social encyclical. If you would like to read the document, go to: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html.

Last year the US Conference of Catholic Bishops published a Prayer for Labor Day. I am repeating it here for your reflection.

Prayer for Labor Day

As the sun rises to bring in the new day:

We remember those who descend into the earth,
their work begins in darkness,
pulling from the earth, the resources we steward.

We remember those who work inside a building
away from the light and brightness of the day.

We remember those who work outside in the harsh elements of our world,
the bitter cold and sweltering heat of extremes.

We remember those who do not have a job to go to,
who are struggling to meet the needs of their daily living expenses,
for whom the day becomes long and arduous.

As the sun sets to bring in the evening of rest:
We remember those who work in the night.

We remember those who are trying to recover from their labor and toils of the day.

We remember those who participate in unsafe and dangerous work.

We pray for a renewed sense of dignity in their lives and in their work.

God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the worker.

Make a place in our hearts for compassion to the men and women

who labor tirelessly for basic necessities.

Ensure a place for the men and women who are struggling to find work.

Grant us your wisdom to greet and care for those who are unable to work due to illness or circumstances that prevent their participation.

Be with the children who are not able to run and play,

but instead must put in a hard day’s work to help their family afford to eat, to live.

Be with us all, Christ Jesus,
as we go about the busyness of our work.

Hold us accountable not only for our actions,

but most importantly to each of our neighbors.

May we continue to work together to bring about your reign!

We ask this in your holy name, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

 

1 Peter 5:5-7