Labour Day 2010 Homily

Even as we commemorate Labor Day, once again our spirits are dulled by the high unemployment, increasing foreclosures and soaring budget deficit. But, here we are in the Church and in the presence of God. Some of us are grateful that we have employment; some of us bring the pain of our struggles; some of us come seeking God’s intervention and others are here just to be in the presence of God. Does God have anything to say to us today? Is God among us and our struggles?

Gudiem et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, begins with the words, “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. (GS 1). In other words, no one feels the pain of workers today more than God does. And the church willfully aims to influence policy makers in favor of struggling populations. 

This is every well showcased in a story that I read about John Paul II. In Sept 1999, rock stars Bono of U2 and Bon Geldoff of Band Aid fame, legendary American producer Qincy Jones and economic professor Jeffrey Sachs got together with the John Paul II to discuss the debt relief of the world’s most impoverished nations during the Jubilee year. The effort was a success and nations agreed to a sweeping debt relief plan in Cologne, Germany. The US alone pledged 920 million dollars in debt relief. Bono later told the story of how he noticed the pope staring at him during their meeting. Bono became worried, thinking that his signature sun glasses were annoying the Pope. Bono removed them, but the Pope still kept staring at him. At his individual meeting with the Pope, as Bono received a rosary, Bono asked the Pope if he would like his glasses. He not only nodded but took them and put them on, and as Bono said, “ He had the wickedest smile.” Bono later said that the debt relief would not have been successful without the effort of the Pope. Bono called the John Paul “a street fighter and a willy campaigner on behalf of the world’s poor.” (Adapted from John Allen’s The Furutre Church). John Paul’s engagement with the world is characteristic of what Gaudium et Spes says about the Church in the modern world.

It is in this same spirit that that the message of U.S. bishops' annual Labor Day statement 2010, was released. The statement is titled, entitled, "A New 'Social Contract' for Today's 'New Things.'" The ‘new things’ in the title a reference to Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum (Of Things New) published in 1891. Delivering this message Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y. said: "Currently, the rewards and 'security' that employers and society offer workers in return for an honest day's work do not reflect the global economy of the 21st century…." Bishop Murphy notes that just as in 1891 the ideological split between "collectivist organization with much governmental control" and the notion that "those who owned the means of production should be free to develop markets with the most able, or ruthless, rising to prominence and wealth” was prominent, today’s ‘New Things’ includes the same ideological split, now further compounded by the problems of globalization. This complexity is addressed by Benedict VI’s, Caritas in Veritate. 

In three points I would like to lay out what the church is saying to the economic and social policymakers even as it speaks to workers, particularly those who are struggling. For this I will be relying on a 120 years of the Church’s social teachings, beginning with Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum Benedict XVI’s to Caritas in Veritate.

a) The church’s analysis on labor is grounded in the book of Genesis - our first reading for the day. Human labor, in the book of Genesis, is directed toward “tilling the garden and keeping it.” (Gen 2:15) The Catholic social teachings and successive popes have distinguished between objective labor and subjective labor. Objective work refers to the agricultural means, the industrial processes or microprocessing by which human beings make their toil felt upon the land. In the case of this homily, it would be the time that went into the composition of this homily, the prayer and reflection behind it, the actual typing and delivery of this homily. Subjective work, on the other hand, human capacity that makes the objective work possible – human reason, the power of self determination, the ability to make and execute goals and the expression of human nature through labor. In my case it would be my self-expression through this homily. It is this subjective side of work that provides the grounding for the dignity of work and human labor. This distinction allows the church to say that work is for the person nor person for work – a lesson our market economy can very well do with today.

b) Economic well being does not rest in the hands of political, social or economic ideologies. In our nation, particularly, the ideological split has intensified immensely. Some cannot wait for this government to be overthrown so that we can be on the path to sound economic recovery. For others, the economic problem we have inherited is the result of yesteryears. Some of us look today to the government for help while others think it is helping too much. Meanwhile, political ideologies – liberalism, conservatism, libertarianism and socialism – offer their own solutions. The problem lingers on as ordinary workers find themselves in the midst of a fragile and precarious economy that just refuses to ease our burdens. The truth of the fact is this – under successive governments the gap between those who control wealth and those who depend on them has only increased. The worker continues to be expendable in our global economy. It is in this context that the American bishop’s statement is important. “Workers need a new ‘social contract,” Bishop Murphy said. He called for placing the human person at the center of economic life and the need for workers to have a real voice and effective protections in economic life. The market, the state, and civil society, unions and employers all have roles to play and they must be exercised in creative and fruitful interrelationships. Private action and public policies that strengthen families and reduce poverty are needed. New jobs with just wages and benefits must be created so that all workers can express their dignity and are able to fulfill God’s call to us all to be co-creators. A new social contract, which begins by honoring work and workers, must be forged that ultimately focuses on the common good of the entire human family.”

c) The world systems must admit to the centrality of the human worker and his or her dignity. Benedict XVI makes this significant observation in Caritas in Veritate: "I would like to remind everyone, especially governments engaged in boosting the world's economic and social assets, that the primary capital to be safeguarded and valued is the human person in his or her integrity." Our solution lies in assigning to every person the dignity that comes from God. The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner, and that we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone. In this context Bishop Murphy asked some probing questions; "Could a reawakening and new development of the roles of intermediary institutions, including voluntary associations and unions, be a force to call the market to a greater understanding of the centrality of the worker?" Bishop Murphy asked. "Could they be a means to restrain, mediate or hold accountable both the state and the marketplace? Could their voices help create greater economic and social justice, a more mutually respectful and collaborative stance by all the actors toward the economy, work and wealth creation around the world?

I began this homily with the questions, “Does God have anything to say to us today? Is God among us and our struggles?” I want to say that God has been speaking and continues to speak. But is anyone listening? As we offer this Eucharist, we remind ourselves of the prayer at the preparation of gifts: “Blessed are you Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread/wine to offer. Fruit of the earth; work of human hands; it will become for us our spiritual food and drink.” May the work of our hands that we offer at this altar be blessed and acceptable to God. Amen.

- Fr. Satish Joseph