Dear brothers and sisters, Good Day!,
Today, May 1st, we
celebrate Saint Joseph the Worker and begin the month traditionally dedicated
to Our Lady. In our encounter this morning, I want to focus on these two
figures, so important in the life of Jesus, the Church and in our lives, with
two brief thoughts: the first on work, the second on the contemplation of Jesus
1. In the Gospel of
St. Matthew, in one of the moments when Jesus returns to his town, to Nazareth,
and speaks in the synagogue, the amazement of his fellow townspeople at his
wisdom is emphasized, and the question they ask: "Is not this the
carpenter's son? "(13:55). Jesus comes into our history is among us, born
of Mary by the power of God, but with the presence of Saint Joseph, the legal
father who cares for him and also teaches him his work. Jesus is born and lives
in a family, in the Holy Family, learning the craft of carpenter from Saint
Joseph in his workshop in Nazareth, sharing with him the commitment, effort,
satisfaction and also the difficulties of every day.
This reminds us of
the dignity and importance of work. The book of Genesis tells us that God
created man and woman entrusting them with the task of filling the earth and
subduing it, which does not mean exploiting it, but nurturing and protecting
it, caring for it through their work (cf. Gen 1:28; 2 15). Work is part of
God's loving plan, we are called to cultivate and care for all the goods of
creation and in this way participate in the work of creation! Work is
fundamental to the dignity of a person.
Work, to use an image,
"anoints" us with dignity, fills us with dignity, makes us similar to
God, who has worked and still works, who always acts (cf. Jn 5:17); it gives
you the ability to maintain ourselves, our family, to contribute to the growth
of our nation. And here I think of the difficulties which, in various
countries, today afflicts the world of work and business; I think of how many,
and not just young people, are unemployed, many times due to a purely economic
conception of society, which seeks selfish profit, beyond the parameters of
social justice.
I wish to extend an
invitation to solidarity to everyone, and I would like to encourage those in
public office to make every effort to give new impetus to employment, this
means caring for the dignity of the person, but above all I would say do not
lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost
faith and was able to overcome them, in the certainty that God never abandons
us.
And then I would
like to speak especially to you young people: be committed to your daily
duties, your study, your work, to relationships of friendship, to helping
towards others; your future also depends on how you live these precious years
of your life. Do not be afraid of commitment, of sacrifice and do not look with
fear towards the future; keep your hope alive: there is always a light on the
horizon.
I would like to add
a word about another particular work situation that concerns me: I am referring
to what we could define as "slave labor", the work that enslaves. How
many people worldwide are victims of this type of slavery, in which the person
is at the service of his or her work, while work should offer a service to
people so they may have dignity. I ask my brothers and sisters in faith and all
men and women of good will for a decisive choice to combat trafficking in
persons, which includes "slave labor".
2. In reference to
the second thought: in the silence of daily events, St. Joseph, together with
Mary, have one common center of attention: Jesus. They accompany and nurture,
with commitment and tenderness, the growth of the Son of God made man for us,
reflecting on everything that happened. In the Gospels, St. Luke twice
emphasizes the attitude of Mary, which is also that of St. Joseph: "She
kept all these things and pondered them in her heart" (2,19.51).
To listen to the
Lord, we must learn to contemplate, feel His constant presence in our lives and
we must stop and converse with Him, give him space in prayer. Each of us, even
you boys and girls, young people, so many of you here this morning, should ask:
how much space do I give to the Lord?
Do I stop to talk
with him? Ever since we were children, our parents have accustomed us to start
and end the day with a prayer, to teach us to feel that the friendship and the
love of God accompanies us. Let us remember the Lord more in our daily life!
And in this month of
May, I would like to recall the importance and beauty of the prayer of the Holy
Rosary. Reciting the Hail Mary, we are led to contemplate the mysteries of Jesus,
that is, to reflect on the key moments of his life, so that, as with Mary and
St. Joseph, He is the center of our thoughts, of our attention and our actions
.
It would be nice if,
especially in this month of May, we could pray the Holy Rosary together in the
family, with friends, in the parish, or some prayer to Jesus and the Virgin
Mary! Praying together is a precious moment that further strengthens family
life, friendship! Let us learn to pray more in the family and as a family!
Dear brothers and
sisters, we ask Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary, who teach us to be faithful
to our daily tasks, to live our faith in the actions of everyday life and to
give more space to the Lord in our lives, to stop to contemplate His face.
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