PhilTeach Blog

One of the themes of Catholic Social Teachings is the recognition of the dignity of work and the defense of the rights of workers.  These two components of the teaching are grounded in the belief that we are all made in God’s image and likeness, and as such are invited to participate in developing and supporting life.  Labor from this perspective is not seen as a punishment, but as an opportunity to be co-creators with God.  Due to this, all social and economic structures are to be respectful of, support and not impede individuals from exercising their ability to work, to contribute to the common good, and to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops summarize this teaching: “The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected–the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.” Keeping with the spirit of the teaching, Roger Cardinal Mahony, along with members representing various facets of the labor community, will be celebrating Labor Day with a liturgy at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in downtown Los Angeles (555 West Temple Street).  In addition to celebrating our calling to be co-creators, the liturgy will provide an opportunity for the cardinal to call upon all members of our community to seek solutions to the problems faced by workers.  These include workers’ struggles to obtain fair wages, the undermining of proper working conditions due to profit-driven incentives, and the ever-increasing obstacles faced by working families to obtain and maintain health care.  

LABOR DAY MASS will take place on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2009 at 10 A.M.

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From Pope Benedict XVI’s World Day of Peace message, January 1 2009:  “Faithful to this summons from the Lord, the Christian community will never fail, then, to assure the entire human family of her support through gestures of creative solidarity, not only by “giving from one’s surplus”, but above all by “a change of life- styles, of models of production and consumption, and of the established structures of power which today govern societies.”. At the start of the New Year, then, I extend to every disciple of Christ and to every person of good will a warm invitation to expand their hearts to meet the needs of the poor and to take whatever practical steps are possible in order to help them. The truth of the axiom cannot be refuted: “to fight poverty is to build peace.”