Saint Joseph the Worker

 

The passage from today's gospel, Matthew 13:54-58, reminds me of how church services tend to be places where we look around and see who's there. "I wonder what she's doing here?" It's like Jesus' neighbours wondering what Jesus was doing standing up at the front of the synagogue and teaching his own town folk about what sacred scripture was saying to them. One thing they had to admit was that he made a lot of sense, spoke wisely and also cured people of their sicknesses and other such miracles. But the problem was that this fellow wasn't supposed to do these things and speak with such wisdom. After all, we rank people according to status. What's more, your level of intelligence or fund of wisdom depends on where you belong within this hierarchy. Preachers and miracle workers were way up on top of the ladder and carpenters and workers were found further down the social scale.

 

But there's another thing. As the saying goes, "familiarity breeds contempt". So, even though they had to grudgingly accept that he was someone of great wisdom and special powers, "they would not accept him"! Dumb! But we do it all the time. That's why the international workers' day or St Joseph the Worker's Day is so important. It helps to expose our hypocrisy and contempt. The most formative part of my training to become a Columban missionary priest took place in the wool stores in Napier back in the 70s. During 5 of those years I used to spend my holidays working in the stores. I started off as a bin boy and then made my way up to be the leader of a stacking gang. (Even there, a hierarchy could still be found!) My fellow workers, hard cases, used to call me "bishop"! But they would have no difficulty calling me something else if I did something wrong or broke union rules. It was part of my cross-cultural training. I had to learn how to adapt myself to what was initially an unfamiliar world of people who had a language of their own. But they taught me respect for workers. Most have probably died by now. But I remember them with gratitude on this, the Feast of St Joseph the Worker and international workers day.