St. John Paul II found work so important that he wrote an encyclical on the value of work entitled Laborem Exercens. In the document, St. John Paul II refernces Genesis. “The Church finds in the very first pages of the Book of Genesis the source of her conviction that work is a fundamental dimension of human existence on earth… When man, who had been created “in the image of God…. male and female”, hears the words: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it”, even though these words do not refer directly and explicitly to work, beyond any doubt they indirectly indicate it as an activity for man to carry out in the world.”
Today, as we take a rest from our labors, let us give thanks to God for the work we have to do. And if you know of someone who is unemployed, say a prayer to St. Joseph, patron of workers, for them.