Thoughts and Prayers for Labor Day

Image source: The Garden


UPDATED FOR 2015!


For folks searching for Labor Day "thoughts and prayers," I offer this holiday collection:

- A Prayer for Labor Day
- Learning About Labor Day
- Some Words about Work

A Prayer for Labor Day

O God, creator of the world,
of sun and moon and stars,
you chose to fashion us, your own,
your handiwork of love.

Indeed, we are your hands’ own work
and yet into our hands
you give the care
of every living thing.

In more ways than we can count
our work builds up
or tears apart what came
from your own hand.

Keep us faithful in preserving
all you’ve given
lest we harm the smallest part
of all you’ve made.

Give us good and honest work to do
and rest at each day’s end.
Give a fair and good day’s wage
for a good day’s work well done.

Give us work that nurtures and sustains
the ones who serve and those they serve.
Let those who labor work in peace,
in freedom without fear.

Give those in need a job to do
and to the tired well earned rest.
Let all our work and toil, Lord,
give glory to your name.

Amen.

Learning about Labor Day

This Labor Day weekend is a good opportunity for us to remember the wealth of Catholic teaching on concerns and issues related to labor and justice for workers. The Catholic Labor Network provides an excellent collection of resources on such issues with links to documents as old as the papal encyclical of 1891 and as recent as the 2009 Labor Day statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

On the long Labor Day weekend, take a few minutes to click on the link above and to read, at least, the US bishops' Labor Day statement. And here's a link to the USCCB site and their many statements on labor issues.

And some Words about Work...



Work
is what I:
do and avoid
love and hate
need and ignore
thrive on, put off
look for, hide from
want, reject
relish, despise
overdo, skip
share, possess
quit and begin...




Work
rules and frees me,
weakens and strengthens me,
separates and connects me,
empties and fills me,
annoys and gratifies me,
saps and energizes,
destroys and defines me,
dispirits and lifts me,
consumes and develops me,
ruins and saves me...

If it's not too much work for you... do you have any pairs of words about work to add?

Image source: Ebookee


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