Labour Day, June 19, offers all citizens an opportunity to thank God for work, a gift that makes many other gifts possible, including the gifts that spring from the presence and support of others.

“God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favouring anyone. This is the foundation of the universal destination of the earth’s goods.

The earth, by reason of its fruitfulness and its capacity to satisfy human needs, is God’s first gift, for the sustenance of human life. But the earth does not yield its fruits without a particular human response to God’s gift, that is to say, without work… In our time, the role of human work is becoming increasingly important as the productive factor both of non-material and material wealth.

Moreover, it is becoming clearer how a person’s work is naturally interrelated with the work of others. More than ever, work is work with others and work for other: it is a mater of doing something for someone else” Centessimus Annus, art 31.

Let us pray for those who cannot find work and so are denied their right. “Work constitutes a foundation for the formation of family life which is a natural right … In a way, work is a condition for making it possible to found a family, since the family requires the means of subsistence” which work brings. (Laborem Exercens)

May God inspire and guide the men and women who dedicate their lives to ensuring that other brothers and sisters have the means to look after their needs and the needs of their families. Let us pray for past labour leaders who dedicated their lives to so noble a cause.