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August 29, 2019Weather permitting, this week from Monday afternoon until Friday afternoon, I will be joining Bishop Hartmeyer and the priests of the Diocese for our annual Retreat at Marywood Retreat Center in Florida. I am grateful to Ken Douberly for his willingness to conduct Liturgy of the Word and Communion Services on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings at 8am. I will be remembering y’all in my prayers and I trust you’ll behave while I’m away.
On this Sunday before Labor Day, we have an opportunity to reflect on what the Church teaches us about the dignity of work and the rights of workers. Labor Day is viewed by most folks as the unofficial end of Summer and we really don’t give much thought to the rights of workers, especially when the economy seems to be in such good shape. But tomorrow morning, as I offer the 8am Mass, I will have two special Labor Day intentions for which I’ll be praying. The first intention will be for my brother, Dave. At the age of sixty, he’ll be losing his job when the factory that he has been the financial officer in for a good part of his adult life will be shutting down. I pray that he’ll be able to find a new job so he can support his family. My second intention will be for those folks who work in the hospitality sector here on Tybee. Their low wages make it difficult to make ends meet, especially when there is precious little housing for low income workers on the island. I’d hope you might begin your day on Labor Day by joining me at Mass and praying for all those who struggle to make a living wage.
The Church's traditional teaching holds that wages must honor a person's dignity and ability to contribute to the common good of civil society and family well-being. As the Catechism states, "The development of economic activity and growth in production are meant to provide for the needs of human beings. Economic life is not meant solely to multiply goods produced and increase profit or power; it is ordered first of all to the service of persons, of the whole man, and of the entire human community." 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 participating in God's creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected, including the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to organizing and joining unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.
All persons can help build an economy that recognizes the dignity of every life. Business owners and managers have a duty to seek profits to ensure the stability and long-term success of their businesses. However, they also "have an obligation to consider the good of persons and not only the increase of profits." A part of this obligation is to pay a just wage, which provides a dignified livelihood for workers and their families to meet their basic needs. A just wage not only provides for workers' financial well-being, but fosters their social, cultural and spiritual dimensions as individuals and members of society.
Our Bishop’s offer a few ideas as to how we as Catholics can promote a dignified livelihood for workers:
• In the workplace, if we are business owners, managers, or supervisors, we can help ensure that our businesses and organizations are offering family wages and the dignity affirming benefits that our long Catholic tradition affirms should be available for all workers and their families.
• We can use our purchasing power to help protect human dignity. We can be educated consumers, support local businesses and ethically produced products, and let companies know when we are unhappy with their labor practices. Catholic Relief Services has a CRS Ethical Trade website where you can purchase goods from companies that value fair prices, safer working conditions, and environmentally sustainable practices at home and around the world.
• We can also join local efforts to support a just wage/family wage, which is a wage at which workers and their families can have access to what they need to fulfill basic needs and thrive. As we prepare to elect a new mayor, we can ask which candidate has a concern for affordable housing for low income wage earners here on Tybee.
And if you should be eating out tomorrow, I hope you leave a generous tip for your server. Enjoy the day. And as you leave Church this morning, please be sure to sign-up for Mary Chapin’s Farewell Potluck which will be held at the American Legion Post after the 11am Mass next Sunday. I can’t believe that her departure is at hand. Mary we are going to miss you terribly.
Fr. Jerry Ragan
