Homily on Matthew 13:54–58, St. Joseph the Worker

 Homily on Matthew 13:54 58, St. Joseph the Worker | Dignity of Labour, Respect for All Work, Work as Vocation  ( Thursday, the 1st of May 2025 )

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

One morning, people in a small town woke up to a foul smell. Rubbish and smelly waste were lying everywhere, in the streets, near homes, and outside shops. Flies hummed in the air, and dogs were tearing up the food waste. It was an ugly sight. People started asking, “What happened? Why is everything so dirty?”

Then someone realised the street cleaner had not come for five days. For years they had seen him sweeping the streets in the early morning. They never noticed him much, except to complain if something was left behind. Some used to laugh at him, children sometimes mocked him, and a few even threw leftover food near him without respect. To them, he was just “that man with the broom.”

But now that he was not there, they felt the weight of his absence. Mosquitoes multiplied. A few fell sick. Two were hospitalised. That is when they understood, the one they never respected was doing a job that kept their town clean and their families safe.

With difficulty, people gathered and cleaned the streets themselves. It was tiring. Their hands hurt. Some even vomited at the smell. But through this, something beautiful happened — they realised the value of work. They went looking for the street cleaner. They asked pardon and begged him to come back. And when he returned, they did not laugh but they clapped and thanked him. For the first time, they saw the man, not just his job.

In today’s Gospel (Matthew 13:54–58),  we see that Jesus came to his hometown, and people were amazed by his words, but they  could not accept him and said, “Is he not the carpenter’s son?” They looked at him and thought. How can someone from such a simple background teach us? He is just like one of us. We know his family. He used to work with wood. How can he be anything more?

Because of this attitude, Jesus could not do many miracles there. Their pride and narrow thinking blocked their faith.

This mindset still exists. Often, we respect people only by their job title.  A man wearing a tie is treated better than a man carrying a broom. But imagine this — if everyone became a doctor, who would grow our food? If everyone became a teacher, who would build our houses? If everyone wanted only office jobs, who would clean the hospitals? Every job has its own beauty, its own importance. We need each other.

Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, was a carpenter. He worked with his hands. He shaped wood. He earned his bread quietly. Jesus himself worked before he preached. The Son of God chose to sweat and toil like any other man.

In many developed countries, they have a minimum wage law. It says, no matter what work you do, you must be paid fairly for each hour. Why? Because they believe that all work has value. I once met a woman abroad who came to do laundry in a big house. She arrived in an expensive car. When I asked her about her Job, she smiled and said, “I was a teacher. Now I retired. I do this work to stay active and help the mission.  It is honest work, why should I be ashamed?” That answer touched me. We need to build that mindset. We need to tell our children, no job is low if it is done with honesty; a farmer, a tailor, a cook, a teacher, a mason, a driver, all are needed, all are important.

Work is not just for earning money. Work is how we serve one another. Work is how we imitate God, who worked for six days and rested on the seventh. When we work, whether it is farming or cleaning or managing accounts, we are building something good for others.

On this Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, and on this International Labour Day, let us change the way we look at people and their work.  Let us stop ranking jobs as ‘big’ or ‘small’ and start recognising the greatness in every honest task.  Let us honour those who work hard, especially those who go unnoticed. And let us raise our children with the courage to do any honest job without shame.

Lord, bless every hand that works with love, and help us to see Your face in every humble labourer.

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God Bless…