The Carpenter's Son

Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker
01 May 2009



The love of one's labour in the workplace.

First Reading - Genesis 1:26 - 2:3
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in creation.

Gospel Reading - Matthew 13: 54-58
Coming to His own country Jesus taught them in the synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brethen James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?" And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Reflection
by Grace Madrinan

In today’s Gospel, Jesus did not feel welcome in His hometown when He came to preach at the synagogue. The people doubted His ability given that He is just the carpenter’s son. But what’s wrong with being a carpenter’s son anyway? What were they thinking!? Because of their lack of faith, they missed the opportunity to witness the greatest miracles and be blessed by the teachings of no other than the Messiah Himself.

Unfortunately, even in our current times, we often hear these stories where people were not recognized in their own country. Then later, we are surprised with the news of how big they have become in the international scene – the likes of singing artists who lost in the competition here but wowed the whole world, or maybe an individual who made a great invention here but was given credit elsewhere. And now, instead of us benefiting from their great minds and talent, they are no longer ours – and we lose them to other parts of the world.

What this tells me is that even from the olden times up to the present, we have failed to recognize the nobility of other people’s actions or talents, just because they did not fit the mold of what we think is ideal. We tend to look for a reason or justification of their gift or actions, and when we can’t find it - we doubt it. We need to realize that some gifts or talents are innate, as much as generosity is God’s nature.

Today, we are celebrating the Feast of St. Joseph, the Worker. Let us give him due recognition for being a good provider, a good husband to Mary and a good father to Jesus. His story may not have been as elaborately defined in the Bible, but his obedience to the Father led to the fulfillment of many of God’s plans. It is definitely a genuine act we must mirror in our lives.







Father, teach us to appreciate the good works of our brothers and sisters. Grant us that we may remain faithful to our tasks as St. Joseph did for his family. Amen.