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Created, Fallen, and Redeemed
Work and the Worker
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Dear Friends in Christ,
Created, fallen, and redeemed. Those are the three fundamentals to help understand aspects of our faith. Created means that we didn’t make ourselves; that we receive our very being as a gift and that we are designed by the Creator for greater gifts. Fallen means that the gift has been lost. There is a wound to the good things that God has given us and that wound leads us away from Him. Redeemed means that the Savior has come and restored the gifts of God’s creation – and elevated them to something higher.
On this feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, we can use this template to understand work – and the importance of that humble carpenter from Nazareth.
Work is created – originally, a gift from God. Made in His image and likeness, we are His viceroys, His stewards, meant to bring creation to its full purpose, which is the glory of God. This is the original meaning of work, why He commanded us, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth.” It’s why He commissioned man to “to cultivate and care for” the Garden.
Work has been wounded by sin. Indeed, it was one of the wounds pronounced by God Himself: “In toil you shall eat its yield all the days of your life…By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread…” Human labor is now characterized by pain, exhaustion, and boredom. The application of our effort to God’s creation is now frustrated.
Work has been redeemed because God Himself became Son of that humble carpenter in Nazareth. Christ dignified human labor by taking it upon Himself. As a carpenter, He worked with wood. But His greatest woodwork was the carrying of the Cross and the offering of His life on it. The very act of redemption was itself a work.
Saint Joseph is central to all this as the man who taught Jesus how to work. God submitted Himself to Joseph to learn a trade and worked by his side for the better part of thirty years. He allowed this man to teach Him the dignity and redemptive power of work. May we allow Joseph the Worker do likewise for us.
Updates…
Praying for the next Pope…should be part of everyone’s daily plan! The conclave begins on May 7th. Here is a simple prayer to offer from now and until the Cardinals elect a new Pope.
First Friday Adoration…is the perfect time to pray for the next Pope! Please commit to keep vigil with our Lord by an hour of prayer this Friday night into Saturday morning.
Our WorkCamp teens are having a bake sale after all Masses this weekend to raise much needed funds. Cinnamon rolls, all sorts of sweets and treats and…the famous Saint James Fish Fry Carrot Cake…will be available for purchase.
Now that Lent is over…A big Thank you to all who helped us surpass our Bishop’s Lenten Appeal goal! May God reward your generosity!
You know the Nicene Creed…at least, I hope you do. Anyway, we say it every Sunday. But where did it come from and why? Come hear Steve Weidenkopf, author and frequent lecturer on church history. His talk is A Heretic, an Emperor, and the God-Man: the Story of the Council of Nicaea – Monday May 19th, at 7:00pm in Monsignor Heller Hall.
First Communion is Saturday, May 10th. Please pray for the children to receive our Lord in the Eucharist for the first time on that day!
Contractors Needed-WorkCamp is a week-long service opportunity for youth of our Parish to serve those in need throughout the Diocese. This year WorkCamp is June 21-27 in Shenandoah County. We are seeking people with home repair and maintenance skills and who are willing to commit some of their time and talents to teaching young people and improving the lives of those in need. No professional experience needed! If interested, email [email protected]
Contigo Youth Club changes children’s lives through a unique combination of faith, nature, recreation, and creative exploration. By providing a healthy environment and enriching opportunities to discover and grow, they give at-risk kids from the Bailey’s Crossroads/ 7 Corners opportunities that are off the streets and out of the confines of apartment life, opening up a world of hope. While every family contributes, tuition covers less than 25% of costs. Your tax-deductible gift can make this someone’s best summer ever! A $1500 gift covers the cost for one camper to spend 7 weeks —350 hours— at Camp Contigo this summer. You can donate online.
Christ in the Little City…on Corpus Christi Sunday! We will have our annual Eucharistic procession on Sunday, June 22nd. Please plan now to join us in processing after the Noon Mass up Park Avenue to Cherry Hill Park for Benediction in the heart of Falls Church!
Net humor
Don’t marry a tennis player. Love means nothing to them.
Through the intercession of our Lady and Saint James, may the Lord bless and keep you.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Scalia