Labor Day

Monday, September 4, 2023

On Labor Day weekend, intercessions for workers ought to be included in the Universal Prayer; for example:

For those who are unemployed or underemployed, for those seeking work; let us pray: (Lord, hear our prayer)
For those who work in hazardous conditions without sufficient protection, [especially during this pandemic]; let us pray: (Lord, hear our prayer)
For migrant workers and all who work the land and the waters, so we might be fed; let us pray: (Lord, hear our prayer)
For those who work in the service of their sisters and brothers; that they would not be discouraged by lack of support or progress; let us pray: (Lord, hear our prayer)
For all employers, that they may seek to provide a just work environment; let us pray: (Lord, hear our prayer)
For those who face discrimination, harassment, or abuse in the work place; let us pray: (Lord, hear our prayer)
For those who must balance job commitments with the needs of their family; let us pray: (Lord, hear our prayer)

The Book of Blessings also offers a number of opportunities. Brief pastoral visits (observing appropriate physical distancing and wearing masks) could be made to places of work, and the following rites could be used: (18) Blessing of an Office, Shop, or Factory; (23) Blessing of Technical Installations or Equipment, and (26) Blessing of Fields and Flocks.

Or, at Sunday Masses or at Mass on Labor Day itself, workers could bring the tools of their trades to be blessed, and (24) Blessing of Tools or Other Equipment for Work be used. A brief gathering outdoors after Mass might be a good way to do this. Special attention should be paid to laborers and those seeking work during the Prayer of the Faithful, as should those who are treated unjustly in the workplace, as in the examples above.