Happy Anniversary, Myrna!!!

As Myrna and I celebrate the 24th anniversary of our marriage, I offer this version of The Four Tops presenting"Reach Out (I'll Be There)

 

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing or our work and for the many ways in which You use it to continue Your work of creation.

Reflections for Labor Day

 

As we observe Labor Day today, I offer up a prayer of thanksgiving:

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of work and the opportunity it is. Thank you for calling us to continue Your work of creation through the creative gifts you have given us. Thank you for giving us these gifts and for the many ways You guide us and encourage us in using them to minister to others in a myriad of different ways. Thank you for Your constant presence and for Your kind and loving Providence. Thank you for all Your many blessings, Lord - whether we are aware of them or not.
 

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For further reflection:

(Genesis 2:4-9, 15):

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up -- for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground -- then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.

and (Matthew 6:31-34)::

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day."

Saintly quotes that fit Labor Day:

• "Let your love for one another be constant, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be mutually hospitable without complaining. As generous distributors of God's manifold grace, put your gifts at the service of one another, each in the measure he has received. The one who speaks is to deliver God's message. The one who serves is to do it with the strength provided by God. Thus, in all of you God is to be glorified through Jesus Christ." – from 1 Peter 4
• "Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ." - Colossians 3:23-24
• "You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them." - Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
• "We must learn what God wants of us, and having learned it, we must try to carry it out, if not generously, at least cheerfully. That is not all. Even if we were destined to look after pigs all our lives, or do the most menial and lowly things in the world, we should love the will of God and the obligations it imposes upon us. No matter what state God places us in, the goal of perfection is the same. This is the goal toward which we all must aim, and whoever comes closest to that goal is the most victorious." - Saint Francis de Sales
• "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you." - Saint Augustine
• "We must never undervalue any person. The workman loves not that his work should be despised in his presence. Now God is present everywhere, and every person is His work." - Saint Francis de Sales

Other quotes that fit Labor Day:

• "Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results." - James Allen (New Zealand statesman and Minister of Defense)
• "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." - The Christophers
• "I have offended God and mankind because my work didn't reach the quality it should have." - Leonardo da Vinci
• "All work is seed sown. It grows and spreads, and sows itself anew." - Thomas Carlyle
• "God gave man work, not to burden him, but to bless him, and useful work, willingly, cheerfully, effectively done, has always been the finest expression of the human spirit." - Walter R. Courtenay (Professor Emeritus of Zoology, Florida Atlantic University)
• "There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment." - Rev. Norman Vincent Peale

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Prayer for the Spirit of Work (source unknown):

God our Father, Creator and Ruler of the universe, in every age you call us to use and develop our gifts for the good of others. With St. Joseph as our guide, help us to do the work you have asked and come to the rewards you have promised. Please grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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For further reflection:  

Pope John Paul II: On Human Work (Laborem Exercens)

Community in Mission: Labor Day Reflection: We Need One Another to Survive (2 SEP 20)  

USCCB Labor Day Statement

This Labor Day, "let us foster an economy that values the God given dignity of each person," said Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, in a statement released ahead of Labor Day. 

Echoing Pope Leo XIV in Magnifica humanitas, Archbishop Fabre offers the Catholic Church's fundamental commitment to sacred human dignity as a hopeful vision amidst a challenging economy, further threatened by artificial intelligence which is already impacting the job market. We must build a just economy for all and "listen to the experiences of workers, families, young people and communities of color as they struggle to find stability," he says. He offers encouragement saying, "As new technology reshapes our economy and our work, let us be 'builders of communion,' ensuring that innovation and development is for the benefit of all, not just a few, and that each person can contribute to the Kingdom of God through their work."

To access the complete statement, please visit:

USCCB: Labor Day Statement 2026

 

Reflection Starter from Richard Bach

"The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work." - Richard Bach

"Lord of All Hopefulness"

As we continue our Sunday celebration, I offer this version of "Lord of All Hopefulness":

 

Holy Father's Prayer Intention for September

The Holy Father's prayer intention for September is:

For the care of water: Let us pray for a just and sustainable management of water, a vital resource, so that everyone may have equal access to it.

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time The assigned readings for the Mass during the day are Ezekiel 33:7-9, Romans 13:8-10, and Matthew 18:15-20. The Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 95 (Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Psalm 95 - If Today You Hear His Voice, Harden Not Your Hearts - Francesca LaRosa

The Gospel reading is as follows:

Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Reflections related to these readings:

Community in Mission: The Obligation of Clear, Compassionate Correction of the Sinner - A Homily for the 23rd Sunday of the Year (5 SEP 26) 

Benedictine College: This Sunday, Stop Silently Watching Sinners Wound Themselves (3 SEP 26)

Word on Fire: Will the Good of the Other (Cycle A * Ordinary Time * 23rd Week)

The Pilot: Echoes: Scott Hahn: To win them back( 4 SEP 26)

Thank You, Lord

 Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of clouds.

Lucia Silecchia on Mourning and Lost Moments

"This season, with somber hearts, we mark 25 years since achingly bright September skies were filled with the horrors of an evil still incomprehensible.

"Now, that dark day lies a quarter of a century ago. Most of my students were not alive that day. If they were, most were blessed with such youth that they would have no memories of it. My prayer for these generations that follow us is that they will never know a day like that one, when the evil that mankind is capable of plays out in real time before them."

In a recent commentary , writer/Professor Lucia A. Silecchia reflected on how,  since that day, the loved ones of those lost have mourned for them even as life resumed, never the same and on how their loved ones lost all the days since then (including their joys, sorrows, hopes, dreams, good times, and hard times).

To access Professor Silecchia's complete post, please visit:

The Pilot: Echoes: Lucia A. Silecchia: Mourning and the many lost moments (2 SEP 26)

Reflection Starter from Pope Leo XIV

"Do not be afraid to sow without immediately seeing the fruits. The sowing belongs to you; the growth belongs to God. No gesture carried out in the name of Christ is useless." - Pope Leo XIV

The Vogues: "Turn Around, Look At Me"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of The Vogues presenting "Turn Around, Look at Me":