Community of St. Joseph Cathedral & Holy Cross Church

09/07/2026

Why Work Matters: Catholics and Labor Day

By Russell M. Lawson

In 1894 President Grover Cleveland made Labor Day an official holiday so that all Americans could celebrate work and workers. However, Americans had begun celebrating Labor Day starting in the 1880s, during the height of the Industrial Revolution, when immigrants flocked to America to fill the growing number of low-paying jobs in city factories. Many of the immigrants arriving after the Civil War were Roman Catholics from all parts of Europe. The founders of Labor Day themselves were Irish Catholics seeking better working conditions for the millions of American workers—whole families, including children, who worked long hours in dismal, unsafe factories for extremely low wages. Although their jobs were often the worst of the worst, they knew that work was nevertheless a blessing from God and therefore should be honored.

American Catholic workers from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, looking for validity in their jobs and commensurate recognition (mostly in terms of job security and good wages), joined labor unions and other organizations to promote the cause of workers. One such promoter of Catholic work was Dorothy Day, a convert to Catholicism, who in 1933 helped to establish a movement and newspaper, The Catholic Worker, to fight for the recognition and the rights of the American worker.

There is Biblical and ecclesiastical support for the recognition of the worker, the value of work, and the rights of workers. In the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, issued under Pope John Paul II, the necessity and value of work is justified according to Biblical and Catholic doctrine. God’s work, human work, God’s Creation, and humans as creatures who work according to God’s will—these are important themes in the Bible. Adam and Eve were ordained to work, but as obedient creatures working according to God’s will rather than as creators of their own world in the absence of God. God made humans the stewards of the creation working within the guidelines, the will, of God.

There is no better source of wisdom for the value of work and no better model for the worker than the life of Jesus of Nazareth, who learned the trade of a carpenter, and practiced this trade during his life. He often commented on his role working to bring about the Kingdom of God. His life was therefore one of working with God’s creation to fulfill its potential and bring awareness of God’ love to all. These tasks are still primary to His disciples, to us, today.

The Holy Family is a model for the working family. As Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church proclaims, “the family constitutes one of the most important terms of reference for shaping the social and ethical order of human work.” Just as Joseph taught Jesus a trade, so must all parents impart to their children the realization of the importance of work in human, social, and cultural existence and in God’s plan for His creation: “Idleness is harmful to man’s being, whereas activity is good for his body and soul.”

Work is a core aspect that holds the family together both in terms of self-esteem of the different family members and the ability of the family to provide a successful and healthy standard of living. Work promotes the domestic economy of order, cleanliness, and health. It provides the material bases for these standards which, in turn, promote self-respect and family pride as well.

For this to occur, as the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church states, adequate wages must be provided for substantial quality work. The modern industrial age has often seen exploitation of the poor by means of the wealthy; the Bible and the Church teach that it is incumbent upon those participating in the economy to treat workers, no matter their status, with dignity, rewarding their toil with adequate wages, and honoring their work as part of God’s plan.

Jesus taught us that work is required for the fulfillment of God’s plan for Creation. Through work, humans care for, protect, manage, and show love for God’s creation. This Care for Our Common Home has been a frequent theme in the writings of Pope Francis. Through work, he writes in the Encyclical Laudato Si, “each community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations.”

Work is therefore not only a way to seek fulfillment in life, but also is required by God to fulfill His benevolent plan for His creation.

Photo by Spencer Scott Pugh on Unsplash

This article is made available courtesy of The Catholic Exchange.

09/06/2026

United We Stand (Matthew 18:15-20)

By Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction

“He proved that neither unity nor peace could be kept unless the brethren treat one another with mutual forbearance, and preserve the bond of concord through patience.” – St. Cyprian

Matthew 18:15-20: “If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, is between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector. I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven. ‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.”

Christ the Lord We come once again upon Christ instructing his Twelve as the end of his earthly mission draws near. He is preparing them to govern his Church. Critics accuse St Matthew of misquoting Jesus in this passage, since he references a Church organization that would not have existed until well after Jesus’ ascension into heaven. But if Christ knew of his coming passion and resurrection, would he not have known of his future Church and be able to refer to it? The context (Jesus instructing his Twelve) and the meaning (that every effort should be made to reconcile recalcitrant Christians with God and with the Church) of the passage, in any case, cohere perfectly with St Matthew’s whole series of instructions to the apostles. Likewise, the first generations of Christians never disputed Christ’s intention to build the Church upon the “foundation of the apostles” (Ephesians 2:20). Clearly, Jesus knew that the time of his earthly Lordship was ending, and he expressly transferred his authority to those he had chosen. The Church was the willed invention of Christ the Lord, not the other way around.

Christ the Teacher We must do everything we possibly can to bring one another back when we stray. We must hold each other accountable – not by arrogantly judging our brothers and sisters (we can hardly see the speck in their eyes for the plank in our own, remember), but by reaching out to them when they are in trouble. This passage follows Christ’s parable of the good shepherd who leaves his ninety-nine sheep alone in order to seek out the one who has strayed. Christ is insisting here that his ministers have the same selfless and determined attitude.

The leader of the Christian community is traditionally called a pastor, which comes from the Latin word for shepherd. Bishops are pastors of their diocese; priests are pastors of their parishes; all Christians, in a sense, are pastors of those souls entrusted to their spiritual or physical care. With this instruction, Jesus is enjoining each of us (but especially his ordained ministers, those who will carry on the ministry of his Twelve Apostles) to give everyone the attention they need, to go after the wandering sheep, and to do everything possible to bring them back into the safety of his fold.

Christ the Friend Friends like to be together. Christ likes to be with us. When we “gather in his name” (especially as a whole community in the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist, but also in less official ways), he gathers with us. When we offer our prayers as members of the one family of God, he joins his own voice to ours, insuring that they will please the Father and win his favor. The Christian community is unique; it is not based merely on common goals, hobbies, or preferences. Instead, it is a real but mystical unity brought about by Christ’s own presence among us. For this reason, a Catholic community (especially the parish) will always include all types – young and old, fervent and apathetic, pleasant and crotchety, ignorant and learned, rich and poor. As one reluctant member put it, the Catholic Church can be defined as “Here comes everybody!” That’s because Christ is a faithful friend to each of us; he plays no favorites… and neither should we.

Christ in My Life You never envisioned any of your followers going it alone. You chose your first disciples and built them into a community. Now, centuries later, that community still exists; it’s still growing and thriving, in spite of continuous attacks. I am glad to be a member of your Church, Lord. I don’t want to give into the temptation to be a loner. I want to be a Christian, now and forever, securely incorporated into your mystical body…

I have so many things on my to-do list, Lord, that sometimes I forget the most important thing: fidelity to my Christian mission of being another Christ. Your first priority was bringing people back into communion with God, showing them the Father’s love, and teaching them the way to fullness of life. Make me more aware of other’s needs – physical, emotional, and spiritual. Love them, Lord, through me…

At times, I can get a little frustrated with the humanity of your Church. But you never do. Teach me rather to see the Church as you see it. Teach me to forgive, make excuses for, and help all my brothers and sisters, not just the ones I naturally get along with. Help me to care for and love my pastors in concrete ways. Teach me to welcome them, as you always welcome me…

This article is made available courtesy of The Catholic Exchange.

09/05/2026

09/01/2026

Rekindling Romance in Your Marriage: 10 Fun Date Ideas
25 Aug 2026
- By Patrick O'Hearn

The greatest marriages always put God first, spouse second, and children third. But through the years, that order is quickly reversed. Children become the priority as schooling and sports take over. As a result, family dinner and prayer become even more difficult to maintain.

Many couples slowly drift away like two boats that were once anchored in the port of God’s love and mercy. One is drifting across the Atlantic while the other is out in the Pacific. Two worlds apart, sailing further away, with a potential divorce on the horizon. Gone are the honeymoon days and the romance that was so present before children, unless a couple fights to protect their date nights.

I remember those romantic days like yesterday. It was over twelve years ago when my wife and I got married at a small, country parish in Wisconsin. Every night was a date night before God blessed us with children. I can still see my wife laboring for a few hours to make my favorite meal after coming home from work. I remember going for walks almost every night at a different park, followed by a milkshake. Once our first child, Jude, was born, everything revolved around him. The walks continued, but the time as a couple was not there. Work demands became more intense, and finances were tighter. For several years, I spent the evenings writing books—my second job.

I remember my wife confronting me at one time. I felt like I was working my tail off to provide for our family so we could make ends meet. But deep down, she felt abandoned by me. I didn’t do it on purpose to hurt her. No, I did it because I thought providing for her was one of the clearest ways to show my love.

But my wife wanted so much more than a decent place to live or money to buy her organic food. No, she wanted me to take her into my heart. She wanted to be the top priority of our marriage after God—not my work, not our kids.

In their newly released book by Sophia Institute Press, The Marriage Gap: How to Understand and Communicate, and Meet Your Spouse’s 4 Deepest Needs, Devin and Kim Schadt discuss, among other things, six reasons for couples drifting apart. One of those reasons is when we men do not make our marriage and our wife our main priority. Consequently, as the Schadts say, “Many, many women feel that their husband’s hobbies, job, phone, friends, and projects are more important than her” (157). The Schadts are not basing these observations on their marriage alone; they interviewed many Catholic couples.

It is no secret that marriage is under attack; it has been under attack since Adam and Eve, and it will be under attack until the final couple. Why? It is because marriage was instituted by God to reflect His eternal exchange of love and self-gift. And as we know, the devil hates marriage and will do everything to destroy it. For most couples, it is not destroyed overnight but through years of drifting.

In my own research for writing on marriage, Courtship of the Saints: How the Saints Met Their Spouses, the Catholic Church sets before us many holy couples who loved each other—I dare say, madly. The reason for their love was because they loved Jesus in the Holy Eucharist with the greatest passion. They also made time for dates and romance.

And so, the following are some fun date ideas to bring your relationship back to the early days of your marriage, when you could not stand to be away from your spouse, and when a kiss was a really big deal.

Before I list some fun date ideas, the Schadts suggest keeping a consistent date night each week. It should be at the same time and same place if possible. For this article, I am recommending fun ideas for a weekly date night in the home. It is also advised that once a month, a couple go outside of the home for a date. We have been blessed to find an older lady from our parish who loves to watch our children since we have no family close by. You could also consider trading off with a close Catholic friend who has small children, too, if you want to save money. Try to focus on positive things that bring you life (your faith, your children, your joys) and not talk about all the things that can bring you down, like your budget and your worries.

Date Idea #1: Watch a clean, solid movie. My wife and I have recently gotten into watching old John Wayne films for free on YouTube. Formed has some great Catholic movies, too. Often, many libraries have free DVDs. It is also not advised to watch a movie every weekly night, as conversations are restricted.

Date Idea #2: Read a book to each other. The Marriage Gap is a book I highly recommend. My wife and I read this over the course of our date nights—not the whole date night, but parts of it—and then we discussed it. The dialogue between Devin and his wife will make you laugh and then cry! We loved it so much that we are reading it again. Saints Louis and Zélie Martin read to each other.

Date Idea #3: Dance to music, especially some slow music. Dance like it is your first dance at your wedding because you never know when it will be your last dance. Put on Pandora’s 80s love songs if you want some great tunes.

Date Idea #4: Consummate your vows and then hold your wife and just talk. Make sure the kids are asleep. As the years go by, physical intimacy tends to wane. Make it a priority. Perhaps this date idea should be listed twice to reiterate its importance. Can you imagine if a priest only celebrated Mass once a month?

Date Idea #5: Paint a watercolor image and share your artwork. It’s probably best to work separately so that the date night does not lead to friction.

Date Idea #6: Enjoy some ice cream and just sit on the couch, perhaps with some soft music in the background.

Date Idea #7: Sit out on your porch and talk about your dreams over some hot tea or a fruity drink, depending on the season.

Date Idea #8: Write down a hundred questions you want to ask your spouse and see if you can guess their responses.

Date Idea #9: Play a board game together. Sequence is one of our favorites. It doesn’t have to be an intense game.

Date Idea #10: Have a small bonfire in your backyard as you sip some wine and gaze at the stars.

A holy marriage is worth fighting for, and it begins by prioritizing it. One day, the kids will grow up. Now is the time to have the best Catholic marriage ever.

Author’s Note: For a more comprehensive framework for building, or rebuilding, intimacy, joy, and fulfillment in your marriage, check out The Marriage Gap: How to Understand, Communicate, and Meet Your Spouse’s Four Deepest Needs by Kim and Devin Schadt, available from Sophia Institute Press.

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

This article is made available courtesy of The Catholic Exchange.

08/30/2026

In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus called Peter “the rock.” Today, He calls him “Satan.” What happened?

Gospel (Read Mt 16:21-27)

In the verses preceding today’s passage, Jesus and Peter had a remarkable exchange. Peter identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God; Jesus announced that God had revealed this truth to him. On that basis, Jesus changed his name and made him head of the Church He was to build. He made a promise to preserve that Church, giving us some confidence that He wasn’t making a terrible mistake. However, in today’s reading, that confidence gets tested.

We find that “Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly…be killed and…be raised.” Peter, the newly appointed Rock of the Church, is horrified. The English translation of the Greek doesn’t give the full force of Peter’s instant and violent reaction to Jesus’ prediction of the Cross. In Greek, the verb translated as “took aside” is better rendered “took possession.” The scene was likely one in which Peter pulled Jesus forcibly to himself, by His tunic, and literally stepped ahead of Him, blocking the road to Jerusalem. We have seen Peter’s impetuosity before in this Gospel, and we will see it again. These verses demonstrate it graphically. Peter listened to Jesus only long enough to hear “suffer greatly” and “be killed.” However, when Jesus spoke these words, they described actions that were leading up to something else: the Resurrection. Peter never got that far. The thought of Jesus undergoing that kind of cruelty was too much for him: “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to You!”

We all understand this reaction, because it is so human. Still, it disturbs us to see it in the man upon whom Jesus intends to build His Church. Is this guy reliable? If our confidence in him starts to wobble, Jesus’ next words might strike it to its foundation: “Get behind Me, Satan.” What’s going on here?

We must understand why Jesus harshly calls Peter by this dreaded name. Clearly, the intention of Peter here is radically different from the temptation of Jesus by Satan, God’s enemy. As we know from the forty days in the wilderness, Satan consciously and intentionally wanted to subvert God’s plan to save the world through the humility and obedience of His flesh-and-blood Son. Earlier in St. Matthew’s Gospel, we see Satan “taking Jesus” aside, first to the pinnacle of the Temple (Mt 4:5), then to “a very high mountain” (Mt 4:8). His goal was always to tempt Jesus to repudiate the path God had ordained for Him: in His human weakness, through His own self-denial, He would rise victorious over both death and the devil. After the third temptation, Jesus says to Satan, “Be gone!” (Mt 4:10), foreshadowing the final removal of his presence and power among men.

Notice the difference in Jesus’ response to Peter: “Get behind Me, Satan.” This is a difference that makes all the difference. Jesus here is referring to Peter as Satan in a metaphorical way, as an “adversary” (the literal meaning of “satan”) who, because he is thinking as a man does (we never believe suffering is God’s plan), temporarily becomes an obstacle to Jesus. The command to “get behind Me” suggests that Peter’s problem was that he wanted to get ahead of Jesus. Perhaps he thought that his appointment as head of the Church meant he could lead even Jesus! The sharp rebuke returns him to reality. Jesus leads; the disciples, even (and especially) Peter, follow. Does this lapse nullify Peter’s role in the Church? Not at all. If it had, surely Jesus would have issued a retraction. It does demonstrate, however, that Peter still had much to learn about thinking “as God does.” He and the other apostles would have to live through the Passion in order to understand how different God’s way is from the way of man. In order to prepare them, Jesus speaks about the mystery of God’s way.

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel will save it.” This is the lesson the apostles and all followers of Jesus would have to learn. When we cling tightly to life and comfort in this world, we risk losing out on the real life God desires to give us. Peter, out of misguided love, proposed exactly that. Jesus had to correct him, out of true love, and call him back to allegiance to God’s way. As the apostles would soon learn, the path to glory, for Jesus and for us, cannot avoid the Cross. However, suffering is never the end of the story for those who are behind Jesus.

Possible response: Lord Jesus, I need Your help to really believe that when I lose my life, I find it.

First Reading (Read Jer 20:7-9)

We ought to know something about the prophet, Jeremiah, if we are to understand this reading and why it is read before our Gospel. Here is a helpful description:

“During Holy Week, the Church enters into a period devoted mainly to the commemoration of our Lord’s blessed Passion. She has appointed the prophet Jeremiah to be read in this time, because in his message he is the most ardent preacher of penance to his people, a fearless and scathing denouncer of their sin. In his life, he is the most faithful picture of the suffering Christ that exists in the Old Testament.” (Pathways in Scripture, Damasus Winzen, pg 235)

Jeremiah was called by God to warn Judah that punishment for their covenant faithlessness was inescapable. As a result of his unpopular preaching, he underwent severe suffering. In today’s reading, he brazenly cries out to the LORD that he had been “duped” into being a prophet, although he admits, “I let myself be duped.” Here he is not describing deception or dishonesty by God; rather, he believes that when God called him as prophet, there was not exactly full disclosure about how much his obedience to that call would cost him personally. Jeremiah became an outcast among His people for telling them what God wanted them to know: “All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.” As he continues to pour out his soul, he admits that he considered keeping God’s words to himself, saving himself from the suffering he was sure to incur: “But then it comes like fire in my burning heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary of holding it in, I cannot endure it.” Trying to avoid a prophet’s suffering would cause Jeremiah even more suffering. In this, he foreshadows Jesus, particularly in the heat of His response to Peter’s proposed change of God’s plan. A fire burned in His heart to do the mission He was sent to do. He could not “endure” any deviation, even when suggested by a friend who loved Him.

Possible response: Heavenly Father, I desire the courage of Jeremiah to follow Your call to me no matter the cost.

Psalm (Read Ps 63:2-6, 8-9)

The psalmist describes his desire for God as a restless “thirst,” a longing that penetrates both his “flesh” and “soul.” His most relevant observation, however, is that God’s kindness “is a greater good than life.” Jesus says precisely that in the Gospel, as did Jeremiah in his agonized soul’s outpouring. Both men understood, as the psalmist did, that life outside of doing God’s will is not real life. Jeremiah knew he would explode if he didn’t obey God’s call. Jesus knew He would fail in His work if He listened to Peter’s voice instead of God’s. The psalmist expresses this knowledge in the poetry of his prayer: “My soul clings fast to You; Your right hand upholds me.” Even though the psalmist admits that longing for God in this life can make a man painfully uncomfortable, leaving him feel “like the earth, parched, lifeless, and without water,” still he gazes toward God in His sanctuary “to see Your power and Your glory.” Together with Jeremiah, Jesus, and the psalmist, we can focus our hearts in single-minded obedience to God, no matter the cost, in the words of our responsorial: “My soul is thirsting for You, O LORD, my God.”

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again to prayerfully make it your own.

Second Reading (Read Rom 12:1-2)

St. Paul summarizes all the readings for us in the exhortation of today’s epistle. He translates into words we can understand the action we should take as a result of what we have read: “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.” Jeremiah, the psalmist, and Jesus were willing to do this in their obedience, even though it led to suffering. In the Gospel, Peter was an example of one who had not yet begun in earnest to resist being conformed to man’s way of thinking. Eventually, of course, Peter would be “transformed by the renewal of [his] mind,” able to discern “what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” We should never underestimate how much our minds are in need of this renewal! Let us listen carefully to St. Paul’s “urging,” and let us never forget that this surrendering of ourselves to God comes entirely “by the mercies of God.” It is the loss of self that, mercifully, leads to true life.

Possible response: Lord Jesus, my impulse for self-preservation and avoidance of suffering is very strong. Please help me renew my mind so that I choose to offer, not withhold, myself in Your service.

Photo credit: National Trust Images

This article is made available courtesy of The Catholic Exchange.