Beatification of Pope John Paul II, Feast Day of St. Joseph the Worker and May Day

Today the hearts of Catholics are filled with joy because Pope John Paul II was beatified earlier in Rome.  Of interest to readers of this blog, among the many things Pope John Paul II did was to write extensively about workers and the social doctrine.

Additionally, today is also  the Feast Day of St. Joseph the Worker when we celebrate Jesus' father's role as a carpenter/worker.  A comment from Catholic.org:

“The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15). The Father created all and asked humanity to continue the work of creation. We find our dignity in our work, in raising a family, in participating in the life of the Father’s creation. Joseph the Worker was able to help participate in the deepest mystery of creation. Pius XII emphasized this when he said, “The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work. Thus, if you wish to be close to Christ, we again today repeat, ‘Go to Joseph’” (see Genesis 41:44).

Today is also May Day.