Labor Day and Mondays…
_(1).jpg/758px-Manet,_Edouard_-_Le_Déjeuner_sur_l'Herbe_(The_Picnic)_(1).jpg)
A “no-obligation to do anything” holiday.
Now this is a public holiday which is essentially all about taking a day off from work and having a good time. That’s pretty much it. The origins of the holiday go back to the late 1880’s, and the sole purpose was to honor the working man, and to give he and his family a holiday in which to rest and recreate. Other countries celebrate May 1st, but that was much too Socialist for the U.S., so the 1st Monday in September was maintained. Only later did it become politicised with the politicians and Union leaders butting in, making speeches at various rallys after the parades. It has never been a Church thing either, or a Liturgical observance.
Local parish closed for the holiday.
Labor Day is a national, secular holiday, so my local parish is closed today, the Church locked up tight. Monday’s are the pastor’s day off, so it would have been Liturgy of the Word today anyway. Since parish churches have become such ‘mega-employers’ and the staff must have similar benefits to secular institutions and businesses, it is to be expected they get their paid holidays as the rest of us. But there are other businesses open today, and many people are working today and will either be compensated for it with holiday pay or another comp-day off.
Entitlements and leisure.
The priest of my parish has been gone a lot this summer. Vacations, days off, other assignments in the archdiocese, 2 retreats - one with the Archbishop and priests of the archdiocese. and last week he was gone again to finish his vacation time. While he was gone, at least the Church was open, and Communion Services were made available.
Elsewhere, some parishes will have one mid-morning Mass today, with patriotic music and the proper Mass for the Blessing of Human Labor. Even though this is not a liturgical feast for labor, “God Bless America” will most likely be sung. At least these churches are having Mass, even though all parish offices will be closed. If the parish happens to have an adoration chapel, that will most likely be open of course. But in parishes like mine, Jesus must be on holiday too - I guess he went to the lake or something, he maybe had to get away too.
I’m just wondering.
Is the Church too secularized? Is the priesthood just like any other job? Are parishes a business? Is it a good thing that pastors commute to their ‘jobs’ rather than live on the parish campus? Maybe Sunday Catholics really only need a Sunday pastor? I’m not bitching about this, I’m just wondering out loud.
When I first entered the monastery, I asked if we got to sleep in on Sundays (we rose at 3AM for vigils), the Father Master looked at me curiously and said, “This is a monastery, not a country club.”
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:21 am
We were able to go to Mass today, which was nice. We have 3 parishes in town, and they arrange for at least one of them to have Mass on the secular holidays. It was just a simple daily Mass, with a couple of acapella hymns, so the musicians got the day off also. Priests have families, too, so I am happy for them to be able to join them for a picnic or get-together, which doesn’t happen much on the religious holidays. Most priests would say that their vocation isn’t “just a job”, that they are priests 24/7, and if need be, are able to be reached to anoint the sick or take care of other emergencies on holidays. As for the non-clerical Church employees, it is pretty hard for the church to preach enlightened labor practices if it doesn’t follow them; that means the usual paid holidays that everybody gets. Like it or not, the church as employer is a business.
Religious holidays are glorious, but secular holidays are blessings, too. They are a chance for everybody, church people included, to kick back a little. Have a happy Labor Day, Terry!
September 3rd, 2007 at 11:18 am
Hmm… One can only imagine the Cure dArs’ reaction to such as this.. and one can perhaps hear certain Cardinals nodding already.
I am reminded of Bl. John XXIII’s winked response to media asking him how many folks worked at the Vatican. “About half.”
September 3rd, 2007 at 11:33 am
And yes, it’s too secularized. One reason I left the food pantry after years was because it became commercialized. The poor are traumatized enough, yet they must now go through monitoring to make sure they’re not stealing food, thanks to the USDA foods we have received to distribute. Which MUST be documented. Gosh, we’re fools sometimes, but never moreso than that day a poor young man was turned away (by another) because he came on the wrong day; the boss wasn’t there to fill in the freaking paperwork. I ran after him to offer a bag of food, but he looked at me as if Christ Himself might.
September 3rd, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Terry: Good post. I wonder if Jesus decided to go boating on the Sea of Galilee today. Gee, He might as well since so many of his “offices” are closed.
September 3rd, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Feast of Saint Gregory the Great. Basta.
September 3rd, 2007 at 3:04 pm
I just wanted to note that the painting shows two fully dressed men picnicking with two naked ladies. Just in case some of you might have missed it. There must be a Labor Day connection here somewhere …
September 3rd, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Jeff, I was just noticing the same thing. And she looks suspiciously like Cathy of Alex. So I want to know why Cathy is hanging out naked on a picnic blanket. It’s LABOR DAY, not NUDITY DAY. And not so much as a fig leaf!
That painting is sexist.
September 3rd, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Just Me - Yeah, the Cure d’Ars mostly just sat around all day hearing confessions, and I hear he didn’t like drinking and dancing either. I don’t know if he should be held up as a model to modern priests.
Jeff - Yes,the painting is about picnics. I thought that was obvious? LOL!
September 3rd, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Julie - this is exactly why she can’t visit my house any longer - the other guests tell me they can’t eat with her sitting around like that - makes them sick.
September 3rd, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Too true, Terry. One modern priest shook his head as he said, “Well, when the cat’s away, the mice will play.” He was referring to JP II’s great traveling to deliver Christ’s love in as much person as possible (and we knew darned well who the mice were).
Jeff, I believe the explanation of the painting is all in the subtitle: “A ‘no-obligation to do anything’ holiday” — but it makes me sad; apparently, no one remembered to bring the potato salad.
September 3rd, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Melody, Yeah, you missed my point. I don’t think I said non-clerics should not have their holidays. I don’t care that the offices were closed or the Church people got a paid day off. I wasn’t positing a labor dispute here.
The underlying issue is that some priests do treat their vocation as a job. But it wouldn’t kill them to live in the rectory provided, or to celebrate daily Mass - is celebrating Mass work?
In addition Canon #937 clearly states:
“Unless there is grave reason to the contrary, a church in which the blessed Eucharist is reserved is to be open to the faithful for at leaast some hours every day, so that they can pray before the blessed Sacrament.”
As for enlightened labor practices, I made it a point to ask a couple of sales associates I met while I did some errands today, if they get holiday pay or comp time. Each of them said they had a choice to work this day, and that they could take another paid day off. Sounds fairly enlightened to me.
I hope you had a lovely Labor Day.
September 3rd, 2007 at 4:52 pm
“Jeff, I believe the explanation of the painting is all in the subtitle: ‘A ‘no-obligation to do anything’ holiday’”
I see. As in no obligation to wear any clothes in front of the menfolk?
September 3rd, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Adoro and Terry: Hey, there are days when even I tire of trying to find something dazzling to wear.
September 3rd, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Don Marco - basta poco!
September 3rd, 2007 at 6:59 pm
“And she looks suspiciously like Cathy of Alex.”
REALLY?
September 3rd, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Jeff, God love ya, that was tongue-in-cheek, but right.. maybe a little too risque.
My apologies.
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:08 pm
No apology necessary, JustMe. I was only teasing.
September 3rd, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Jeff, check out the Recovering Dissident Catholic on Terry’s sidebar:
http://www.therecoveringdissidentcatholic.blogspot.com/
See Cathy?
September 4th, 2007 at 8:27 am
Adoro: Thanks for pimping me out!
Jeff: Down boy!
September 5th, 2007 at 10:18 am
*gasp (kidding)
Hey Terry, your last paragraph makes me wonder what Fr. Duddleswell might’ve responded.