Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

“Now Hiring” signs hang in restaurant windows and tire shops. With signs such as “Join Our Team” and “We Are Hiring” eighteen months after the historic shutdown, we see signs of an encouraging recovery.

Other signs remind us that all is not well for everyone. Billions face extreme poverty while the richest one percent own half of the world’s financial wealth. The wealth gap between America’s richest and poorer families more than doubled from 1989 to 2016, according to the Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/07/6-facts-about-economic-inequality-in-the-u-s/

Pope Francis rejects the neoliberal idea that markets on their own can solve social problems. He warns against falling “even more deeply into feverish consumerism and forms of selfish self-protection.”

The Church dreams of a better economy. Instead of an either-or polarization of free market capitalism or state socialism, Catholic social teaching builds on the bedrock of both human dignity and the common good. https://www.usccb.org/resources/Labor%20Day%20Statement%202021.pdf

One particular application of both human dignity and the common good is reform of the broken immigration system. Bringing immigrants out of the shadows and under protection of the law will end their marginalization and increase their contribution to our nation’s economy. In addition to development of emigrant countries so that workers are not forced to emigrate to support their families, Pope Francis called for a “change of attitude toward migrants and refugees.”

“God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the worker. Make a place in our hearts for compassion to the men and women who labor tirelessly for basic necessities. Ensure a place for the men and women who are struggling to find work. Grant us your wisdom to greet and care for those who are unable to work due to illness or circumstances that prevent their participation. Be with the children who are not able to run and play, but instead must put in a hard day’s work to help their family afford to eat, to live.

“Be with us all, Christ Jesus, as we go about the busyness of our work. Hold us accountable not only for our actions, but most importantly to each of our neighbors. May we continue to work together to bring about your reign! We ask this in your holy name, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In Christ,

Father David