Labor Day is my favorite weekend of the year. I love the brief respite it provides before school goes full tilt and the kids are in uniform waiting for the big yellow bus. I love the invisible expectation of a cookout and the desire to be with friends. It's truly a last hoorah!

Beyond all of that, I enjoy that we think about work in a focused way. As The Daily Saint is all about the spirituality of work, this all makes sense.

It's good, after all to remind ourselves that work matters. A recent Rutgers poll revealed that a lack of work (i.e. unemployment) contributes mightily to depression, anxiety and strained relationships.

Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Center, NY reminds us too that the rights of workers are to be defended, especially in tough times. Says Murphy, “This Labor Day, we should take a moment to pray for all workers and all those without work”. Amen to that. (click here for the full statement of the Bishops on Labor Day)

My one hope, and this is the way to make it better, is that our priests and deacons would actually talk about the spirituality of work in their homilies this weekend. Work is after all, where we spend most of our lives.

*photo by blumpy