Praying for the Unemployed and Underemployed
Today, August 7th, has a couple of different options at Mass listed for saints. All are optional in the United States. The first option listed is for St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr and his companions. They were martyred for their faith in the third century.
The second option is the one I would like to focus on today, St. Cajetan. He was born in 1480. After studying law, became a priest and religious. In his love of neighbor, he worked for the care of the poor and the sick. From his concern for the poor, he is the patron saint of the unemployed.
We should always pray for the unemployed. With the current situation with the Coronavirus, unemployment is very high now so we need to pray all the more, relying on the intercession of St. Cajetan.
In his care for the sick, he helped those who suffered from the Bubonic plague. So, in the 17th century, his intercession was invoked during a plague. So, it is especially fitting we seek his intercession for the unemployed during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Why should we pray for the unemployed? First, we do so out of concern for their financial needs to provide for their families. With this in mind, I will include the underemployed, those whose work hours are reduced for lack of enough work.
While the financial concern is the immediate need, I see a second need in prayer for the underemployed and unemployed. Work is not something we do just to make money to pay our bills. Ideally, we identify the gifts that God has given us and find a career where we can use them to do our part to make the world a better place and for the building up of the Kingdom of God. This is the way we find fulfillment. So, let us also pray for those who might have a job but not the job they are meant by God to have. We pray that they be led to where God is calling them to be.
So, today, we ask for the intercession of St. Cajetan upon all who are unemployed, underemployed, and those who need to find new work, that they find a job where they can find fulfillment using the gifts that God has given them and receive a just wage to provide for their families.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff