During his general audience, Pope Francis reflected on Jesus' social condition. He had no land and worked as a carpenter, a trade he learned from St. Joseph, and which was 'hard and didn't pay well.'
POPE FRANCIS
'This condition of a poor worker causes scandal among Jesus' contemporaries, who do not accept his teaching and do not make sense of the extraordinary works he performs.'
The Pope recalled the many people without work, as well as those who are paid poorly or even exploited in their jobs.
POPE FRANCIS
'Today, I want to pray for all of them and for their families. We must recover the meaning of work, as an essential element that dignifies man and cooperates to his sanctification'.
Pope Francis spoke especially painfully about suicides caused by unemployment, especially during the pandemic, which robbed many workers of their livelihood.
POPE FRANCIS
'I would like to remember each of them and their families. Let us spend a moment in silence to remember those men and women who are desperate because they cannot find work.'
The Pope said the workplace offers an opportunity to learn important life lessons, such as living concretely.
At the end of the Audience, he greeted some of the people present and even autographed t-shirts.
JRB
TR: CT
