A Prayer for the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker

Heavenly God,
We thank you for the meal that has been set before us this evening.
We thank those who tilled the soil and tended the flock, and the hard work they do.
We thank those who've harvested the field and pick our fruits and vegetables.
We are thankful for those who travel, shipping the food from one place to another, either on land, sea, or air.
We are thankful for those who stock the shelves, who bag our groceries, and provide a place for us by our food.
And we are thankful for those who've prepared this meal before us, that through their work we are able to share in the breaking of bread.
May we always remember that together we are all people of Your Creation. May we be thankful for the work that others do for us, and as Your followers may we never value the productivity of a person over their humanity.

Amen.

It necessarily follows that each one has a natural right to procure what is required in order to live, and the poor can procure that in no other way than by what they can earn through their work.
-Rerum Novarum