Today is the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. It is honored by the Church each year 40 days after the Resurrection which is when the first Ascension occurred as recorded in the New Testament.
Today is also the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, which is every May 1. It is to honor the special role of work and labor Joseph gave as an example to his foster son, Jesus.
Today is also a special day set aside in the international labor movement to honor worker's rights and currently is a day to work and protest for the cause of peace particularly in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars where more than a million people have been killed and maimed since the United States invaded five years ago. It is a call to make peace rather than war which is the example Jesus gave to those who wished to follow him.
Special mention goes to the Longshoremen's Unions who are leading the witness for peace on this day which they have designated May Day.
I would like to offer for you a couple of my poems I selected to hopefully capture part of the meaning for the celebrations for this very special May 1. I composed yesterday the poem I called MERTON PEACEMAKER. I wrote it especially for today. Thomas Merton was a prophet for peace during the 1960s against the war in Vietnam. What he said then applies to the current wars our nation is waging.