The following homily was presented by Cardinal Roger Mahony at the Annual Labor Day Mass celebrated September 6, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

As we gather this morning to celebrate Labor Day, I'm reminded of an incident in the life of the man who would become the first president of the American Federation of Labor, Samuel Gompers.

In 1893, Gompers was asked the question "What does Labor want?", and business interests publicized the following inaccurate version of his answer: "More."

You can imagine the reaction of the wealthy elite when they read the newspapers the next morning. It only confirmed their belief that this labor leader was a belligerent and unsophisticated demagogue. But Gompers' entire answer to the question, "What does Labor want?," the version that the business owners tried to suppress, reflected his ability to articulate the deep desire for justice for the workers he represented:

"Labor wants more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more constant work and less crime; more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures."

Gompers reminds us of the real meaning of Labor Day. It's really about human dignity. Our work gives us the chance to join with others in the creation of a more just society, where the common good takes precedence over the greed of the few, and the needs of the stranger and the poor are not overlooked.

The blessing of the workers' hands later in this Mass are but a reminder to all of us of the Church's constant calling to respect the dignity of workers.

Your work is sacred-be it that of accountant, cook, garment worker, waiter, truck driver, janitor, nurse, lawyer, union official, politician, mother, father, student. Never forget the dignity and the beauty you bring to this world by working for the common good.

Throughout history, the creation of such a world has entailed struggle and conflict. The important question for us who believe is "On whose side is God?" Look at how Luke describes a conflict between Jesus of Nazareth and the scribes and the Pharisees who opposed his attempt to create a world that gave more dignity for the poor.

Historians tell us that the Roman colonization of Palestine at the time of Jesus resulted in 60% of the wealth ending up in the hands of the top 10%; this is an agricultural economy that could not afford to have its surplus squandered on the demands of empire. The political and religious leadership in Jerusalem, ideologically supported by the scribes and the Pharisees, had sold out to the Romans, and their participation in the commercialization of land and ruinous taxation led to widespread homelessness and hunger among the peasant class.

The poorest of the poor included the man described in today's Gospel; his affliction was attributed to punishment for sin. The rage of the Pharisees and the scribes when they witnessed Jesus' healing of this man, on the Sabbath, really covered their fear at being exposed as frauds. When their dignity is under attack, God scandalously chooses to take the side of the poor, rather than that of the rich and powerful.

In the light of this Gospel passage that describes God's preferential option for the poor, I would like to draw some implications for the struggles that confront us:

· We want more dignity for immigrants: That's why we're fighting to protect the rights of immigrants with proposals such as the Safe, Orderly, Legal Visas and Enforcement Act, the AgJobs legislation, the DREAM Act, and SB 1160. That is why we will be encouraging participation in the National Week of Action for Immigrants' Rights in two weeks.

· We want more justice for low-wage workers. That's why we're working to convene a legislative hearing to hear testimony about how the State Labor Commission can more effectively defend the interests of low-wage workers and their families.

· We want more health care for the poor. Our efforts to extend health care insurance to over 1.1 million working people and their children who are currently uninsured by passing Proposition 72 would protect employees from cost increases and will extend health care insurance to over 1.1 million working people and their children who are currently uninsured. Proposition 72 would level the playing field so that good employers won't have to complete with companies who fail to offer a health care benefit to their workers.

· We want more affordable housing for the poor. Only 18% of the population of the City of Los Angeles can now afford to buy an average-priced home. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,336/month. As we're not creating enough decent affordable housing currently, the City of Los Angeles needs to require developers to reserve a number of both affordable and subsidized units in all housing developments in exchange for increased density allowances and other benefits.

· We want more justice for hotel workers. Since March, 4000 L.A. hotel workers have been in contentious and combative contract negotiations with the management of 17 hotels. The hotel workers have placed on the negotiating table as their top concerns: humane workloads, sick days, the maintenance of health benefits, fair wage increases, increased immigration protections and expanded access of hotel jobs to the African American community.

· We want more dignity for security guards. Without union representation the majority of Los Angeles security guards receive very low wages, lack health benefits or sick leave, receive minimal training and have no job security. For three years, religious and community leaders have been supporting a rapidly growing movement of security guards who are seeking to join SEIU 1877, the union that represents Los Angeles janitors.

· We want greater civic participation among the poor. Parishes throughout the Archdiocese are holding voter registration drives this Fall through the work of One-LA, PICO and many other organizations. Some parishes are participating in the California Faithful Citizenship Campaign, a pilot project to monitor the parishes' voting turnout so that parishes can present concrete evidence of their voting power to elected officials.

To sum up, I'd like to quote from the statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops entitled Faithful Citizenship and Civic Participation:

"Politics in this election year and beyond should be about an old idea with new power -the common good. The central question should not be, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" It should be, "How can 'we' --- all of us, especially the weak and vulnerable --- be better off in the years ahead? How can we protect and promote human life and dignity? How can we pursue greater justice and peace?"

To me, answering these questions with honesty and conviction, and placing our lives in the service of the God who loves the poor, is what Labor Day is all about. May God bless you all in your celebration of this great holiday!!