Appeared in The Catholic Virginian September 4, 2000
The Summer That Wasn't
The Virginian Pilot, the newspaper for the Tidewater area ran the above headline in the Saturday, August 19 edition. I have been coming to Sandbridge Beach, just south of Virginia Beach proper for 34 years. Without question this is the strangest summer weather-wise that I have experienced. Over 2/3rds of the days in June, July and half of August were either partly cloudy or cloudy. Beachcombers and sun-lovers, neither of which I am, had only 25 days of clear weather. Most of the time the temperatures never reached the 90's. Rainfall in Tidewater is presently 7 1/2 inches over normal. I'm not complaining, but I do feel sorry for the families renting a beach cottage for a week and having to sit inside most of the time coping with rainy and cool weather.
Farmers liked the plentiful rain for a change. Veggies at road stands were in abundance and at reasonable prices. People like myself like the cooler temperatures, especially when air conditioners are not needed in the evening. Yes, this summer was truly different because I remember the many times we had drought conditions in Virginia Beach, when water was rationed and temperatures were in the high 90's. In summary, this summer was cooler, wetter and grayer than normal, but also greener with more flowers in bloom and water in abundance with the presence of more mosquitoes.
Many people have asked the question "how has your summer been this year?" My summer has been enjoyable but extra busy. Many good things were happening, like the Youth convention and the Pax Christi Assembly; the blessing of newly renovated churches in Crewe, Tappahannock, Ashland and Richmond; more installation ceremonies of priests and pastoral coordinators than usual. All of a sudden I realize that summer is practically over and the next issue of the Catholic Virginian will appear on Labor Day weekend. So much for the weather report from Sandbridge. I'm sure you had a similar experience in your neck of the woods.
Labor Day marks a turning point in our schedules. School days begin and traffic around the Cathedral and Chancery office triples with the beginning of another school year at Virginia Commonwealth University. Parish staffs gear up for another flurry of activity: And would you believe that we keep one eye open for the beginning of the hurricane season.
Labor Day on September 4 has been declared the Jubilee Day for Workers. It's the Jubilee Day for most of us thankfully. Work defines our own self understanding whatever our vocation in life happens to be. Pope John Paul II in his encyclical on the value and dignity of work emphasized that work is for the benefit of the human person and not the human person for the benefit of work. Our Church is not anti-management or anti-establishment but has always favored just wages and even promoted family wage, just working conditions, provisions for healthcare and pension benefits and the right to organize and bargain collectively.
There is a new phenomenon today whereby both partners in a marriage must have employment outside the home just to make ends meet and provide for the family. This certainly puts a strain on family life as traditionally understood. Partners in a marriage have less time for each other as well as for their children. Life lived out on a daily basis seems much more frenzied, rushed, with little quality time as a family unit. It's not surprising but tragic that so many marriages end because partners become strangers to one another.
While we live at a time of so-called economic prosperity with welfare roles down and unemployment low, the truth remains that there is a growing gap between rich and poor, the haves and have-nots and new job opportunities offer meager wages and few benefits. Millions of American families lack health coverage, decent jobs and affordable housing. The values of our faith calls for economic policies that protect human dignity promote strong families and create vibrant communities. The fundamental moral test in any society is how the poor, the weak and the vulnerable are faring.
Increasingly, I hear the word "globalization" as it presently affects the lives of the workers for good or for ill. Some benefit from economic growth while others experience dislocation and increased poverty for vulnerable workers and families. Oppressive debt impedes the progress in many developing nations and trade embargoes only hurt the innocent and keep oppressors in positions of power. As we become one world community, are we in a form of new colonialization taking advantage of the weak so that we can maintain the status quo as the most powerful and most generous in the world community?
On Labor Day, the Jubilee Day for Workers, let us be mindful that
a person is more valuable for what she or he is than for what they possess. We must ever
be vigilant in building a society that respects each person of whatever ethnic background,
religion or place of employment. As we proclaim that we are all children of the heavenly
Father we must put words into action for the benefit of all, particularly the
"least" of our brothers and sisters.
+ Walter F. Sullivan