PRAY WITH LOUIS BRISSON
A Novena on the occasion of his Beatification on September 22, 2012

Day 6: Work is Something Holy

I place myself in the Presence of God.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God, You are here, in my thoughts and in my heart; You envelop me with Your Presence.

Louis Brisson

Among us, work is something honourable, something holy. By means of our work, we cooperate “hand in hand” with God and with the Word of God. God’s Word is something material, and through work, through our collaboration with the sanctified activity of God, something like a Sacrament occurs. Thus material work is our way of honouring God the Father. (Louis Brisson, Retreat of 1888, 7th Instruction)

Scripture Text

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the earth, and every tree… God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.
(Genesis 1: 27-29a, 31a)

Reflection

Louis Brisson was a man of the Industrial Revolution era, not only because of his preoccupation and efforts concerning young working men and women, but also because he was, by nature, a man endowed with a strong scientific talent and an intense interest in the Universe and the marvels it contained. The “astronomical clock” he built is proof of that. He regarded Creation and the work of creating as something holy, as the form and manner by which God the Creator is honoured, and the command He gave to men fulfilled through the work of Creation.

Questions for reflection

• Do I consider my work as God’s command to me?
• Do I give honour to my Creator through my work?
• How do I regard the work of others?

Prayer

God of Love, Your Creation is a proof of Your love. I am seized with the knowledge that You have entrusted Your work to us men that we might continue to make it prosper. That is a great honour and an even greater command. I beg You to give me the strength to work within Your world and to use those capabilities, which You have given me, according to Your ideas. Amen.

Our Father, Who art in heaven…     Glory be to the Father….