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September 26, 2010

Red Mass Homily 2010

Bishop Conley delivered the homily during the 2010 Red Mass attended by Catholic lawyers, judges and law professionals, and sponsored Catholic Lawyers Guild and the St. Thomas More Society of Colorado. For full news coverage of this event, click here.

On behalf of Archbishop Chaput, I would like to welcome everyone this morning to the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception for the Annual Red Mass when we recognize in a special way all judges, lawyers and law professionals for their service to our community.

Thanks to Msgr. Fryar, rector of the Cathedral Basilica for hosting this Mass again this year and to his Vicar, Fr. Matt Hartley, who is concelebrating this Mass with me this morning. 

The tradition of the Red Mass enjoys a very long and rich history dating back to Pope Innocent IV in 1243 when our Holy Father convoked the Ecclesiastical Judicial Court calling upon God’s blessing and guidance on the administration of justice under the power of the Holy Spirit who is the source of wisdom, understanding, counsel and fortitude. The Red Mass is traditionally held on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, when the U.S. Supreme Court usually begins its new session.

The color red signifies the fire of the Holy Spirit and the blood of martyrdom, particularly the heroic martyrdom of St. Thomas More, the great English scholar and statesman, who is the patron saint of lawyers.

Our readings for today’s liturgy, the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, fit very nicely with this theme of justice and social responsibility for our Annual Red Mass.

In the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos we hear the prophet condemning Zion for their complacency and indifference to the demands of justice. “Woe to the complacent in Zion! [They] lie upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches.”

Their complacency and indifference made them blind and oblivious to the evils and injustices right in their own midst. They were so caught up in their own comfortable and enjoyable life-styles, they didn’t even notice that their society and nation was crumbling before their very eyes: “…but about the ruin of Joseph they do not care at all.”

The Gospel parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus has a very similar message. The parable reminds us and warns us not to be indifferent to the needs of those who are less fortunate in our community. We are all susceptible to the sin of complacency and indifference to the poor Lazaruses of this world, especially those who are closest to us, whom we see every day.

It is good for us, at this Annual Red Mass, to reflect upon the fundamental principles of justice and those essential truths upon which our rule of law is based and forms the foundation of our democracy.  We can even become complacent and indifferent to these fundamental principles and risk losing our way and relinquishing our freedoms to, what Pope Benedict XVI calls, “the dictatorship of relativism.”

This was precisely the message our Holy Father conveyed recently during his historic Papal State Visit to the United Kingdom which took place last weekend.

I had the privilege and joy of traveling to England last week and joining our Holy Father for these momentous events. The highlight for me, of course, was the beatification of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, the great 19th century Anglican convert who had a tremendous influence on my conversion to the Catholic Church and my vocation to the priesthood – so much so that I stole his motto, Cor Ad Cor Loquitur, Heart Speaks to Heart, as my own episcopal motto when I became a bishop and which our Holy Father chose as the motto of his recent state visit to the United Kingdom.

The culture and society in Great Britain has, in many ways, has become very hostile to the Christian religion through an emergence of a kind of aggressive secularism and even aggressive atheism which has created a rather toxic environment for Christians to live.

Pope Benedict stepped into that culture and in his own gentle but clear and firm way literally disarmed the more hostile elements of that environment by speaking the truth with love, Caritas in Veritate, in a truly remarkable way.

Although Pope Benedict, unlike his predecessor in the Chair of Peter, Pope John Paul II, is not a dynamic and charismatic figure; he has a shy and unassuming personality which has an endearing attraction much like a wise and aging grandfather has over his grandchildren.

We all know that even though Pope Benedict is shy by temperament he never shies away from the more challenging moral and social issues of our day and he certainly was true to form during his state visit to the U.K.

Speaking to the members of Parliament, which included four former prime ministers of Great Britain, in Westminster Hall, the very same chambers where 450 years earlier St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were condemned to death because they refused in conscience to acquiesce to the King’s unlawful act of supremacy as head of the Church in England, Pope Benedict raised fundamental questions concerning principles which form the underpinnings of democracy and the rule of law.

Why do we have laws which protect the freedoms of individuals; laws which protect the freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and the freedom of political association? Why do we treat all human persons with respect and dignity, regardless of ethnic, religious, economic or social background?Where do these laws come from? On what principles are they based?

The answer, of course, to these rhetorical questions is rooted in the truth of the human person, the fact that there is a natural law written in every human heart by God the Creator from which all human laws must flow.

I think we were all wondering if Pope Benedict would dare to refer to the martyr St. Thomas More in his address to Parliament and in the second paragraph, he begins with these words:

As I speak to you in this historic setting, I think of the countless men and women down the centuries who have played their part in the momentous events that have taken place within these walls and have shaped the lives of many generations of Britons, and others besides. In particular, I recall the figure of St. Thomas More, the great English scholar and statesman, who is admired by believers and non-believers alike for the integrity with which he followed his conscience, even at the cost of displeasing the sovereign whose “good servant” he was, because he chose to serve God first. The dilemma which faced More in those difficult times, the perennial question of the relationship between what is owed to Caesar and what is owed to God, allows me the opportunity to reflect with you briefly on the proper place of religious belief within the political process.

He goes on to compliment the tradition of British common law and the contribution it has made to the world and to the enterprise of free democracy while, at the same time, reminding them that Catholic social teaching shares much in common with this enterprise:

Britain has emerged as a pluralist democracy which places great value on the freedom of speech, freedom of political affiliation and respect for the rule of law, with a strong sense of the individual’s rights and duties, and of the equality of all citizens before the law. While couched in different language, Catholic social teaching has much in common with this approach, in its overriding concern to safeguard the unique dignity of every human person, created in the image and likeness of God, and in its emphasis on the duty of civil authority to foster the common good.

And then he returns a second time to St. Thomas More which really goes to the heart of his message to the United Kingdom and to all free democracies.  These words should cause all of us to sit up and shake off our own complacency as to the fundamental questions of our day:

And yet the fundamental questions at stake in Thomas More’s trial continue to present themselves in ever-changing terms as new social conditions emerge. Each generation, as it seeks to advance the common good, must ask anew: what are the requirements that governments may reasonably impose upon citizens, and how far do they extend? By appeal to what authority can moral dilemmas be resolved? These questions take us directly to the ethical foundations of civil discourse. If the moral principles underpinning the democratic process are themselves determined by nothing more solid than social consensus, then the fragility of the process becomes all too evident – herein lies the real challenge for democracy.”

These are lessons that all of us can take to heart, but particularly you who are engaged in the great pursuit of justice. And as Catholics we must all listen carefully to the voice of Peter who speaks clearly and prophetically to our world today.

It was remarkable to me how during the four days of Pope Benedict’s state visit, while perhaps not convincing even a majority of the citizens of the United Kingdom, how he spoke to their hearts, Caritas in Veritate, love in truth, striking a chord, heart speaks unto heart and leaving them with much to reflect upon.

As the Monday issue of the secular newspaper, the Daily Telegraph, put it: “We thought we were getting God’s Rottweiler, but instead we received a gentle German Shepherd.”

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