(This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)
The following homily was given at the monthly Respect Life Mass Saturday, June 22, by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde at St. Lawrence Church in Alexandria, Virginia.
“Do not be surprised, beloved, that a trial by fire is occurring in your midst” (1 Pt 4:13). These words from St. Peter's letter found in today’s first reading were written at a time when the early martyrs of the Church gave their lives because of their belief in Christ Jesus. As I look at the altar servers here this morning, I cannot but reflect on St. Tarcisius, the patron of altar servers, who died while carrying the Eucharist from one location to another. The Acts of the Apostles recalls the story of St. Stephen, the first martyr, stoned to death because of his belief in Christ Jesus. And, how can we forget the patron of this parish, St. Lawrence, whose famous words as he was being burned for his faith in Christ were, “turn me over as I am done on this side.”
Yes, these martyrs, witnesses to the Faith, experienced a trial by fire occurring in their midst. So did the great St. Thomas More, whose feast we celebrate with great joy today since he is the patron of our cathedral and the principal patron of our diocese. He gave up his life in witnessing to the truth proclaimed by Jesus Christ and professed by His Church, especially through the official teachings of the Pope and bishops in union with him.
Our Church is founded on only one person! Our Church and our Faith rest on the person of Christ Jesus. And it is the role of St. Peter and his successors, the popes, to keep us united in the one Faith of the one Church. Recall Christ’s words to St. Peter: “You are Peter the Rock, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (cf. Mt 16:18). Recall in our opening prayer today how we asked the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, His Son, to give us the courage to “proclaim our faith by the witness of our lives.” In the prayer after Communion we will ask the Lord to “keep this Eucharist effective within us.” Finally, in the first reading, true happiness is associated with being “insulted for the sake of Christ” (1 Pt 4:14).
Our Faith is a living Faith. It requires much more than belief, it requires action. “What good is it to profess faith without practicing it?” (c.f., Jas 2:14) is a question posed by St. James in his letter to the early Church. In The Gospel of Life, our Holy Father responds to this question by challenging us to counter the “culture of death [which] so forcefully opposes the culture of life” by finding “expression in personal witness, various forms of volunteer work, social activity and political commitment” (87). Our commitment to good works must be centered around and focused toward the dignity of each and every human person from the moment of conception to natural death. “No single person or group has a monopoly on the defense and promotion of life. These are everyone’s task and responsibility” (91).
Today we celebrate our monthly Respect Life Mass and then pray the rosary at the local abortion facility. While he was imprisoned in the Tower of London in the 1530s, St. Thomas More wrote a book entitled The Sadness of Christ. It is, in his own words, the “story of that time when the apostles were sleeping as the Son of Man was being betrayed” (p. 61). Although this theme applies primarily to the clergy, it can also serve as a call to us to be vigilant in the defense of life. Just as St. Thomas More cautioned, we, too, should not be sleeping on the job lest opportunities “to be for life” pass us by.
This is a time of soul-searching for our Church. Our Church is being tested with the revelations of clerical sexual abuse and the mishandling of a number of these offenders. Last week in Dallas, I met with my brother bishops to formulate a national policy which would embody our strong and clear commitment to protect children and young people and to prevent sexual abuse, especially by priests or deacons. With careful attention, I intend to implement the Charter which we approved in Dallas. As a shepherd, I will do all that I can to protect children and young people now and in the future from sexual abuse. This is also a time of grace and blessing. It is a time for prayer. I appreciate your participation in the novena to the Sacred Heart that was prayed here at St. Lawrence each day last week in preparation for my meeting in Dallas. It is a time for continued prayer — for your priests, your bishop and for your Church. It is a time to be vigilant, not letting down our guard. As Jesus reminds us in the Gospel, “whoever holds out till the end will escape death” (Mt 10:22) by being rewarded with eternal life with Christ. It is a time for sacrifice as we did last Friday, fasting and abstaining so that we bishops do what is right and good for the Church. It is time to continue sacrificing for life and for the Church. It is time to learn. It is important that we understand and study the important issues of the day.
As we continue this Eucharistic celebration, may each of us receive strength through this sacrament to carry out the mission of the Church through prayer, sacrifice, education and action! May we continue to fight of culture of death by acting in a way which will promote the Gospel of Life. We reflect on the words which St. Thomas More prayed during his last days in the Tower of London before his death:
“Give me, good Lord, a full faith, a firm hope, and a fervent charity; a love for You, good Lord, incomparably above the love of myself; and that I love nothing to Your displeasure, but everything for the sake of You…
May each of us, good Lord, [through our participation in this] holy sacrament this day, [be made] living members … of Your holy mystical body, Your Catholic Church” (Sadness of Christ).
