October 6, 2009 // Uncategorized
Cardinal urges Red Mass participants to show God's justice in world
By Mark Zimmermann
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Speaking at the 56th annual Red Mass in the nation’s capital, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston said today’s followers of Christ must allow God’s word to abide in their hearts and, guided by the Holy Spirit, they must show God’s justice in the world.
“Graced in this manner, we respond in our personal lives of faith and witness and in our professional lives too, not only for the good of our souls but also for the sake of our professions,” said the cardinal, who delivered the homily at the Oct. 4 Red Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.
The annual Mass is sponsored by the John Carroll Society, a Washington-area organization that provides spiritual, intellectual and social opportunities for Catholic professionals.
The Red Mass invokes God’s blessings and guidance on the administration of justice under the power of the Holy Spirit, a centuries-old tradition. The Mass in Washington is traditionally held on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, when the Supreme Court usually begins its new session.
Public officials at the Red Mass included Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. Six members of the U.S. Supreme Court attended the Mass: John G. Roberts Jr., the chief justice of the United States, and Associate Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, Stephen G. Breyer, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Sonia Sotomayor.
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