Remember God’s love and faithfulness when dispensing justice, Bishop Lorenzo says at Red Mass
“You are not alone in your pursuit of the victory of justice!” Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo, O.S.B., told a congregation of judges, lawyers, and public servants at the annual Red Mass held at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark on Sept. 24.
“Filled with the Spirit of God, you can judge between right and wrong, between fair and unfair laws, between those who have easy access to our justice system and those who are shut out and left helpless, in the face of a bureaucracy that has no room for the poor and the needy, the immigrant and the refugee, the abused spouse or child,” Bishop Lorenzo continued in his homily.
The annual Mass, traditionally held on the Sunday before the Supreme Court opens its term on the first Monday of October, invokes God’s blessings and guidance on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials.
The name of the Red Mass derives from the red vestments worn by the clergy during the solemn votive Mass of the Holy Spirit, representing the tongues of fire symbolizing the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The Red Mass is organized by Seton Hall University School of Law and the Saint Thomas More Society and honors members of the legal community. A reception followed the Mass where The Honorable Joseph A. Dickson U.S.M.J. was presented the annual Saint Thomas More Medal for distinguished service to the Bar and to his Catholic faith.
Judge Dickson is a retired Federal Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for New Jersey. He is also a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Newark. Kathleen M. Boozang, J.D., LL.M., the dean of Seton Hall University School of Law, made the presentation.
In his homily, Bishop Lorenzo quoted the late Jesuit scholar Father Walter Burghardt and said that to “do justice” is to live in a way that first recognizes how much God has done for us.
“Doing justice demands that we first remember how intimately God loves us and how faithful God has been to each one of us, whether we are faithful or unfaithful, whether we feel worthy or unworthy, whether we stand in grace or disgrace,” said the bishop, who holds a Licentiate in Canon Law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. “God is always faithful. God always loves us! This remembering then calls us to respond in gratitude with a personal life that reflects that same faithfulness in all of our own relationships, especially those most in need.”
According to Seton Hall University School of Law, the first Red Mass in the United States took place in New York City in 1928, celebrated at old St. Andrew’s Church on Duane Street by His Eminence Patrick Cardinal Hayes, who strongly encouraged and supported the legal community’s involvement in spreading the Word of God. Since that time, many groups of Catholic attorneys have continued to organize the Red Mass annually. Currently celebrated in dioceses throughout the United States, it is the 37th annual Red Mass for Seton Hall University School of Law.
CNS/Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington, contributed reporting.
Featured image: Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo, O.S.B., gives a homily at the annual Red Mass held at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark on Sept. 24. (Photo courtesy of Sean Sime/Seton Hall University School of Law)
