WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Lawmakers and those in the legal profession were reminded Oct. 4 that the law should be practiced with “caritas,” Latin for charity, because “the Lord makes it clear that there is a link between love and respect for the commandments.”
“So often a rule is interpreted as a restraint or a limit that somehow restricts my liberty,” Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services said. “In the mouth of Jesus Christ, it becomes clear that my respect for the commandments is an expression of my response to the loving God who has given me these precepts to ensure my happiness or my respect for my neighbor.”
Archbishop Broglio was the homilist at the 74th annual Red Mass celebrated Oct. 4 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington.
The Mass is offered each year to invoke God’s blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials.
In his homily, the archbishop said it was his prayer that “our understanding of God’s presence and His commandments will inspire integrity, devotion to duty, and the promotion of harmony.”
Caritas ‘has a place in every angle of society’
“Caritas certainly has a place in the law school just as it has a place in every angle of society,” Archbishop Broglio said. “If we come to beg the Father to send the Holy Spirit upon the members of the legal profession this morning, we do so with confidence in His care and in the fervent hope the caritas will be a part of the gift.”
The Red Mass is traditionally celebrated on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, the day on which the U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes after its summer recess. The name comes from the color of the liturgical vestments worn by the celebrants and the color of fire, a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy was the principal celebrant. Concelebrants included Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States; Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia; Washington Auxiliary Bishops Gary R. Studniewski and Robert P. Boxie III; retired Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr.; and 10 priests.
Among the nearly 1,000 worshippers in attendance were Vice President JD Vance; Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts Jr; Associate Justices Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett ; retired Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy; members of the diplomatic corps; Peter K. Kilpatrick, president of The Catholic University of America; Eduardo M. Peñalver, president of Georgetown University; the deans of local law schools; and law professors.
The Red Mass is sponsored by the John Carroll Society, which is named for Archbishop John Carroll, who in 1789 became the nation’s first Catholic bishop, leading the new Diocese of Baltimore which then included the territory of all 13 original states.
Liberty in Christian context ‘is not from, but rather for’
Archbishop Broglio stressed in his homily that “liberty in the Christian context is not from, but rather for. We have been redeemed, freed from sin, so that we might give witness to the Gospel, so that we might meet our neighbor’s needs, or so that we might respect his rights.”
“Keeping the Lord’s word also means that the Triune God dwells with us and we draw on His presence to move forward. Gradually, we learn that we are not the center of existence,” he said. “If we all took that to heart we probably would need fewer courts and smaller police forces.”
“How appropriate that we gather at the traditional beginning of the judicial year to beg divine blessings on our human endeavors by invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit and entrusting our cares to a loving God who brings consolation to us,” Archbishop Broglio said. “It is good to invoke the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit to guide our endeavors and bring us to the fullness of our potential in all our activities.”
Archbishop Broglio also reminded lawmakers that “if more of us directed our thoughts in the ways of peace, we would discover and develop a more civil society and learn to live in harmony with our neighbors.”
“In the midst of the challenges and anxieties of the contemporary world, we seek the presence of God. We know that the marks of the presence of God are consolation, peace, and that serenity that tells us we are in the right place and engaged as we should be,” he said. “When we look at the cross we are reassured, because we know that Almighty God can bring good even from evil.”
During the Mass, Cardinal McElroy asked the faithful to pray “for our nation and for all those who administer justice under God.”
A thank-you for all ‘guardians, practitioners and lovers of the law’
In remarks at the end of the Mass, Cardinal McElroy thanked all “guardians and practitioners and lovers of the law.” Speaking directly to the Supreme Court justices at the Mass, the cardinal thanked them for all they do “in the foundational, burdensome and glorious mission that you have in our nation and in our society.”
He also thanked men and women in the judiciary “who carry out the very task of bringing justice also in difficult and complex situations to the lives and hearts and souls of men and women. … You are asked always to bring the justice that is due to them — justice which is in the heart of God.”
The cardinal also expressed gratitude to prosecutors and defense lawyers and those who practice civil law, and he also encouraged law students, hoping that in their studies they will “come to love the law and the sacredness of justice which is behind it.”
Richard Szczepanowski is managing editor of the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington. This story was originally published by the Catholic Standard and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
