October and the "Red Mass"

Though October is usually thought of as a month dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, for me, as a lawyer turned seminarian, October also signifies the beginning of the new term for the U.S. Supreme Court. This means that it is also time for the annual "Red Mass." For the liturgical hounds out there, the liturgical color is red because it is a Mass of the Holy Spirit offered for the individual judges, lawyers, and other legal professionals. At this Mass, prayers are made asking God for spiritual guidance so as to allow these same legal professionals to make correct and moral decisions during the upcoming term of the Court.

While other Red Masses are held locally in state capitals, the most significant Red Mass in the United States is held in Washington, DC. This year Archbishiop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee, WI, was the homilist. What most caught my eye was the power of the story he told about a young woman at World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002. I'll quote the Zenit article:

Archbishop Dolan of Milwaukee began his homily telling the story of a woman who said her life was saved by the experience of World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto. The 24-year-old woman worked as a prostitute to support her alcohol and heroin addictions. But youth from a church invited her to World Youth Day where she "met an old man who has changed my life. This old man told me he loved me. Oh, a lot of old men tell me they love me, for 15 minutes. This old man meant it. He told me God loved me, and that I'm actually God's work of art. He told me that the God who made all the stars actually knows my name. […] This old man makes sense. This old man got through to me. I now want to live." She was referring to Pope John Paul II ... {Internal paragraphing omitted}

The full text of the homily can be found here (pdf format).

I too had the privilege to be at World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002, and I too credit my experiences there for giving me the grace and the authentic freedom to recognize and respond to my vocation.

As much as World Youth Day has been an opportunity for grace to change lives, the goal of the Red Mass is to open doors to grace for those lawyers and legal professionals who are willing to respond to it. While some might be critical (a good rebuttal can be found here), implying that it shows a bias against the "so-called" separation of Church and State, to have judges attend Mass, Catholics cannot be faulted for wanting to celebrate the Eucharist. How could one fault them? The Eucharist is the source and summit of Catholic life; should the Eucharist not inform and nourish those who will make decisions affecting all our lives?!

May our Lady of the Rosary guide and protect our courts during the upcoming year. St. Thomas Moore, patron of civil judges, pray for us and our judges. Grant us a legal system in this nation that defends the poor, powerless, and defenseless, at all stages of life, from conception to natural death!