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10/5/2009
“Sotomayor, you have blood on your hands...”
The Red Mass. Celebrated traditionally the Sunday before the first Monday in October, the first day of the Supreme Court session. It was all new to me; do you know of it?
I was in D.C. this weekend and worshipped with hundreds and hundreds of local attorneys, including Vice President Biden, Secretary of the Interior Salazar, Secretary of Transportation LaHood, Chief Justice Roberts, and six Associate Justices. Secretary LaHood and his wife arrived almost as early as I. Biden, striking and vigorous, arrived via a side door not three yards from me.
The line winding through the metal detectors was a sea of black suits and red carnations, as was the sanctuary of the awe-inspiring Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.
Say what you will about “a roomful of attorneys,” the Mass, sponsored by the John Carroll Society** was moving. The bulletin described associated tradition and history, all new and intriguing to one accustomed to contemporary evangelical services.
The Red Mass is celebrated as the Solemn Mass of the Holy Spirit. Its name derives from the traditional red color of the vestments worn by celebrants of the Mass, representing tongues of fire symbolizing the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The Red Mass enjoys a rich history. Originating centuries ago in Rome, Paris and London, its name also exemplifies the scarlet robes worn by royal judges that attended the Mass centuries ago. The Red Mass historically marked the official opening of the judicial year of the Sacred Roman Rota, the Tribunal of the Holy See….
In the United States, the Red Mass tradition was inaugurated in 1928 at old Saint Andrew’s Church in New York City. Since then, the Red mass has been celebrated increasingly in communities throughout the United States.
(A Red Mass will be celebrated in Milwaukee Thursday, October 15, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM, at St. Mary’s Parish, 836 N. Broadway.)
The homily and Bible messages spoke of the Lord’s justice, the Spirit working through His Servant, protecting the weak (“a bruised reed, a smoldering wick..”).
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice. Isaiah 42:1-3
The Lord knows… the Justices have much on their plates.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo counseled that in handing down justice, a man or woman of the law needs a Paraclete (an advocate, the Holy Spirit) in both his personal life and his profession…”that each member of the profession may be an incredible witness at home and in their work place.” “May the Lord Jesus, through the Spirit, grant our tongues… the mindfulness of the Spirit of God.”
That we all, Catholic or Jew, atheist or evangelical, may strive to this high standard!
The presence of the Lord and His Spirit led the worshipers to repentance and transformation – sandwiched between a beautiful Star-Spangled Banner and the closing hymn, America the Beautiful.
And then … the blaring loudspeakers ripped through the serenity of the service. I was among the first group to exit and observed the justices entering their limousines following the service. The rants were continuous and they were abrasive – from booming loudspeakers across the street.
“Abortion is an abomination!”
“Sotomayor, Kennedy, repent in the eyes of God.”
“Sotomayor, you have blood on your hands. Innocent blood. It is a sacrilege in the eyes of God.”
The hurt was palpable, more palpable than the awe, the transformation, the serenity.
Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net
**The John Carroll Society was founded in 1951 in Washington D.C. to “enhance the spiritual, intellectual and social fellowship among its members…. [and] to promote and advance educational, religious and charitable activities in the community.”
COMMENTS
I am confused by your comments. Was it wrong for the loudspeakers to blare and call Sotomayor to repentance and to change abortion law?
David (Mon Oct 05 08:08:43 2009)
Jo....I too was wondering what your point was. The shouters were wrong? If so, why? Are you a pro-abortionist? Better explain yourself a bit! God Bless!
John Hyland (Mon Oct 05 08:52:24 2009)
Yes, it's a difficult issue. I was trying to make a point, but apparently way too subtly. Shouters were violent and unsettling; it was jarring to me. Abortion is violent and wrong and unsettling and jarring. It's hard for me to support violent and hate-filled protest; fighting murder with hate cannot be the most effective way to eliminate abortion. Is that making my thoughts more clear?
Jo (Mon Oct 05 09:03:10 2009)
Fascinating story. A call for justice...in the Spirit of God. Certainly the sanctity of human life is a biblical value. So also is the abhorence of poverty and the use of wealth, not for personal aggrandizement but for helping the needy. The justices left in their limosines. The most cited topic in the Bible is money and the repeated warnings about its capacity to corrupt human beings...to deprive people of the Spirit of God. Fascinating indeed!
Dennis (Mon Oct 05 10:37:06 2009)
I'm quite certain the limousines are primarily for the purposes of protection and security, but someone correct me if I'm wrong. I didn't see the license plates or flags (?); they appeared to be all the same.
Jo (Mon Oct 05 10:44:44 2009)
Yes Jo, a very difficult subject. One of the worst. My parents did not know the extent of the Holocaust in WW 2. But I am hoping they prayed for the Jews and others who suffered.
The picture that haunts me is how many children are missing from school playgrounds every day because of our abortion Holocaust?
David (Mon Oct 05 11:36:19 2009)
I can't help it - those children may be missing from playgrounds, but I doubt their absence is as missed in various crackhouses and jails, other places frequented by "unwanted" children.
B. (Mon Oct 05 12:12:46 2009)
Jo,
I did not miss your point. It is difficult but important to work with people in a constructive manner on areas you can move forward while disagreeing with them in others. If all you do is obsess about one narrow issue and don't communicate on anything else you are doomed to fail in the everything else. The clergy, justices, and mass attendees understand this. The protesters outside do not.
dave allen (Mon Oct 05 17:01:39 2009)
Actually, B, often the kids in the crackhouses ARE "wanted" and in fact, are kept around, so mom can get her welfare money...I'm an RN and I know what I'm talking about!
The concept of "umwanted" children is a complete fallacy--just look at how many people are on waiting lists to adopt!
As to being "raucous", how about this: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!...fools, blind...serpents, generation of vipers..." These are among the things Jesus Himself said about the "religious" people of His day. (Matthew 23) I guess He wasn't as concerned with religious niceties as with the truth. In fact, He drove the traders out of the Temple with a whip. Can't get more abrasive than that!
emily matthews (Mon Oct 05 21:08:34 2009)
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