In many ways, Bishop DiLorenzo’s sermon at
the Red Mass held at St. Benedict
Church Thursday evening, November 10, 2011, was a state of the union address
for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. As is his
tradition, Bishop DiLorenzo began his homily with a story from history. He talked about how he’d not been satisfied as
a young boy when he’d read about the outcome of Custer’s Last Stand.
Lieutenant Colonel George
Custer and the Seventh Calvary were sent to force the large Indian army
back to the reservations. Bishop
DiLorenzo talked about how Custer and the Seventh Calvary were sent into a
situation they had no idea was going to overwhelm them just as the people of
the Catholic Diocese of Richmond
are sent into the culture of death, which can seem as if it will overpower us
at times.
Catholics are faced with a number of
issues that could ostensibly seem as though they are too great to be
combatted.
Treatment of the poor and
immigrants, widespread abortion, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, human trafficking,
child abuse, pornography, the death penalty, the marginalization of persons
with disabilities…are major concerns from mainstream society which we’re called
to address.
Though it seems there are enemies on every
side and the forces of darkness are looming large, we are called to go enter
into and remain in the fray. In a way,
we are like the Seventh
Cavalry; our numbers seem small and
our Biblical values unpopular, but we’re sent in to fight, and we go.
One thing that really struck me about the
Bishop’s sermon is that he talked about how our bishops, priests, deacons,
religious, marrieds, singles…are in the trenches, hard at work fighting against
the culture of death, and the many ways it manifests itself.
We aren’t aware of the issues and plan to
do something about it in the future. We
haven’t identified the attacks against life and stopped fighting, because we
have been defeated in some past efforts.
Catholics in our
Diocese and elsewhere have put on
the armor of Christ and continue to engage in the battle to protect the
sanctity and dignity of human life from conception to natural death.
Bishop DiLorenzo’s message was one of hope. We may be fighting an uphill battle, one
where the enemies seem to outnumber us, but we are holding the position of
Truth, continuing the fight against darkness and evil, and we’re not surrendering.
Lord, please help us to continue the
spiritual warfare that is necessary in order to spread the Good News, live out
the Truth, and combat the forces of darkness, evil, and sin in our society. Help us put on
the armor of Christ. Keep us focused
on You, so that we may, through prayer and action, be transformed and thereby
help bring about the transformation of the hearts and minds of those who have
succumbed to the culture of death. Amen.
