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Homilies | Friday, September 30, 2016

First responders: True heroes and our guardian angels

Archbishop Wenski's homily at Blue Mass for police and first responders

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preaches the homily at the annual Blue Mass for law enforcement officers at St. Patrick, Miami Beach, Sept. 30.

Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preaches the homily at the annual Blue Mass for law enforcement officers at St. Patrick, Miami Beach, Sept. 30.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily at the annual Blue Mass for law enforcement officers. He celebrated the Mass Sept. 30 at St. Patrick, Miami Beach. Sept. 29 is the feast of the Archangels, Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

What has come to be known as the Blue Mass has been traditionally celebrated in September, on or near the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, who in the Book of Revelation is described as the head of the angelic armies. For centuries, Christians have sought his intercession: “St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil.” St. Michael is the patron of police officers. As first responders, police officers — along with firefighters and emergency personnel — are like guardian angels. For you wear a shield to defend us “against the wickedness and snares of the devil.”

At this Blue Mass we honor our men and women in “blue,” the more frequent color of the uniforms of our public servants. But regardless of the color of your uniform, we honor all of you and your comrades, both living and dead — for your commitment, your service and your sacrifice. The good work you do is not often mentioned in the newspapers or on the evening news. But as public servants, daily you place yourselves in harm’s way in the performance of your duty, a duty whose burden we in civilian life often fail to sufficiently appreciate and acknowledge. In celebrating this Holy Mass for you and all our police, firefighters and emergency personnel, we thank you, for your commitment to the common good.

Because of your work, you see too often the dark side of our fallen human nature. It is a thin blue line that protects us from barbarity; it is a thin blue line that defends our communities so that they remain just that, communities and not moral jungles.

Too often, we can become complacent and forget how fragile the world we live in is. That we can become complacent is perhaps a tribute to you and your effectiveness at public service. Most days you do your jobs so well we take you for granted: thanks to you, “the wickedness and snares of the devil” seem far removed from us. But, tragedies — whether they originate in evil minds or come about because of the fury of Mother Nature or they happen because of the limitations of our humanity in avoiding mistakes and accidents — these tragedies bring home to us the fragility of our lives.

The response to human weakness, the response to human fear, and human sinfulness is simply dependence on the grace and strength of the Lord. At the celebration of every Mass, we acknowledge God’s greatness and we ask him for the strength to “let go, and let God” lest we become overwhelmed by the stress of our jobs and the challenges of our daily lives. Here, before the Altar of Sacrifice on which Jesus’ gift of himself is recalled and made present anew, we ask the Lord for his strength and protection so that we may always remain worthy of the trust given to us.

It is good to see here this morning so many young children. We recall the sacrifice of the hundreds of public servants who gave their lives trying to save people whom they didn’t even know. We cannot allow ourselves to forget the sacrifices of those police officers in Louisiana, Dallas and elsewhere. As we remember the sacrifice of these public servants, it is good for us to remind these young people and ourselves about the difference between celebrity and heroism. Too often, our society values people for what they have and not for who they are, and when “getting” rather than “giving” is prized, celebrities are taken as role models. Starlets with bare midriffs are deemed worthy of emulation; and sports personalities whose records unfortunately also include rap sheets are idolized.

Today, we honor all of you who man that “thin blue line,” we honor you not because you’re celebrities. Celebrities win notoriety because they “show off”; heroes win honor because they “show up.” We honor you because you are heroes. You are heroes — not because you did not ever feel fear, but because you did not let fear overwhelm you or hatred blind you so as to keep you from helping your neighbor. You are heroes —because in the face of evil, you respond firmly and resolutely to the forces of hate and chaos, to protect and serve the common good. You are heroes because when duty calls, you “show up.”

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

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