Homily of Cardinal Justin Rigali
45th Archdiocesan Mass celebrating
the feast day of Saint Martin de Porres and
25th Anniversary of the Ordination of the first
African American Permanent Deacons
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Dear brother Priests and Deacons,
Dear Men and Women in Consecrated Life,
Dear Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
A few moments ago, we sang, "Lift the Savior up, He’s worthy." What beautiful and appropriate words to begin our celebration this afternoon. Yes, Jesus is worthy to be praised!
Indeed, at this Holy Mass, we have so many reasons to praise our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. First and foremost, it is Sunday, the Day of the Lord and we gather to listen to God’s Word and receive the Eucharist, which is the Body and Blood of Christ.
We also gather to celebrate the feast of Saint Martin de Porres. For the past 45 years, as a faith community we have gathered to remember his feast day. What a wonderful tradition! This holy man of God is such an inspiration to all of the Church, especially to our African American Catholic community. We are blessed that, in so many of our Churches, his image reminds us that we are all called to be saints, all called to evangelize, all called to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. We remember and honor Saint Martin on this day and ask him to pray for us, for our families, parishes, our neighborhoods, our city and our nation.
As we celebrate, during this year 2007, Philadelphia’s Bicentennial Year as a diocese, we are reminded of the joyous event which took place in this Cathedral at this annual Mass 25 years ago. On that memorable day, His Eminence Cardinal John Krol ordained the first African American Deacons for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Deacon Hopkins, Deacon Nightingale, Deacon Purnell and Deacon Shields, you have taken the words of Jesus to heart, "I have come not to be served, but to serve." You have served faithfully as ministers of the Altar, ministers of the Word and especially as ministers of charity. We thank you for your years of dedicated service and for your prayerful example as you labored worthily among the people of God in our Archdiocese. God is good and we have been and will continue to be blessed by your service as deacons.
Our Gospel from Saint Luke today is the familiar story of the encounter of Jesus and Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was indeed looking for Jesus. Being small in stature, but large in his desire, he climbed a tree along the pathway to get the best possible view of Jesus. Zacchaeus must have heard of Jesus’ miracles, His teachings and the way He changed people’s lives. Not even the large crowd could keep Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus. He was committed and determined to see who Jesus was (Luke 19:2). Yet, it was really Jesus who was looking for him. Is it not the case with God? Long before we find God, God looks for us. God’s love for us is reflected in the words from Book of Wisdom, our first reading today: “You spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord and lover or souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things!” (Wisdom 11:26).
Out of all the people in the crowd that day, Jesus looks for Zacchaeus and goes to his home. And what happens to Zacchaeus after he encounters Christ? He is changed, he is renewed, and he is sent. Zacchaeus says: “Half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over” (Luke 19:7).It was the grace, mercy and love of Christ that made Zacchaeus a new man. People’s hearts are never changed out of fear, but they are changed out of love, true love.
Is there a lesson in this for us this afternoon? Yes, we too have been called by God to announce to the world through our words and deeds that “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). Whether we are ordained clergy, or lay faithful, man or woman, young or old, God loves us and calls us to a life of service to our brothers and sisters in our families, neighborhoods and communities. Serving others in the name of Jesus is what we learn from the life of Saint Martin de Porres.
On the day of his canonization, in 1962, Blessed John XXIII said: "It is deeply rewarding for those striving for salvation to follow in Christ’s footsteps and to obey God’s commandments. If only everyone could learn this lesson from the example that Martin gave us." The best way to honor Saint Martin de Porres on his feast day is to imitate his life of service to Jesus Christ and to all those whom Jesus loves. Amen.