Archbishop Borys Gudziak Serves as Homilist During the Red Mass in Greenville

October 08, 2024

Lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals belonging to the St. Thomas More Society gathered for a special celebration on Sunday, Oct. 6, at St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Greenville to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their work.

This year’s celebrant was Bishop William Koenig. Concelebrating were Bishop Francis Malooly, bishop emeritus of Wilmington; Father Joseph McQuaide IV, judicial vicar and chancellor of the diocese; Father Glenn Evers, St. Thomas More Society chaplain; and Msgr. John Hopkins, pastor of St. Joseph on the Brandywine Church.

Metropolitan Borys Gudziak served as homilist. He emphasized that the Red Mass is an important opportunity for the legal community to reflect on living out their faith in their work. Jurists must balance what is legal with what is just, answering God’s call to serve the common good and to build community through peaceful dialogue and right relationships.

“How do we learn to construct a just society?” he asked, referring to the day’s Gospel reading from Mark 10:2-26, which provides an answer: by receiving the kingdom of God like a child. “Living as children, with a willingness to love and be vulnerable, is one of the most important precepts we can follow,” he said.

The Metropolitan expressed concern over the rise of physical and verbal violence permeating American discourse. He stated that violence robs humanity of its God-given dignity and corrupts the rule of law, noting that half of all Americans expect violence to follow the November election.

He urged the jurists to pray to the Holy Spirit, asking for the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and fear of the Lord. He concluded by citing Galatians 5:22-27: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”

Source: The Dialog