2014 Blue Mass Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Lewiston Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross September 14, 2014

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1 2014 Blue Mass Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Lewiston Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross September 14, 2014 My friends, we come together this morning on the occasion of a most beautiful feast, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The feast commemorates two historic events of great importance. This is the anniversary, first of all, of the finding of the relic of the cross by St. Helena, Mother of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome, in 326. It also commemorates the first construction of churches in Jerusalem at the sites which are the most holy for all Christians. The emperor Constantine built these churches at the tomb of Christ where Jesus rose from the dead, and at the site of Calvary where his Passion and death occurred. These Churches were dedicated 9 years after Helena s discovery in 335. These are important things to commemorate but, of course, what is really of the greater importance is the event, the saving event, which is the Crucifixion and death of Jesus, and his Resurrection three days later. In that event lies our salvation. And so it is good for us to have this feast where we focus on the cross and its saving importance. The feast gives us opportunity to see the cross in Jesus whole life and mission. And, of course, as is always the case with the Scripture, we also see what the Lord Jesus wishes for us as our own mission. We are blessed today to have with us here at the Basilica for this Mass a gathering of those who serve the community by providing safety and protection in Maine. This is our annual observance of the Blue Mass. It provides us an opportunity, first of all, to honor and thank all those who watch over public safety in our communities here in Maine, all those who serve as first responders and protectors of public order, health and safety. Our purpose in bringing you together is to express gratitude for the service you offer us. And we are truly grateful that you perform this service in so many ways. You serve the public as police officers and fire fighters rangers and 1

2 game wardens immigration and border patrol personnel and as EMTs and paramedics, just to mention a few. These calls to public service confer an incredible responsibility and, as such, demand the public trust. At times they are taken on at a profound personal price which, sadly, can even include the ultimate sacrifice of the very lives of you who serve. And so our purpose in being here this morning is not only to thank you, but also to thank God for your service, and to ask God s blessing on each of you. May He protect you as you serve us. That is certainly our prayer today. We are grateful this morning also for the presence of some of our political and government leaders and administrators of various public safety agencies which oversee and coordinate the important work of guarding and protecting our society. Their presence is a tribute to the work that is done by all who serve. We are grateful that they come this morning to honor those who serve and to join us in this prayer that God will watch over and care for all who serve to ensure public safety. As I mentioned at the beginning our Feast today and our Scripture readings fit very well with our gathering for the Blue Mass. I discovered along the way, for example, that the cross is the underlying image of the badge of the firefighters. For centuries this Maltese cross has been a symbol of protection and a badge of honor. During the Crusades, almost a thousand years ago, when fire was used as a weapon for the first time in the Western world, the Knights of Malta, an ancient order in the Church, were called on to counter that fire, and protect their fellow knights and the people entrusted to their care. The cross has become, therefore, a symbol of service, sacrifice, dedication and self-giving. It is the foundation of the firefighters badge today. Of course, the police badge often contains the motto to protect and serve. 2

3 Service is at the heart of your work. It is that call to serve that our Scripture lays out for us this morning. Service, in this sense, is a call not only to a particular occupation, but to a way of life. The cross is prominently before us this morning as we celebrate this feast. Reference to it is found in each of our readings. The Scripture is a reminder for those who wear it and who see it that we are called as Christians not just to wear the cross, or even to admire it, but to make it the heart of our lives. Jesus words to his follower were very specific, take up your cross and follow me. Our Scripture readings this morning help us to know how we are going to do that. The Old Testament reading and the Gospel focus on the same image. Moses lifts up the serpent in the desert. It brings healing to the people who have been assaulted by poisonous snakes. Jesus, in speaking with Nicodemus in our gospel this morning, takes that image and applies it to himself. He is the one lifted up when he is hung from the cross. And God, who brought healing to the people of Moses time, will do the same through Jesus gift of his self. This healing, however, will not be just a return to good health but a return to life. Jesus promises eternal life. The reading from St. Paul helps us then to apply the meaning of the Cross to our own lives. St. Paul is himself suffering for his faith when he writes this letter to the Philippians. He writes it from prison. And, in his letter he pleads with the Philippians to live in harmony with each other. His text takes up a hymn to bring home his message. Paul wants those who listen to him to reflect on that hymn and to know that it contains the very heart of the message of Jesus. 3

4 Jesus, who is one with the Father, empties himself. Only Jesus himself could allow himself to take on our human condition. The heart of the hymn and the heart of Jesus life is summarized in the words: he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on the cross. Even though the cross and Jesus crucifixion marks an important moment in the carrying out of his mission, it is not the only moment. Paul reminds us that all that led up to that moment is, as well, the message of Jesus. Jesus, by his very incarnation as well as his life, teaches us humility, and he teaches us that we are to serve one another. That, for Paul, is the heart of the message of the Gospel. Paul speaks here a message to the Philippian community an idea he had already shared with the Christians at Corinth, a message of Paul s own appreciation for how Jesus lived his life on earth. Paul tells us in the letter to the Corinthians that Jesus, who was rich, became poor for our sake. It is Paul s call to these communities to model their own lives on that of Christ. Paul asks the Philippians to leave aside their discord and disagreements, their desire for prominence and prestige, and live together in harmony. Their model is to be Jesus Christ who embodied in his mission a humble, selfless desire to serve those around him. This was the essence of the life of Christ. Paul invites the Philippians, and all who will seek to follow Christ to live as Jesus did, to serve one another. In serving one another we carry on the mission of Jesus. In fact we carry his cross. We seek to put the one we serve before our own interests. That is how Jesus calls us to live. It is not always easy. We like to take care of ourselves. We like to have our own way. The message of the Gospel, however, reminds us that we are called to 4

5 serve. When we come here to celebrate Eucharist, however, we are once again reminded of Jesus gift to us of himself, and, through our prayer, and the strength that Jesus gives us, we find the grace to continue to serve. As first responders and rescue workers of all kinds, your profession asks a lot from you. You are truly called to protect and serve. Your service is greatly important to our society. The common good is strengthened by your generosity and the unconditional way in which you accept your responsibility. This is, indeed, service in the way the Lord Jesus calls us to give to one another. Even as we thank you for all that you do, and ask God to watch over you and bless your work, I hope this reflection today reminds all of us that service is not just something we do in our professions. It is a way of life, it is the way we define ourselves as Jesus followers. And so we are called not just to serve professionally but also in our families, in our communities, and in our churches. By so living, we, indeed, become co-workers with the Lord Jesus. May God bless you, and keep you safe in your great responsibilities to the service of the common good. 5