Lex Cordis Caritas - The law of the heart is Love

Lent will begin in a few days on March 5. In the Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday, Jesus tells his disciples, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father” (Matt. 6:1). But earlier in the Gospel of St. Matthew, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matt. 5:14-16).

The names of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones do not usually come to mind when one thinks of prophets, but their 1969 song, You Can't Always Get What You Want, is certainly prophetic. Coming at the end of the decade, the song has been described as a reflection on three major themes of the 1960s: sex, politics and drugs. The key insight is in the line sung by Jagger, "No, you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need."

The spirit of joy emanates from the Nativity of our Savior Jesus Christ, whose birth we continue to celebrate during this Christmas season. Although the commercial world of retail sales has put away its Christmas promotions until next fall, we in the church are actually now in the midst of our Christmas celebrations. While the secular world was giving us holiday music and seasonal hype to promote shopping, we were preparing our hearts for the birth of Jesus during the liturgical season of Advent.

We are gathered here today in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for a special Holy Hour before the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament to participate in Prayers of Supplication and Exorcism in Reparation for the Sin of Same-Sex Marriage. I wish to preface my reflections by saying that I am conducting this prayer service and am speaking to you now with great reluctance. I did not seek to enter any controversy and I don’t relish being part of one. But I have given this matter a great deal of thought and prayer, which has led me to the conviction that God is calling me to speak out and conduct these prayers.