DETROIT — Christ’s teachings must not only shape the personal lives of believers, but they must also shape the destiny of our nation, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron said in his homily at St. Joseph Church in Detroit on Sept. 7.
“This is why we are so persistent that we as believers have a proper place in the public square,” said the archbishop during the Saturday evening Mass, which was held at the conclusion of a local pilgrimage for Changing Lives Together commemorating the end of the Year of Faith.
“Freedom of religion is not simply about freedom to worship; it’s the freedom to bring to our lives as citizens a sense of what we know from accepting the Gospel,” he added.
Responding to Pope Francis’ request for Sept. 7 to be a day of prayer and fasting for the people of Syria, Archbishop Vigneron had requested that the people of the Archdiocese of Detroit remember to participate in the Holy Father’s appeal.
Keeping with the spirit of the pope’s request, the archbishop focused much of his homily on praying for those suffering from the conflict in Syria.
The archbishop said the Gospel brings to light the correct perspectives on issues of war and peace, and that with this in mind “we must bring to our participation in our life as citizens what we know about right and wrong, good and bad, the defense of the innocent, and bringing to justice those who commit crimes.”
He also mentioned reading a blog post recently in which the writer described the pope’s prayer service for Syria as being more of a religious street rally.
“Please, we hope everyone will take us at face value,” the archbishop said. “We are here to pray. Because we know that God is the Lord of history; that we need the strength of God and the light of God and the help of God to make good judgments; that we need to direct the course of human affairs according to God’s plan for his human family.”
Archbishop Vigneron also explained that the need for peace extends beyond borders, from as far away as the Middle East to as nearby as our own relationships on a daily basis. He said Christ calls all to be disciples not only in name, but in practice as well.
What Christ says is that be a disciple means “to love him ‘even more than all these,’ and to believe that if I love Jesus Christ, I will find the very best way and the surest way to love my wife, my husband, my children, my mother and my father. That’s what he means to be a disciple,” he added.
Archbishop Vigneron reminded the faithful not to despair of ever achieving peace, for God is always in control: “God is the Lord of history … he’s the playwright, he establishes the plot of history. So we can be confident of that as we look to the future.”
Concluding his homily, the archbishop paused for a moment of silence, placed the intentions for Syria under the intercession of the Blessed Mother, and prayed a Hail Mary with the faithful.