By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK
“The spirit of the world tells us to be like everyone else. But Jesus tells us to go and announce the Gospel,” said Pope Francis in his homily for the Canonization Mass of Junipero Serra in Washington, D.C., on September 23.
The liturgy celebrated at the Catholic University of America on a beautiful fall day was a historic occasion for several reasons. It was the first canonization on U.S. soil and the first visit of Pope Francis, the first Pope from the New World, to the United States.
The crowd of faithful and other guests, estimated at 25,000, crowded into the quadrangle between the east front of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and surrounding buildings on the campus of Catholic University.
The altar was enclosed within a canopy fashioned to match the stones of the largest Church in North America behind it. Placed within the sanctuary next to the altar made for the occasion was a statue of our Lady and a receptacle for the processional cross bearing the relic of the new saint.
Young and old, students and families, Americans and foreigners, people from coast to coast were gathered with the Holy Father and our bishops for the celebration. They all formed a beautiful legacy attesting to the trailblazing efforts of Junipero Serra and all of the missionaries known and unknown upon whose shoulders we stand today as bearers of the faith also for others.
The bishops seated in the sanctuary and in seats in a central place before the elevated sanctuary were framed by the many concelebrating priests. The choir and orchestra and the many faithful and representatives of the political world and other professions, as well as the many media representatives, crowd control volunteers and aid workers, formed a vast panoply of souls to glorify God in union with the Holy Father.
The dome of the Shrine itself above the crowd was studded with security personnel armed with perhaps more than the binoculars with which they surveyed the crowd for potential troublemakers; they also added in their own way to the splendor of the day for God’s greater glory.
A monumental image of Serra emblazoned the wall of the Shrine to the right of the altar and sanctuary. The flowers in papal white and yellow framing the sanctuary and episcopal seating added natural beauty to the many elements carefully brought together by many hands and much effort over the months of preparation.
That Blessed Serra’s example might shine the more resplendently for all to see, his heroic example was to be recommended as a saint, commended by the Church as one now rewarded by Almighty God with a place in Heaven where his work continues as an intercessor.
The Veni Creator Spiritus in Latin and Spanish opened the rite of canonization. Donald Cardinal Wuerl, representing the voice of the faithful as the local Church pastor, then initiated the rite of canonization by requesting that the Holy Father “inscribe Junipero Serra among the saints, that he may be able to be invoked for all the Christian faithful.”
Pope Francis responded by inviting all present to “lift up our prayers” that God might “sustain with His grace” the imminent act of canonization.
After the litany of saints was chanted in Latin by all present, Pope Francis proclaimed the formula of canonization, declaring Blessed Serra a saint and elevating him to the highest honor God can confer upon humanity, to be in Heaven as a model of heroic virtue for all who remain upon Earth:
“For the honor of the Blessed Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the increase of the Christian life, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own, after due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many of our brother bishops, we declare and define Blessed Junipero Serra to be a saint and we enroll him among the saints, decreeing that he is to be venerated as such by the whole Church.
“In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
The silver cross emblazoned with his relics, modeled after the one worn by Serra with two horizontal beams, was borne forward. It was placed within a receptacle fashioned as mandorla-styled rays which held it upright for display in the sanctuary and incensed as now deserving of liturgical honor akin to that offered the Lord Himself.
The trailblazing nature of the day was appropriate given the pioneering spirit of the new saint, known as the “Apostle of California” for, among other accomplishments, the chain of missions founded through the state, some of which have grown into major cities today.
The Holy Father reminded us that Junipero left a very comfortable existence as a Franciscan, requesting permission to work in unknown lands among strangers as a missionary. He went forward for Christ, inspiring us to do the same as we face a future that is unknown but guided by faith as he was.
St. Serra was ever conscious of, and animated by, charity for the peoples, the many brothers and sisters, who awaited him and the person and message of Jesus Christ he was to bring them.
The Holy Father’s homily commended the Gospel to us as the impetus which impelled the new saint to attain heavenly glory:
“We don’t want apathy to guide our lives . . . or do we? We don’t want the force of habit to rule our life . . . or do we? So we ought to ask ourselves: What can we do to keep our heart from growing numb, becoming anesthetized? How do we make the joy of the Gospel increase and take deeper root in our lives?
“Jesus gives the answer. He said to His disciples then and He says it to us now: Go forth! Proclaim! The joy of the Gospel is something to be experienced, something to be known and lived only through giving it away, through giving ourselves away.
“The spirit of the world tells us to be like everyone else, to settle for what comes easy. Faced with this human way of thinking, ‘we must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and for the world’ (Laudato Si, n. 229). It is the responsibility to proclaim the message of Jesus. For the source of our joy is ‘an endless desire to show mercy, the fruit of our own experience of the power of the Father’s infinite mercy’ (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 24). Go out to all, proclaim by anointing and anoint by proclaiming. This is what the Lord tells us today. He tells us:
“A Christian finds joy in mission: Go out to people of every nation!
“A Christian experiences joy in following a command: Go forth and proclaim the good news! A Christian finds ever new joy in answering a call: Go forth and anoint!”
Thank you for reading. Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.
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