On Monday, March 2, the NYC Area gathered to celebrate our monthly First Monday Mass in the Lady Chapel of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Msgr. Douglas Mathers, ChM was the celebrant of the Mass.

In his homily, Msgr. Mathers drew on the writings of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, reflecting on the first station of the Cross: Pilate’s condemnation of Christ. He recalled Archbishop Sheen’s meditation on Pilate’s question to the crowd—Who would you choose, Christ or Barabbas?—noting in this a deeper, universal choice: between all that is right and good on the one hand, and all that is wrong and evil on the other. This is, Msgr. Mathers reminded us, the same choice we face in our daily lives.

He connected this to the first reading from the Book of Daniel, in which Daniel confesses the sins of Israel without excuse. Msgr. Mathers drew a parallel to Ash Wednesday, when we too come together as one community of faith to acknowledge that we have chosen wrongly, turned away from God, and sinned. Yet Daniel reminds us of the Lord’s response: yours is compassion and forgiveness.

Msgr. Mathers invited us to examine the choices we make each day—especially the choices to do wrong, to turn away from God, to rationalize and excuse our sins—and to truly repent, so that we may return to the Lord and grow closer to him. When someone wrongs us, do we choose resentment and retaliation, or do we choose not to judge, not to condemn, to forgive, and to be compassionate, as God is compassionate and forgiving toward us?

Following Mass, a large group enjoyed fellowship at a nearby tavern. Please join us for our Lenten Holy Hour and Spiritual Reflections with Rev. Gerald E. Murray, ChM, JCD next Tuesday, March 10, and for our next First Monday Mass and monthly social hour on Easter Monday, April 6.