A Vatican diplomat to the United Nations reportedly warned United States leaders against exploiting God for selfish gain during the 69th Red Mass held at Washington D.C.'s St. Matthews Cathedral last October 3.
The Christian Post said Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia warned American leaders on the evil of exploiting God and justice for selfish means similar to that of the Pharisees in the Bible. Caccia gave the warning during his homily for the Red Mass, which is annually held at the opening of the new term of the United States Supreme Court.
The Red Mass has been held traditionally "to invoke God's blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice, as well as on all public officials" every Sunday before the first Monday of October. This year's Red Mass was solely attended by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh was announced last October 1 to have tested positive with COVID-19.
"It is a powerful reminder that justice has to do with something sacred and that those who practice its administration are at the service of something larger and greater than themselves. This is an important perspective because today, like at the time of Jesus, there is a reason to exploit justice instead of deliver it," Caccia said.
Caccia then cited the Gospel in Mark 10:2-16 where the Pharisees "were testing" Jesus on the law on divorce. Caccia explained that justice should not be used for self-service that Jesus condemned the Pharisees for.
"Justice is being used as a pretense to challenge and condemn. Or we could say, to do injustice. Jesus nevertheless enters into discussion with them. They confront Him with another question about the Law of Moses. Jesus, however, tries to lead them on an exodus from what He calls 'the hardness of their hearts,'" Caccia stressed.
According to Caccia, there is a cure to the hardness of hearts of such leaders and it would be through accepting the very advice of Jesus on it. Caccia then urged American officials to do the same, which is to "place themselves in the presence of God with an openness to understand what is God's plan." He explained that not doing so exposes themselves to the risk of using God out of one's selfishness.
"If you do not place yourselves before God in this way, there is the risk to use even God for our own ends instead of serving Him. This is the very attitude that distinguishes a truly religious person from an apparently religious man like the Pharisees in the Gospel today," Caccia underscored.
"There are in the end only two kinds of persons - those who try to grasp God and take Him in their hands for their own goals like little children grasping for water only to have it escape through their fingers; and those who ask and welcome God with open cupped hands, allowing them to retain water and imbibe it," he added.
"We can ask ourselves. What kind of person am I? Someone who tries to grasp God or someone who asks and receives Him? Those who receive God and draw near to Him, draw near to His justice which is one of His biblical attributes," he said.
For the new term, the Supreme Court will be reviewing the constitutionality of the much-talked about Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case in December. The said case is predicted by Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton to overturn Roe v. Wade.
