Cardinal Wilton Gregory’s Homily for Annual CMA Memorial Mass
Wilton Cardinal Gregory is the seventh Archbishop of Washington. (Photo: Jaclyn Lippelmann, The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington)
Following is the prepared homily delivered by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington (D.C.) on June 9, 2023, at the annual Catholic Media Association Memorial Mass.
Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
The Church's Lectionary for Mass is no respecter of events beyond the ritual celebration of Christ's Paschal Mystery. The Church proclaims God's Word according to the Message of Salvation without regard to other events or persons who might have special moments well worth recognizing. Yet on occasion, while I would hesitate to attribute it to supernatural inspiration, I am amazed that the Lectionary arbitrarily proposes an apt reading for a given circumstance without, of course, any awareness of the moment. This week's protracted story of the healing of the blindness of Tobias is an apropos lesson for a Mass with Catholic Media people!
For undoubtedly a primary job of the media is to heal the blindness that too often distorts the eyes and confuses the hearts of people in our world - this is even more so the task of those who are engaged in Catholic Communications. Welcome to the Archdiocese of Baltimore, whose graciousness today allows the Archbishop of Washington to pray with and for the Catholic Media Association gathered in this local Church!
I know that the people of this fine local community of faith join me in welcoming the Catholic Media Association into their midst. It is our prayer and sincere hope that your time here will be both beneficial and encouraging. We consider your presence a blessing for us on both sides of the diocesan border. You are the people who are directly engaged in the revelation of things that are concealed and hidden, but also life-giving for our Church.
As journalists, you are well aware of the significance that our contemporary society places on disclosure, especially of the sordid, the scandalous, the clandestine, the scurrilous. But the work of revelation in which you are engaged is also about the hopeful, the uplifting, the spirit-building, the works of God.
When Mark's Gospel passage today states that the crowd heard Jesus' words with delight, media personnel should take some comfort that people still can manage to listen to the truth of the Lord's teaching with delight - even in our often-cynical world. It is the proclamation of the Good News of Christ that is the hidden message — the concealed truth that will eventually be proclaimed on rooftops — that must continue to inspire Catholic communicators in today's environment.
Catholic journalists have a great challenge before them. You must adhere to the highest principles of your profession. You must be diligent in research, honest in your editorial policy, competent in your use of the modern means of communication, but always motivated by the Truth of Christ that is all too often only whispered in locked rooms or spoken in darkness. You are people who bring the full force of modern journalism to the task of revealing God's own design for us in Christ. I am glad that you have such associations and regional opportunities to encourage one another and to deepen your friendships and professional affiliations.
Catholic Media people must, however, be more than simply competent reporters and recorders of religious events and the Christian Gospel.
You are also people who, in the words of Saint Paul, "were chosen, when you heard the glad tidings of salvation, the Word of Truth, and
believed in it, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit who had been promised." Yours is the great opportunity of reporting a word of truth that has changed your own life. It is the love of that truth that motivates you to reveal those hidden things so that they can - in turn - change the lives of others. I urge you to do that task. I pray that you will grow more dedicated to and competent and proficient in that responsibility.
I thank you for enriching the local churches represented here. In a special way, I publicly thank my own extraordinarily generous and skilled communications staff for their own commitment to the Word of Truth in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. We can all stand to hear a little more Good News that brings light to those darkened places within us and within our society.
This Mass is also an optimal occasion for us to pray for those journalists who have recently fallen asleep in Christ, your colleagues whose skills and dedication have contributed greatly to the high regard of Catholic communications throughout our nation and indeed the world. May they now be with Christ who is Himself the fullness of Truth.
