Judge Esther Salas: A Testimony of Faith and Forgiveness

BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY

On Oct. 4, as we do each year, we celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. In addition to the Blessing of Animals, we often remember St. Francis and his exemplary life and teaching by offering the “Prayer of St. Francis.” His well-known prayer begins, “Lord, make me an instrument of your Peace,” and continues by asking, “where there is hatred, let me sow Love … where there is injury, pardon” [see the text of the prayer at the end of this column]. Have you had experiences in your life when you found it difficult to be an “instrument of Peace” or when you found it difficult to “sow Love” and/or to forgive?

Those of us who were blessed to be able to attend our annual Diocesan “Red Mass” on Sunday, Oct. 1, were able to hear and meet a person who truly lives as an “instru­ment of God’s Peace.” Judge Esther Salas was presented with the “Advocati Christi” Award. Meeting Judge Salas was a true privilege, as I learned that she is a witness to the truth that it is possible to live according to the words of St. Francis’ prayer, even in the saddest and most heartbreaking circumstances. I hope that many were able to read the story in last week’s Beacon that described all that took place at the Red Mass, especially the presen­tation of the “Advocati Christi” Award to Judge Salas.

As you can read in the article, Judge Salas was accompanied at the Red Mass by her husband, Mark, who was shot three times on the day (July 19, 2020) that their son, Daniel, was killed by a person described as a “disgruntled attorney,” whose target was Judge Salas. Their pastor, Father Robert Lynam, who introduced Judge Salas, also accompanied the couple. Father Lynam shared his memories of Daniel and the day that Daniel was killed. He also testified to Judge Salas and Mark’s exemplary witness of faith and forgiveness. When Father Lynam reached the hospital on the day of the shooting, he anointed Mark and gave him Holy Com­munion. At that time, it was unclear whether Mark would survive. As they prayed together, Mark told Father Lynam that he forgave the shooter and asked Father Lynam to let others know of that forgiveness.

Both Father Lynam and Judge Salas shared that Judge Salas needed more time before she was ready to forgive the shooter, but with the help of prayer, especially the Mass and the Scriptures, and with the prayerful support of the parish community, Judge Salas eventually made a choice to forgive. It is unfortunate that we were not videotaping the words that Father Lynam and Judge Salas spoke, but we are hoping to be able to make the text of Judge Salas’ remarks available on the St. Paul Inside the Walls website.

Judge Salas has become a national advocate for the security and protection of Federal Judges, working for the passage of the Daniel Anderl Security and Privacy Act of 2021. Even more importantly, Judge Salas and Mark have become true witnesses to the healing power of forgiveness and the truth that, by the gift of faith, Jesus can give us true peace, which only He can give. In John’s Gospel, in His “Last Supper Discourse,” we hear Jesus say, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (Jn 14:27). Judge Salas and Mark Anderl demonstrate what embracing the peace of Christ produces: cycles of hatred and violence are broken, and the burden of bitterness is undone by the selflessness of peacemakers. Our world desperately needs more peacemakers like this exceptional couple.

In addition to sharing my experience and gratitude for the opportunity to meet Judge Salas, Mark, and Father Lynam and to hear their testimonies, I wanted to write about the “Red Mass” for another reason. The Red Mass was a wonderful example of what it means to be the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. It is also an excellent example of what we mean when we say that the Church must evangelize, first herself and then the world. On Dec. 8, 1975, the tenth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI wrote, “The Church exists to evangelize” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 16). Since Vatican II, St. Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis have all followed the pastoral insight of Paul VI by calling the baptized to be “missionary disciples” and to participate in the “New Evangelization.” We see the New Evangelization at work in the Synod on Synodality, presently underway in Rome. Closer to home through the presence and ministry of St. Paul Inside the Walls, The Catholic Center for Evangelization is one way in which our diocese strives to be “who we are called to be.”

It is also an excellent example of what we mean when we say that the “Church exists to evangelize.” As the Second Vatican Council, St. Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict, and Pope Francis have called all the baptized to be “missionary disciples” and to participate in the “New Evangelization,” the presence and ministry of the St. Paul Inside the Walls Evangeliza­tion Center, is one way in which our diocese strives to be “who we are called to be.”

The “primary places” of evangelization are the family, which is called the “domestic church,” and the parish. A bishop and a diocesan “structure” should provide ways to support, encourage, and, at times, “highlight” the wonderful ways in which the faith is being shared and passed on in families, parishes, and in many other places and ministries. Thanks to Bishop Emeritus Arthur Serratelli, Msgr. Geno Sylva, many generous donors and lay leaders, “St. Paul Inside the Walls” opened more than 10 years ago. It has been and continues to be true to its mission of promoting the “New Evangelization” in our diocese. For the past 11 years, Father Paul Manning, Diocesan Vicar for Evangelization, has overseen the work of St. Paul Inside the Walls, along with a wonderful team of priests, deacons, and lay leaders. “St. Paul’s” sponsors and collaborates with many groups and ministries. The “Advocati Christi” fellowship of Catholic lawyers and judges, which sponsors and plans the “Red Mass,” is just one example of the great work that is accomplished and promoted by St. Paul’s throughout the year.

Our diocesan participation in the “Synod on Syno­dality” is another example of the ways in which Father Manning and his team support and facilitate our diocesan participation in the “New Evangelization.” As delegates from the Universal Church currently gather in Rome with Pope Francis for the next crucial step in the process of the “Synod on Synodality,” we should all be praying for the success of the Synod. I am very grateful for the ways in which the “Red Mass” and the testimony and witness of Judge Salas, Mark Anderl, and Father Lynam serve as a reminder of what it means to be an “evangelizing Church.” I am also grateful for their witness and inspiration that, with God’s help and with prayer, it is possible for all or any of us to live and put into practice the words of St. Francis’ Prayer: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace …”
 

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.