Holy Hour, election night Mass

PATERSON  Bishop Kevin Sweeney presided at a Holy Hour and Mass in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here on the evening of Nov. 3, Election Day. The Mass was livestreamed for the faithful to pray with the Bishop and it was celebrated in both English and Spanish.

In his opening remarks at the start of the Holy Hour, the Bishop said, “As the Church, we do what we can do for our country and even for our world as we come together in prayer in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. As we come together in prayer on this election night, we come together in faith. We are here together because we believe that Jesus is here and he tells us that we shall ask and we shall receive, that we shall seek and we shall find. He teaches us to pray with confidence.”

The Holy Hour featured the recitation of Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary and prayers and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

The Bishop prayed for peace in the nation as the results of the voting came in and for those leaders who were to be elected and that they follow God’s law. He also prayed for the country and its citizens, many of whom came as immigrants and for continued blessings from God.

In his homily, the Bishop quoted President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” The Bishop said, “One of the things we can do is pray and we are here tonight praying for our country.”

While this is one of most famous quotes of President Kennedy, the first Catholic to be elected President, the Bishop shared the remarks that followed: “My fellow citizens of the world ask not what America will do for you but what we will do for the freedom of mankind. Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking his blessing and his help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”

“God’s work must be our own here on earth,” the Bishop reminded the congregation. “We have to respond to the Lord’s invitation and not make excuses,” he said. “It’s so easy to see the negative — the conflicts, the challenges that are real. But in the challenges each of us face day by day, if we do it as disciples, Jesus is inviting us and gives us the help of the Holy Spirit to be the good citizens he is calling us to be.”

He concluded his homily by saying. “The dream continues. We have our differences. There are differences of opinions. There are different political parties, but we are all sisters and brothers together living in this country of ours. We pray for our country, we pray for peace.”