St. Patrick's Mass

Unfortunately, I missed most of this morning's Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral owing to my morning spent at a local television station for my "15 seconds" of fame on CNN. What a surreal experience...

The full text of Pope Benedict's Homily is online here. My favorite portion of his remarks come at its conclusion:

"And when we leave this great church, let us go forth as heralds of hope in the midst of this city, and all those places where God’s grace has placed us. In this way, the Church in America will know a new springtime in the Spirit, and point the way to that other, greater city, the new Jerusalem, whose light is the Lamb (Rev 21:23). For there God is even now preparing for all people a banquet of unending joy and life."

While Pope Benedict was addressing the Clergy and Religious who were present at Mass, aka the "Foot soldiers", I choose to believe that you and I are also being called by the Holy Father to be "heralds of hope" as well.

This afternoon, events turn to the Blessing and Rally with Youth at St. Joseph's Seminary. Over 25,000 young people are flocking to this event. I'm certain that it will be incredible - if you're lucky enough to be anywhere near the Rally, I'd love to hear from you.