From the stones of this sacred building and from across the centuries, Jesus proclaims: “I am alive!” said Matt Malone, S.J., editor in chief of America, in a live-streamed homily on March 17 from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in celebration of the patron of Ireland and the Archdiocese of New York.
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, the main celebrant of the liturgy, invited Father Malone to preach. Many dignitaries, including Prime Minister Enda Kenny of Ireland and Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, were on hand to kickoff the St. Patrick’s Day festivities in New York City.
Father Malone began the homily by saying it was an “act of faith” on the part of Cardinal Dolan to invite him, since, “If the last year has taught us anything, it is that you can never predict what a Jesuit is going to say.” Father Malone went on to describe the Irish influence on the Catholic Church in this country, which he called “a new evangelization for a new world.” And Jesus continues to speak to the people of New York and the world: “I am alive. I am the way, the truth and the life.”
The Gospel reading for the solemnity was the call of the first disciples: “They left everything and followed him” (Lk 5:11). Our forbearers, said Father Malone, crossed an ocean, “an act of faith, an act of love, that changed the world.” Christ continues to speak to us today, “I am alive! And you cannot be the same.”
At the conclusion of the Mass, Cardinal Dolan offered thanks to Father Malone and said, “St. Ignatius would be proud. St. Patrick would be proud. Pope Francis would be proud. Thank you.”
Luke Hansen, S.J.
Click here for the full text of Father Malone's homily, which was published in Catholic New York on March 20, 2014. For a video of the entire Mass, click here.
