Cardinal Peter Turkson gives the homily at the Jan. 15 Red Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. (HCH photo | Anna Weaver)
Here are excerpts from the Red Mass homily of Cardinal Peter Turkson delivered Jan. 15, in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu.
Co-creators with God
“Our job when God put us in charge of this earth was to till and to keep it. To exercise control. God wanted us, created in the image and likeness of God, to mirror God’s own exercise and control of the earth. His goodness, his kindness, and all of that needs to be mirrored by us, and so effectively we are supposed to be co-creators with God.
“Dealing with the elements of creation, co-creators are what we are invited to be. What does that mean? Yes, (to be) co-creators with God means that God created the elements of creation — the trees, the sun, the sea and all of that — but he placed these in our hands to be able to use them and make them serve the concrete needs of humanity.
“So God created a tree. But God did not create furniture, or the pews you are sitting in. It took business, labor and work to convert the trees that God created into the furniture that we use for our concrete needs. God created sand on the seashore but it’s up to human labor to convert the sand to a crystal glass that again serves our concrete needs. And so you can go on and on and on.
“So, effectively, what God wanted us to be was to be co-creators, to continue his work of creation making the universe serve the concrete and particular needs of the human person. We do this with technology, but technology that means that the elements that God created serve our concrete needs, and not to destroy the elements that God has created.”
On human work
“So if humans were invited to be co-creators with God through the exercise of labor, through the exercise of work, then how may we understand work or labor for the human family. Work certainly is not servile. It is part of human life and human vocation in existence. And therefore work is meant to serve the well-being of humanity.
“And in this sense we need to observe what Pope John Paul II invited us to recognize several years ago. Work is not simply what we produce with the exercise of human talent and strength. That is objective work. But work is also subjective. It is the exercise of our talents, our creativity, our innovativeness to produce something. So when we’re talking about work, it is not simply something that we do to be paid, but something that we do to exercise our own humanity, our own dignity, our own creativity and our own innovativeness.”
Political charity
“Pope Benedict XVI says there is also a political part of charity. That’s when government and civil society show concern for the well-being of members in society. Because, after all, it is when human activity is inspired by faith and charity that we end up fashioning the type of society that we all expect to live in, a society of harmony and a society of peace.
“On account of this, churches have a role to play for the society our young people desire to see their church create. The government and its legislature and civil society also have a role to play by serving as a positive part of political charity, the well-being of all members in this state.”
‘Blessed the politician’
“These beatitudes were developed by a Vietnamese archbishop (Francis-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan) who was invited by Pope John Paul II to work in the Vatican. In fact, he was my predecessor (at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace). He composed this as beatitudes for politicians.
“Blessed be the politician with a lofty sense and deep understanding of his role;
“Blessed be the politician who personally exemplifies credibility;
“Blessed be the politician who works for the common good and not for his or her own interests;
“Blessed be the politician who remains consistent;
“Blessed be the politician who works for unity and harmony of his people;
“Blessed be the politician who works to accomplish radical change; and
“Blessed be the politician who is capable of listening, listening to the very many sectors of his constituency.”
Happy New Year
“At the beginning of this legislative year I wish all of you, members of the legislature, members of the church and clergy, and all of you citizens of this island state, a very blessed, and peaceful new year. And may God guide you with his wisdom so that you end up providing the young people coming up with a true sense of intergenerational solidarity, thinking about their own future and providing for them all credible manuals of peace.
“May God bless you. May God sustain you. And may God make all of you instruments of peace for all the people who serve in these islands. Thank you for your presence.”
