On the weekend of Sept. 10-11, I attended a Mass at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen celebrated by Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, who gave the best homily I’ve heard in a long time. Without engaging in vocal calisthenics, Bishop Rozanski presented a very clear explanation of the readings for the day based on the concept of unconditional forgiveness. Bishop Rozanski admitted that this fundamental teaching of Jesus is very difficult for many of us to accept as it really does go against the grain.
The anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was used as a meaningful backdrop as it is so difficult to truly forgive those who attacked us as well as those who continue to hate us. The homily was relatively brief but very clearly revealed not only Bishop Rozanski’s understanding of Scripture but also his understanding of the human condition. The homily truly showed a lot of heart and was not simply an academic or intellectual exercise.