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In recalling the famous chant that broke out during a homily given by St. John Paul II during a Mass he celebrated in Victory Square in Warsaw, Poland, in June 1979, Cardinal Dolan said the 2 million people there roared, “We want God.”
That three-word chant, unprovoked and lasting a full 11 minutes, had enough power to change the world, the cardinal said. The cardinal noted a message describing that night later found in the files of the KGB, which said simply: “It’s all over.”
With tensions high in New York City, the Cardinal's homily at Christmas Midnight Mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral was one in which those three words, “We want God,” held special meaning.
New Yorkers had been coping with sorrow and stress in the aftermath of the killing of two New York City police officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, who were executed Dec. 20 while sitting in their patrol car on a street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Those sitting in the cathedral’s front pews included Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro.
Addressing the political dignitaries, the Cardinal said, “I'm sure that's why you're here, Gov. Cuomo. I'm sure that's why you're here, Mayor de Blasio, as we face tensions and divisions in our beloved city.
“To join together and say, 'We want God,’” the Cardinal said. “Might I suggest that’s the most fundamental prayer lodged in the human heart.”
He added that the prayer was “answered softly, but radiantly, that first Christmas” in the birth of Jesus Christ.
Looking out at Mass-goers who filled the cathedral, all dressed in their finest clothes, most in shades of green and red in true holiday fashion, the cardinal said, “Everybody, that’s why we need Christmas—to unwrap this basic hunger that we all have, this thirst for the beyond, the lasting, the eternal the divine.”
Before Mass began, Cardinal Dolan placed the baby Jesus in the cathedral’s crèche as Christmas hymns were sung by the cathedral choir, led by Dr. Jennifer Pascual, director of music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
It was the first time that joyous Christmas carols of Jesus’ birth were sung at Mass, proclaiming the official beginning of Christmas.
Among the concelebrants was Auxiliary Bishop John O’Hara, episcopal vicar of Staten Island, and South, East and West Manhattan, and Msgr. Robert Ritchie, cathedral rector. Cardinal Egan, Archbishop Emeritus, was also present in the sanctuary.
