In April of 1513, Ponce de Leon sighted the east coast of this beautiful state with these words, “Pascua Florida”.  It was Easter time and the coast was in bloom with  native flowers and plants.  Ponce de Leon prayed thanking God and recognizing Him as the Creator and the resurrected Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of all Creation.  Thus our state is called Florida for the 1^st time.

Ponce de Leon also brought with him his faith.  Thus the Catholic Church in Florida is the oldest establishment of the faith in the United States.

Who were these early Floridians - Dr. Michael Gannon describes them in his book The Cross in the Sand, “there were priests and friars, conquistadores and hidalgos, soldiers and statesman; Indians from swamps and shore land, Spaniards and Minorcans, rich and poor, innocent and the repentant - they were a long line of stout men, and if there were some evil in them, there was also much good; and if at times they stooped to small and mean things, they also rose to heights of courage and generosity and sacrifice which are the real patents of nobility and the expected fruits of Christian Life.”  These are the people that laid the foundation stones of the State of Florida; these too are our ancestors.

When Florida was ceded to England in 1763, the Spanish-Indian way of life, based upon religion and agriculture, was replaced by the English system, based upon trade and consolidation of power.  In July 1821, Florida became a territory of the United States .  Florida now came under the influence of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights which secured a distinction between religious authority and state power.  Ownership of Church property became a very litigious and contentious issue during this time.

Bishop John England of Charleston in 1822, wrote to President Monroe the following, “The Roman Catholics claim no privileges to which their fellow citizens are not entitled - they claim no favors or affection in the eye of state, but they do expect that by becoming citizens of the United States they shall not lose the property which they previously possessed and held until now.”

In 1831, Joseph L. Smith, Judge of the Superior Court voiced his concern and surprise when Catholics sought his advise on Ecclesiastical matters of ownership.  Judge Smith expressed, “his serious reluctance to approach a subject, wherein it might be liable unintentionally to trespass on sacred rights of conscience and on spiritual things, which no secular judge has a right to do.” Alexis de Tocqueville in his book “Democracy in America” said about American life, “respect for the laws of God and man is the best way of remaining free, and liberty is the best means of remaining upright and religious.”

In 1884, the Bishops of the United States meeting in Baltimore wrote, “we consider the establishment of our nation, the shaping of its liberties and laws, as a work of special Providence, its framers building better than they knew, the Almighty’s hand guiding them.” 

Church and State in Florida over these many years have debated many issues.  During the nineteenth century, slavery, education and Civil Rights of workers, social welfare policies, issues of peace, abortion, and rights of the unborn.  In the Twenty first century, we debated birth control, the death penalty, Embryonic stem cell research and sexual abuse.  You, as legislators, are faced with issues of State budget, insurance, property taxes, fair housing, education, health, the environment and immigration. 

Pope Benedict XVI recently said, “The Church is not interested in becoming a political agent, and it is the role of the lay faithful, as citizens to work in the political sphere.”  Public service maybe a noble and honorable vocation which can make tremendous demands on you personally.  The Church role is one of nurturing, to assist the very reasoning process which is fundamental to the pursuit of justice.  Political discussion can neither be conducted with theological arguments, nor theological discussion with political arguments.  They are two distinct languages.  Yet, there is a need to be bilingual, speaking the language of the beliefs that give energy to our convictions, but also speaking the language of citizenship when discussing what is good for society.  A consensus of the majority does not always guarantee the truth.  Christian faith purifies reason and prepare it to seek the truth. 

The Church teaches that it is the solemn obligation of legislators and other public officials, as servants of the common good, to honor and protect the rights of all.  The principle of equality demands as a matter of strict justice that life is sacred.  “The obligation of the public officials is not to enforce the teaching of the Catholic Church it is, rather, to fulfill the demands of justice and the common good in light of the principle of the inherent and equal dignity of every member of the human family.”  Robert P. George, Princeton University

The Church’s  objective is to help form consciences in political life; to raise awareness of the authentic requirements of justice and to foster a greater readiness to act accordingly, even when this might involve conflict with situations of personal interest (cf Deus Caritas Est 28).  The Church is moved only by love for humanity and the desire to work together with all people of good will to build a world in which dignity and inalienable rights of all persons will be safeguarded (Benedicts address to Centrist Democrats International 1DC). 

Politicians are called to dedicate themselves with generosity and courage, illuminated by faith.  You are to work for justice and the common good, not in a despairing effort to do the impossible, but with the enthusiasm of a faith which knows that God’s love is bringing justice to the living and the dead of all the land. 

Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic said of public service, “you are called to authenticity, by being responsible for more than oneself, being attuned to what conscience is saying and engaging in the endless pursuit of meaning.” 

In the 1^st Reading from Micah, we hear the question, “what shall  I bring to the Lord when I come to worship him”, What did Ponce de Leon bring to Florida 495 years ago?  He simply brought his faith and trust in the Almighty and Eternal God who created heaven and earth.

In the Second reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Paul reminds us to be always joyful in relationship with the Lord and he repeats it, I say rejoice.  Respect all your brothers and sisters and be people of prayer.  Fill your minds with things that are good and things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honorable. 

Albert Schweitzer the great Doctor, Missionary, Theologian, Musician and Philosopher of the last century said, “The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others.”  He also said, the mark of a great society is, “how they treat the weakest members.”  One word of caution from this great Humanitarian, “If a man loses his reverence for any part of life, he will loose his reverence for all life.”

So in the words of Ponce de Leon when he first saw the shores of Florida we pray tonight that:

“Almighty and Eternal God, who by thy Sacred Word has created heaven and earth and sea, blessed and glorified by thy Name and praise by thy Majesty; and grant that through thy humble servant Thy Sacred Name may be known and preached in this other part of the world, Amen.”