On the feast day of the Guardian Angels this Saturday, our diocese will honor those who daily protect and serve us throughout our 21 counties in Northern Virginia at our first annual Blue Mass at the Cathedral. At this Mass, we will remember law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency personnel who have fallen in the line of duty and pray for the safety of all officers.

The Blue Mass — referring to the blue uniforms worn by so many public safety personnel — dates back to 1934 and is a venerable tradition in many dioceses. Here in the Diocese of Arlington, where many of our Catholics serve in crucial posts protecting our communities as well as the nation’s capital, it is my hope that an annual Blue Mass will call forth in us a greater awareness of and gratitude for the lives of those who serve us so faithfully.

Unsung heroes are in our midst. Our lives are a gift from God, given to us that we might in turn give our lives in service to Him and to others. This truth is one virtually ingrained into the lives of our police, fire and rescue personnel, who, day in and day out, put their lives on the line for us. As Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13).

We need look no further than the events of September 11th, when, as smoke billowed forth from the Pentagon, so many of our own law enforcement, fire department and emergency response personnel responded to the duty to serve and protect. On that day, I gathered with brothers and sisters at the Cathedral and commended to God all the people who died in the attacks, including those heroes who died in rescuing their sisters and brothers. This Saturday, we will do likewise by remembering those who have fallen in the line of duty.

A verse from the Responsorial Psalm this Saturday reminds us that "The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways" (Ps 91:11). According to St. Basil, "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." It is no stretch of the imagination to see the parallel role of our public safety personnel, who — as evident in the mission statement of the Arlington County Police Department — make our communities places "where all people can live safely and without fear."

True freedom — an understanding of life as a free gift meant to be given back in service — drives out fear. Our call to holiness requires not only "death" to our sinful nature, but also the freedom to "lay down" our lives for others. Our Holy Father’s first words after his election as pope, which he has repeated countless times since then — the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary and of Jesus to His disciples — should be our own: "Be not afraid!"

I encourage you to join our law enforcement, public safety officers and their families at our Blue Mass. Let us give thanks for the Guardian Angels He has placed beside each one of us; for those who have taken up the selfless call to serve as guardians and protectors of our freedom; and for the humble and heroic sacrifice — even unto death — that so many police officers, firefighters and emergency response personnel have shown to us in recent memory and the distant past. "Be not afraid!"