There is a moment before stepping into danger when instinct may say, “I don’t want to go.”
For first responders and members of the military, service often means overcoming that hesitation and answering instead: “I will go.”
That choice was at the heart of Father Keith Burney’s message on Sept. 27 as first responders, military members, parishioners and community members gathered at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Ridge, Maryland, for the parish’s inaugural Archangel Mass for Those Who Serve and Protect.
The Mass recognized those who serve in law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, the military and other public-safety professions. But it also offered something perhaps less visible: prayer for the men and women who routinely step into situations most people hope never to face.
At the center of the homily by St. Michael’s pastor was a word he knew might make some people uncomfortable: obedience. “We live in a pretty individualistic culture,” he said.
But he wasn’t talking simply about following orders. He connected obedience to trust, humility and the freedom to put something, or someone, ahead of yourself.
In that Sunday’s Gospel reading, Father Burney pointed to the son who initially resisted his father’s request to go work in the vineyard, but ultimately changed his mind and went. He connected that choice to the men and women whose service may require them to overcome the same deeply human instinct to pull back from danger and instead say, “I will go.”
For a law enforcement officer, that obedience may also mean waiting for backup before going through a door, even when instinct says move.
For a firefighter, it can mean pulling out of a burning structure when the incident commander gives the order, even when every part of you wants to keep pushing forward.
For a paramedic or EMS crew, it can mean following protocol exactly as trained when seconds count and the pressure to skip a step is real.
“In each of these vocations, obedience isn’t slavery,” Father Burney said. “It’s what makes real freedom and real courage and real service possible.”
It was a message that stayed with St. Mary’s County Sheriff Steve Hall, who attended and participated in the Mass.
“We’re very, very fortunate in this community because we do have a lot of support for first responders,” Hall said. “But I think the faith-based community adds a different level of appreciation.”
Hall said the second reading at the Mass from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians particularly resonated with him because of its message of humility and putting others before oneself.
“Think of yourself second. Think of the other first,” he said. “That’s what you want in a first responder. That’s what you want in a police officer.”
For Hall, that connection between faith and service is more than professional. It is personal.
“Faith has been an integral part of my life and my service,” he said. “I rely on it when things get difficult, and in this vocation, they often do.”
Hall described one of the lessons he carries with him simply: “Give what you don’t get and be what you don’t see.”
Hall said the words speak to a kind of service that isn’t dependent on what one receives in return. It is choosing to offer something another person may need and being willing to show up for others, particularly when circumstances are difficult.
During the Mass, Father Burney returned to the idea of trust with another example, this one familiar to many in a community with deep ties to Naval Air Station Patuxent River and the Navy.
A pilot approaching an aircraft carrier may believe the landing can be made. But when the wave-off comes, the pilot responds, trusting the eyes on the deck rather than his or her own.
Different circumstances, but the lesson was the same. Service is not only about having the courage to act. Sometimes it is about having the humility to listen, the discipline to trust and the willingness to put another person first.
Hall said that is ultimately what first responders are there to do.
“At its very basic, we’re trying to help,” he said. “We’re trying to make a difference, and we’re trained to offer protection.”
But the message at the Mass wasn't directed only toward those who wear a uniform.
Most people will never run into a burning building, answer an emergency call, walk through a dangerous door or attempt to land an aircraft on the deck of a carrier. Yet the people who do those things live in the same communities, raise families, sit in the same pews and carry home experiences most of their neighbors may never fully understand.
For St. Michael’s parishioner and parent Chrissy Janney, the Mass was an opportunity to give thanks and pray for those who serve. Her daughters served at the altar during the Mass, giving the family another perspective on the day.
As veterans and first responders were recognized at the conclusion of the Mass, Janney found herself thinking about what her daughters and other young people in the church were seeing.
“Seeing all the men and women in uniform was both exciting and inspiring for our girls and all of the next generation who may serve,” Janney said.
For St. Michael’s, honoring those who serve also carries particular significance. St. Michael the Archangel is the parish’s patron saint and has long been associated with the protection of those who serve in the military and public safety.
The Mass was held two days before the Sept. 29 feast day of the archangels, Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
Father Burney said that connection with their patron saint makes it especially fitting for the St. Michael’s Parish community to pray intentionally for first responders and military members, support them and show gratitude for their service.
“Most of us will never know what it feels like to walk into danger because someone else needs help. But our first responders are called to do that every day,” Father Burney said. “They carry not only the responsibility of protecting our community, but also the weight of what they see and experience while doing it.”
And, according to St. Michael’s pastor, that responsibility should not be carried without the support of the community they serve.
“As a community, we have a responsibility to stand with them, to pray for them and their families, and to remind them that their service and sacrifice are seen, valued and deeply appreciated,” he said.
The priest hopes the inaugural Archangel Mass will become an annual tradition at St. Michael’s Parish, giving the parish and surrounding community a dedicated opportunity each year to pray for and recognize those who serve. And, on Sept. 27, St. Michael’s Parish did just that, making sure those who spend their lives answering “I will go” knew their community was standing behind them.
