Chrism Mass celebrated
The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, celebrated the 2012 Chrism Mass March 29 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Following is the text of his homily.
Tonight’s Mass – this liturgy we celebrate together as brothers and sisters in Christ – in many ways is unique. It really stands alone in many respects: It’s not really part of Lent and not part of the Sacred Triduum, which we anticipate in days. There’s a certain ominous note that is struck, knowing that Jesus' proclamation as the Word of God would lead to his death, and yet we see throughout the liturgy very obvious notes of jubilation and joy.
Because of space and other reasons, relatively few people attend this liturgy, yet, what we do tonight concerns the whole Church and its sacraments throughout the year, particularly Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders and the Sick.
All members of this local Church are represented in one way or another. We see here tonight the complete Church: not simply a branch of the universal Church, but the Church in her entirety, an ecclesial unity that lacks nothing, yet is intimately and ontologically united with the Church universal, the magisterium and our Holy Father.
We are all gathered tonight, you and I, for the blessing of the oils needed in this ecclesial unity, for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, the anointing of the sick and dying and the ordination of priests, who dispense the sacraments.All that we are and do as Church comes from our head, the Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, the Alpha and the Omega, the Almighty.
These realities are not stated, but revealed, in tonight's liturgy. They belong to the sacramental order; that is, the order of the visible that is rooted in and expresses an invisible reality – the mystical Body of Christ.Every member of Christ's body, the Church, is consecrated by an anointing of Christ, our eternal priest and head, and made into a temple of the Holy Spirit in which each of us is a living stone.
At the same time, the ordained priesthood, though in union with and at the service of those who exercise the priesthood of the faithful, is celebrated tonight in a special way that allows our priests to renew their commitment of love to Christ and their service to you, the people of God. We priests are the stewards of the mystery of God in the Word we proclaim and in the sacraments we celebrate. Priests must keep their eyes fixed on Christ, the great high priest, in order to be effective ministers and bearers of the mystery of God.
What priests do is of vital importance to the Church and we must all pray for them unceasingly and in particular tonight.
Now, in years past, we have paused during the Chrism Mass for all of God's people to stand and renew their commitment to Christ. This year, in keeping with the Third Edition of the Roman Missal and, more importantly, in order to underscore the central role the renewal of priestly promises plays in our Chrism Mass, we will only observe the renewal of priestly promises.
In this way, the whole Church, represented by our deacons and their wives, our religious and our lay faithful, will fulfill their sacred task of praying for our priests as we witness the renewal of their promises to Christ.
The priests, in turn, will lead the members of the Church in renewing their baptismal promises at the Easter vigil, on Easter Sunday and throughout the Easter season. Thus, all the people of God will fulfill their proper roles, each of whom is on the path of holiness determined by the loving providence of God.
My brothers and sisters, you are not being excluded. In fact, my reflections are truly all about you, for whom our priests have been ordained to serve. Our priests find their path to holiness inextricably bound up in your lives as you and they journey together with Christ and to Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life.
The promises renewed by my brother priests tonight shine the spotlight on you. The priestly call to holiness involves you from beginning to end.
And so tonight I would simply like to offer three observations that undergird the renewal of priestly promises tonight; three insights that help to describe the union of the priest with Christ and his people.
I would also like to base these few reflections on the life and ministry of Archbishop Oscar Romero, whose 32nd anniversary of death we celebrated a few days ago, on March 24. We have four priests from El Salvador ministering in our diocese and no doubt they have an affinity with this great leader in our Church. But I believe all of us, especially our wonderful priests, will benefit from the example of this courageous leader. In addition, it seems to me that these reflections are in harmony with the oils that we bless and consecrate tonight.
In the prayer of blessing for The Oil of the Catechumens we pray, "Bring them [the catechumens] to a deeper understanding of the Gospel and help them to accept the challenge of Christian living."
Archbishop Romero, when he was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador, was not initially received with great fanfare. This is a bit of an understatement. But he had, like Saint Paul, a transformative experience. A dear friend of his, a Jesuit priest, Father Rutilio Grande, close friend, was assassinated. Archbishop Romero saw his dead body lying in pool of blood on the sidewalk, and he was never the same. This pastoral experience in his ministry and in his life had a profound impact and it transformed him in many, many ways.
The Oil of the Catechumens symbolizes the constant growth that must take place in the priest as he is formed and shaped by the people he serves. The catechumens, and Archbishop Romero, demonstrate this in their lives, and we priests must also be moved by the lives of our people, among whom we is called friend. The priest does not abandon his role as leader of the Christian assembly, but he must always be friend. A friend is one who cries with us, laughs with us, and loves us no matter what. A friend is one who is changed with us and allows through his vulnerability himself to be changed. The priest is formed by his people.
For priests, the seminary is only the very beginning of his formation process. The seminary sets the stage for the life-long formation offered by the people of God. You, my brothers and sisters, are the seminary for our priests, bringing them to a deeper understanding of the Gospel and helping them to accept the challenge of Christian living.
The Oil of the Sick: "Make this oil a remedy for all who are anointed with it; heal them in body, in soul, and in spirit, and deliver them in every affliction."
At an early point of his ministry as archbishop, a priest was killed in San Salvador, and in the hand of the priest was found a pistol. The Archbishop consulted with his advisors and was told he could not attend the funeral. If he did, it would send a message that he agreed with the violence represented by that gun. He thought about it and said, "That priest's mother will be at the funeral. I am his father and I will be at the funeral."
The Oil of the Sick soothes those in need of healing on whatever level. It makes its way into the rough-hewn fabric of our lives and finds its home in the midst of our brokenness. So also does the priest. The priest belongs in the midst of the uncomfortable, the uneasy, the fragmented. He is not necessarily at ease there, but he is there. He suffers with us in every aspect of our lives and is privy to our innermost secrets.
Christ came to call the sinner, the sick, the weak and the marginalized. The priest, following in his footsteps, finds himself more at home with these than anyone else. No one is excluded, however, because beneath the veneer of wealth, power and position, we are all poor and all in need of the Lord's healing touch.
The Sacred Chrism: "Fill it with the power of your Holy Spirit through Christ your Son. It is from him that Chrism takes its name and with Chrism you have anointed for yourself Priests and kings, Prophets and Martyrs."
Archbishop Romero, according to his biographer and close associates, was most aware of his vulnerable position in El Salvador. He knew that he was most likely going to join the ranks of those who were assassinated before him. In a speech he gave at the University of Louvain, he said:
“In less than three years, more than 50 priests have been attacked, threatened, and calumniated. Six are already martyrs – they were murdered. Some have been tortured and others expelled. Nuns have also been persecuted. The archdiocesan radio station and educational institutions that are Catholic or of a Christian inspiration have been attacked, threatened, intimidated, even bombed. Several parish communities have been raided. If all this has happened to personnel who are the most evident representatives of the Church, you can guess what has happened to ordinary Christians, to the campesinos, catechists, lay ministers, and to the ecclesial base communities. There have been threats, arrests, tortures, murders, numbering in the hundreds and thousands…”
Oscar Romero knew he that would be assassinated. And yet he would not allow a driver to drive him. He always drove himself. Nor would he allow bodyguards, now wanting any of them to be killed with him. In a consistent and intentional manner, he gave his life for others and died what I would consider a martyr's death.
The priest gives his life for his people in no less a sacrificial manner. It is not likely that they will be called to die for the faith but priests are called to surrender their lives every day, every moment, joining with Christ on the cross as he gave his life for the salvation of all.
It is imperative that the priest care for himself, physically, spiritually, emotionally and psychologically, but this is so that he can place himself more completely at the disposal of his people, for whom he expends all his energy.Christ is the priest's model par excellence in this regard. Christ Jesus gave everything for us in fulfilling the Father's will and so must his priests.
These, then, are the three points I want to share with you tonight:
· You, the people of God, are intimately involved with your priests' ongoing formation.
· It is your pains that they carry.
· It is for you that they offer their lives to Christ as together you work your personal call to holiness.
Our priests, through their ordination, and in union with the bishop, will use these holy oils throughout the year to mediate God's love throughout the liturgical year of grace.
These oils represent the various ways in which the Holy Spirit, sent by our Redeemer in union with the Father, will work in us – this local Church – to open our ears to his word, our lives to his healing, and our hearts to his love that we might give completely of ourselves for others.
Archbishop Romero was inspired to minister as he did because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A long-time aide and friend has repeatedly said that Archbishop Romero was motivated not by liberation theology, but by the Gospel. He lived his life in harmony with that Gospel.
Back in 1943 he wrote in his diary: "In recent days the Lord has inspired in me a great desire for holiness…. I have been thinking of how far a soul can ascend if it lets itself be possessed entirely by God."
My brother priests, I give thanks to almighty God for you and for your selfless ministry in our local Church. I feel truly blessed to share ministry with you and to call you friends. I pray that you will be always inspired to ascend the heights of holiness and be possessed entirely by God. I pray that with your people and through these oils, you will make great progress as you draw ever closer to Christ, our high priest. In the meantime, let us join together around the altar of the Lord, where we are nourished for the journey.
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