Chrism Mass rich in sacred tradition; blessing of oils used throughout the year

Intermountain Catholic

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The Most Reverend John C. Wester, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, blesses the altar with incense at the beginning of the Chrism Mass April 2 in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

SALT LAKE CITY — "As we gather for this Chrism Mass, the Mass of the holy oils, in the presence of Christ, we embrace Christ, who is our living Chrism," said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. "Christ embraces each of us now and always as we journey together on our pilgrimage of faith in this local Church."

Bishop Wester celebrated the bi-lingual Chrism Mass, Misa Del Santo Crisma, in the Cathedral of the Madeleine April 2, on the fourth anniversary of the death of Servant of God John Paul II.

The Knights and Ladies of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, the Knights of Columbus, the deacons, priests, monsignors, and the bishop processed in to join the religious sisters, brothers, and the laity already seated. Bishop Wester welcomed everyone, and in a special way welcomed Rt. Rev. David Altman, Abbot of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity in Huntsville, and introduced his very close and dear friend Father David Pettingill, a retired priest from the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

"It is always a very special delight to introduce Vicar General Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald, who works so emphatically here in this local Church, "said Bishop Wester. "In a particular way, I want to acknowledge my brother priests, who work so tirelessly in spreading the good news of the Gospel. I want to say what an honor it is to administer with them.

"To one and to all, a hardy welcome, as we gather as God’s holy people this evening to bless and to consecrate the holy oils of God’s love we share," said Bishop Wester.

In his homily, Bishop Wester said, "About five weeks ago before Ash Wednesday, I sat down in my office, and made a little list of the things I was going to give up for Lent. It was a pretty decent list, not too harsh. Then that afternoon, I met with the pastoral center finance committee, at which some of our financial advisors and investment brokers gave us a report on how our economy was doing, and how our investments were doing. I went home and tore up my Lenten list and said that should be enough suffering for one Lent. But it wasn’t, we have had more meetings and more suffering. And all of us are pretty much in the same boat as we grapple with the this very difficult and seemingly intractable problem of the economy, not just in our country, but throughout the world."

The bishop said we hear a lot of people talk about what the cause of it is, and who is to blame. There are all kinds of theories, including greed and lack of control, but he said one thing is for sure, we see that the affect of this is that people feel threatened, isolated, many are afraid, and many feel like the securities and safety nets that made them feel secure are just not there any more. There is even a feeling that we are divided.

"Yet in the midst of all of this, as in so many similar realities, we see that our loving God is at work, and that we are rethinking, reordering, and reprioritizing our lives," said Bishop Wester. "We are starting to realize the best things in life are free in one sense because we are all recipients of God’s grace, freely given, from a loving a marvelous God. The best expression of that is what we are doing right now, all of us together, God’s holy people, in this Mother Church, around this altar, breaking open this holy Word, in this sacred book.

"We come together tonight as God’s holy people from different cultures – Spanish speaking cultures, Tongans, different Asian cultures, Vietnamese, and Koreans, European cultures, and African Americans cultures," said Bishop Wester. "We come as people who are poor and rich, from different parts of the state, some who have been here their whole lives to some who have been here a short time.

"We come here as those who are ordained as priests about to renew their priestly promises," said Bishop Wester. "We honor them in a special way recognizing their ordained service and ministry to unifying, bringing people together, and reconciling people.

Bishop Wester named the deacons, who work so tirelessly to proclaim the good news of Christ, and their wives who support them so selflessly. The religious sisters, who are dedicated to the Gospel, who express their various charisms through their love of Jesus and of the people, and who give so much of who they are, "remind us of who Christ is in our midst," said Bishop Wester.

"We see so many people coming together, and this unity, I think, is the best stimulus package we could ever have," said Bishop Wester. "It is one of those stimulus packages that really is for eternity, and that touches our hearts. But let’s not kid ourselves. This unity comes about not because we will it. It comes about not through our efforts or any talents we might possess, but rather it comes about in Jesus Christ, whom we reflect on tonight through the metaphor of imagery of oil, in particular, the Chrism that is placed into the oil to give it its sweetness, its life, its grace, and its mystery.

"Christ is at the center of our celebration, and it is Christ who unites us," said Bishop Wester. "He is the anointed one. He is anointed precisely for our redemption and salvation. Christ, the anointed one, suffered, died, and rose again, that we might have eternity. All of this, takes on the form through his Word. We speak of Christ as the Word. It is interesting to see that in scripture, the oil is always linked to the Word. It is the oil that opens our ears to hear the Word of Christ. It is the oil that loosens our tongues to preach and to proclaim the Word, and the oil that impels us to live it. It is the oil that gives us this internal enlightening, and the oil that gives us the strength to act on it.

"Contained in this liturgy, in this Cathedral, not simply ourselves who are physically here, but also those who will be touched by these holy oils, and by those who use these oils to initiate into the Church, and to bring healing to the sick," said Bishop Wester. "These oils are intended to bring us together in unity in Christ with everybody with whom we come into contact. So we come here again and again to ask Christ to wash us and anoint us with the spirit, that our ears might be opened and our actions might be made like Christ’s as we seek to be for one another the sign of Christ’s holy presence, his Paschal mystery in our midst."

In the presence of Bishop Wester and the faithful, the priests of the diocese vowed they were ready to renew their dedication to Christ as priests of the new covenant.

"At your ordination, you accepted the responsibilities of the priesthood out of love for the Lord Jesus Christ and his Church, are you resolved to reunite yourselves ever more closely to Christ and to try to become more like him by joyfully sacrificing your own pleasures and ambitions for the sake of the kingdom, and embracing a life of celibacy, obedience, and simplicity."

The priests affirmed they were, and that they resolved to be men of prayer, to be faithful ministers of the mysteries of God, to celebrate the Eucharist, and other liturgical services with sincere devotion, and to imitate Jesus Christ, the head and shepherd of the Church by teaching the Christian faith solely for the well-being of the people they were sent to serve.

The laity of the diocese stood as Bishop Wester said, "My dear people of God, through the cross and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been freed from sin and called to the glory that has made us the chosen race, the royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart. Now as we prepare to celebrate Easter with heart and mind reviewed, let us renew our commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ so that the good work he has begun in us may come to its fulfillment.

"My dear people are you resolved to renew your dedication to Christ, the anointed one, that you may become more faithful members of his body and active witnesses in the world," asked Bishop Wester.

The laity affirmed they were and resolved to live by their baptismal consecration and to minister to their brothers and sisters, and to the world according to their various vocations and states in life.

"May the Lord bless you in all that you do. May he bind you more closely to himself and fill you with many gifts for the good of his people," prayed Bishop Wester.

"My dear sisters and brothers, you have been called forth from the Christian community to a vowed life of consecration to God and a dedicated service for the sake of the kingdom of heaven," said Bishop Wester. "You are a leaven for good in the church and in the world."

The religious sisters and brothers resolved to continue their fidelity to their consecrated religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and offered their lives wholly to God, and for the advancement of God’s kingdom. They also resolved to continue their cooperation with Bishop Wester for the good of the whole Church and the State of Utah.

"May the Lord who consecrated you in his service, keep you faithful as his witnesses and true signs of his love for all people," prayed Bishop Wester.

"Dear brothers of the Order of the Diaconate, you have been chosen to serve Jesus Christ, who came to serve rather than be served," said Bishop Wester. "Like the men the apostles chose for works of charity, you were filled with wisdom in the Holy Spirit."

The deacons resolved to continue in their office as deacons, with humility and love, in order to assist the bishop and the presbyterate and to serve the people of God. They also resolved to proclaim the faith in word and service to all, and to be faithful ministers of the sacraments.

"May the Lord send upon you the Holy Spirit that you may be strengthened by the gift of his grace to carry out faithfully the work of your ministry. I would also like to add a special prayer of gratitude to those of you who are married, in thanksgiving for your wives, who are faithful companions with you in the Sacrament of Marriage and who do so much for you to enhance and enrich your ministries in our midst. To them, too, we give thanks for all that they do.

"My brothers and sisters, pray also for me that despite my own unworthiness, I may also faithfully fulfill the Office of Apostle, which Jesus Christ has entrusted to me," said Bishop Wester. "Pray that I may become more like our high priest and good shepherd, and so be a genuine sign of Christ’s loving presence among you.

"Now that we have all renewed our commitment to the Lord Jesus, let us call upon the Holy Spirit, that he may come into our midst as we prepare to bless the holy oils of anointing," said Bishop Wester.

"Let us pray the Oil of the Sick will bring comfort and healing to all who will suffer illness during the coming year," prayed Bishop Wester. Let us pray the Oil of the Catechumen will give healing and strength to all catechumens through baptism. Let us pray that God, Our Almighty Father, will bless this Oil of the Chrism so that all who are anointed with it may be inwardly transformed and come to share in eternal salvation. May the fragrant perfume, which we mix with this oil, be a sign of the joy and festivity of God’s kingdom."