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Chrism Mass Homily My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Each year we gather together here at the Cathedral of Our Lady to bless the oils which will be used in sacred rites throughout the Archdiocese in the coming twelve months. Each year, our priests join with me in re-committing ourselves to the service of Jesus Christ in and through His holy Catholic Church. Each year you enthusiastically respond to this gathering and these actions. All of this occurs because you and our priests and I have something in common. We all believe in Jesus and we love the Church which He established for our salvation. Tonight then, I am delighted to welcome you, the people of God, from throughout our Archdiocese. It is so good to see all one hundred eighteen Catholic parishes of this Archdiocese represented here by priests, deacons, religious and laity. Your presence here is both a sign and witness to the vitality of our faith in Jesus Christ. It is an inspiration and a privilege to be able to pray with you and for you. Tonight, in our First Reading from the Sacred Scriptures, we heard the famous passage from Isaiah. The prophet proclaims Good News. He says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me for He sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.” This reading from Isaiah was repeated over and over in the synagogue. The people became very familiar with it. In fact, they often took it for granted, much as we do. Thus when Jesus read that passage as quoted in today’s Gospel, His listeners probably didn’t pay too much attention until He added: “Today, this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” With that, He caught their attention. That final statement of Jesus made all the difference in the world. They were no longer hearing a past historical episode. Now it was real. It was present to them. They were witnesses. They could be participants in the action of God in their midst. Tonight, the Scripture is also fulfilled in our midst. Here we bless the oils which will be used devoutly and effectively in our parishes. With the Oil of the Sick, our priests will anoint the ailing and the elderly of the parishes as they pray over them and for them. With the Oil of the Catechumens, those about to be re-born in baptism will be anointed for they are being consecrated to the Lord. The Sacred Chrism will be used in the ordination of our next priest and in the Confirmation of more than one thousand young people and hundreds of adults. These oils which I bless here tonight shall indeed be effective instruments through which I and the priests will minister the sacraments among you. The Scripture is again fulfilled in your presence! Dear brothers and sisters, how grateful we should be to God Who has called these priests here to be His witnesses, His representatives, His ministers. How thankful we should be to them for responding to God’s call and committing themselves to the service of the Church. Let us always remember our priests in prayer, that Almighty God will bless them and help them to remain faithful and true all the days of their lives. Priesthood is a beautiful vocation but it is not always easy. To be a good priest requires sacrifice and effort and commitment. Above all, it requires the Grace of God. For this reason, I ask you to pray for your priests and to collaborate with them in the mission and work of the Church. Then, too, I ask you to nurture and promote vocations to the priesthood in your family circles and in your parishes. There are young men who are being called by God to be priests. They need your support, your encouragement and your prayers. Pray that they have the courage and the strength to respond to God’s call. In so many ways, the promises of Jesus are fulfilled in your presence by the men He called to be priests. Priests are servants of the Lord. Like Jesus Himself, they minister to you. Tonight most of our priests are here. They have come to make a public renewal of their priestly commitment. On my part, I want to thank them for their good work, their priestly service, their prayers, efforts and dedication. Yes, my dear priests, I see you as brothers in the ministry, but even more so as brothers and co-workers in Jesus. Thus I know that you and I, by the Grace of God, are able to bring Jesus to our people in a very special dynamic way in the Eucharist. Truly with Christ, we say: “This is My Body. This is My Blood” and the bread and wine are changed. Jesus becomes present to us and His people and the Scripture is fulfilled in our presence. Priests of God, you have come here tonight in faith. When you stand before God’s people and before the Eucharistic Lord Jesus, I ask you, humbly and joyfully, to join with me in renewing our commitment to priestly service. Most Reverend Eusebius J. Beltran |