Chrism Mass highlights interdependence of various ministries in Christ’s call to serve

Chrism Mass highlights interdependence of various ministries in Christ’s call to serve

The archdiocesan Chrism Mass, held March 27 at St. Luke Church, is a celebration of the unity of the entire local church in its role as a priestly people. Priests and laypeople gathered around one altar to pray with Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, in praise and thanksgiving.

The focus of this archdiocesan celebration, the blessing of the oils and consecration of the Chrism which gives the Mass its name, is a strong expression also of the unity of the church.

Followers of Jesus are anointed with Chrism at their baptism and again at confirmation, as they receive the spiritual anointing of the Holy Spirit. Those whom the Lord calls to serve his people in the ordained ministry are anointed at their ordination, and Chrism is used for special actions and dedications, such as a new church or a new altar.

Also blessed was the Oil of Catechumens, used to anoint candidates for baptism. Anointing with the Oil of Catechumens extends the effort of the baptismal exorcisms and strengthens the catechumens to renounce sin and accept the challenge of Christian living.

The Oil of the Sick that was blessed is used in the sacrament of the anointing of the sick in parishes, homes, and hospitals, to give those who are ill in mind and body the strength to bear suffering and pain.

At the Chrism Mass, the anointed people of God in their ministries gathered to witness the blessing of these oils. The use of the blessed oils in the churches of the archdiocese is a further sign of the unity affirmed and celebrated in the Eucharist.

Also at the liturgy, the archbishop invited the presbyterate to renew their commitment to priestly service. He asked the priests to respond with an affirmative, “I am,” to a series of questions, after which the clerics received a rousing ovation from the congregation.

In his homily, Archbishop Gustavo told listeners that Jesus brings salvation through a message, not a social or political reform — through a word, not a war. “He builds bridges, not walls, to the poor, the captive, the blind, the oppressed. He firmly states that God’s promises are being fulfilled today!”

Pope Francis has said that “Jesus, anointed by the Spirit, brings good news to the poor. Everything he proclaims, and we priests too proclaim, is good news — news full of the joy of the Gospel — the joy of those anointed in their sins with the oil of forgiveness, and anointed in their charism with the oil of mission, in order to anoint others in turn” — with the oil of catechumens, the oil of the sick, the sacred Chrism.

The archbishop explained that the word of God is not a sound bite or a slogan, not an abstraction or a fantasy. “When we read the gospel, we encounter Jesus, our brother, the Word of God, the crucified and risen Lord,” he said. “Listening carefully to the word of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we share responsibility for continuing Jesus’ mission and ministry in the world today.”

The San Antonio prelate lamented that we live in a world of exaggerated individualism, fierce competition for limited resources, a consuming preoccupation with possessions, power, and pleasure. Archbishop Gustavo decried that we live at a time of chaos, divisiveness, polarization, neglect of virtues and, above all, disregard for gospel values, where respect for the truth is rare. “We are bombarded by so-called ‘alternative facts’ and bald lying in public life and on social media,” he deplored. “Our social fabric is unravelling.”

The Missionary of the Holy Spirit challenged attendees to listen attentively and with humility to the gospel and to proclaim it and the risen Lord boldly and faithfully. “We also need to act upon the word of God and strive mightily to build up the kingdom of God — an environment of justice and peace, truth and sincerity, harmony and unity, mercy and compassion,” he emphasized. “We are challenged to bring good news ‘to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.’” As Pope Francis has said, “the truth of the good news can never be merely abstract … never be gloomy or indifferent.”

The archbishop concluded by saying that the gospel needs to take deep root to produce fruit. “We rely on the wisdom and empowerment of the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us the courage to be faithful missionary disciples of the risen Lord.”