tvc.dsj.org | April 25, 2017
We are the Lord’s anointed.
What a bold statement, but truly we are.
Whether by virtue of Baptism, Confir-
mation or Holy Orders or the anointing of
Catechumens prior to Baptism, each of us
gathered here in our cathedral Church is
the Lord’s anointed.
As such, we are set apart as disciples:
more than followers, we walk with the
Lord wherever he leads us. There is pur-
pose to our journey for we do not wander
aimlessly. We are not sheep without a
shepherd, but a holy flock entrusted to the
care of the Good Shepherd.
Tonight we bless and consecrate the oils
and Chrism that mark us along the various
stages of our lives in and for Christ.
Catechumens are anointed “with the
Oil of Salvation” to strengthen them on
their path to initiation and the Easter Sacra-
ments. Like wrestlers, they struggle against
temptation and evil, and we pray that the
Lord may endow them with his power.
This is the oil of strength.
Newly-baptized infants are anointed
with Sacred Chrism, as a foretaste of the
sacrament of Confirmation that they will
receive at a later time.
In Confirmation, the anointing with
Chrism is accompanied by the words, “Be
sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” In
this way, the believer is sealed with the
Holy Spirit, so that the gifts of the Spirit
may be alive and active in the life of the
Christian. Sacred Chrism is the Oil of the
Spirit.
In the Sacrament of the Anointing of
the Sick, the Church prays with and for
those whose health is impaired by chronic
or acute illness and the weakening that
Chrism Mass Homily by Bishop Patrick J. McGrath
accompanies old age. We pray that “the
Lord in his love and mercy [may] help you
with the grace of the Holy Spirit. . .May the
Lord who frees you from sin save you and
raise you up.” The Oil of the Sick is the oil
of consolation, the oil of hope.
Sacred Chrism is used again in the
Ordination of Priests and Bishops, to indi-
cate and to effect in each of them a special
grace by which they share in the role of
Shepherd, leading and serving. Whether
anointed on the palms of the hands, as in
the case of priestly ordination, or on a new
bishop’s head, the anointing with Chrism
marks the priest and bishop as consecrated
in a special way to a life of public service
in the Church.
At the Chrism Mass, priests are given
the opportunity to renew the promises of
Ordination. Each of us recalls in the midst
of this sacred assembly the reasons we first
embraced the Lord’s call to us. At the same
time, we attempt to recapture our original
fervor and the idealism which was ours at
the beginning of our ministry.
My brothers, we all began our ministry
with the promises of dedication to the Lord
and of dedication in service to His people.
For the most part, we have remained
faithful, even as realism has replaced our
idealism.
For those among us who were ordained
in the 1950s, ‘60s, or ‘70s, much has changed
in our Church and our world. Some re-
member the image of the priest, portrayed
by Bing Crosby in “Going My Way.” And
you know, I hope, that that world does not
exist in the twenty-first century. But you do,
and so does the vital ministry to which you
continue to be called and for which each
and every day you renew yourself in your
commitment to serve.
Many of you, my younger brothers,
were not even born when those older men
were ordained. Be kind to them, even as
you journey in the Lord to discover the
path of priestly ministry in a contempo-
rary world and Church. It is likely that
you never heard of Bing Crosby or “Going
My Way.” And there is nothing wrong
with that!
The challenges facing modern families
and individuals are very different from the
mid-twentieth century, but it is also good to
know the context in which our older priests
matured, just as they need to understand
the cultural and societal influences that
have formed you into the men that you are.
The Second Vatican Council, now more
than 50 years past, was such a momentous
event in the history of the Church, that
even now we continue to implement its
teachings, its attitudes, and its revolution-
ary opening to the world. As Pope Francis
reminds us often, there is no turning
back, only moving forward. And this
can be confusing because, while doctrine
remain the same, the way those teachings
are applied to the life of Christians can be
most challenging. Take, as one example,
the Pope’s apostolic exhortation, Amoris
Laetitia. We cannot ignore the questions
and the pastoral solutions the Holy Father
sets before us. We must enter the dialogue
of encounter and accompaniment with our
parishioners. We must put before them
the solutions and remedies that were not
always available to us in the past. I realize
that this is complicated, but is there any-
thing in life that is not?
IN THE DIOCESE
My brothers, I encourage you in the
strongest way I can – never lose sight of
the good intentions of those who come to
you in their struggles. Like the Lord, the
Anointed One, be rich in mercy, in love
and in compassion.
And to all who are gathered here this
evening – those who share the dignity of
Baptism and the Elect who will soon ap-
proach the Waters of New Life – I ask you
to pray for your priests, work with them,
accompany them as they minister to the
people entrusted to our care. As many of
their most trusted co-workers, help them to
be the very best priests that they can; God
willing, they also aid you in being strong
and loving in your ministry among the
People of God.
In a short while, we will bless and
consecrate these holy oils, knowing that
on this very night they will be carried to
every corner of this Diocese, uniting us
and our prayer this evening to countless
celebrations of the sacraments in the year
ahead. You and I, through what we do this
evening, are, in some way, present to every
anointing of an infant or adult and of the
ill an d aged that these holy oils make pos-
sible. Sacraments are prayers of the whole
Church; as such, the sacraments that will
be celebrated by the means of these oils are
an extension of our liturgy tonight.
I ask you to join me now in praying to
the Lord for our priests who will renew
the promises of ordination, and in pray-
ing that the Lord will endow our holy oils
and Sacred Chrism with his very life and
breath. To him be all glory and praise, now
and forever.
Amen.
Santa Teresa Parish Celebrates Unity Seder
By Deacon Steve Herrera
On March 22, Santa Teresa Parish
sponsored an Interfaith Seder service
led by Rabbi Laurie Hahn Tapper and
the Pastor of Santa Teresa Parish, Father
George Aranha.
Approximately 170 people from San-
ta Teresa, local Muslim communities
and Jewish Synagogues participated in
and Interfaith Passover Seder meal as
a sign of our common commitment to
fight Islamaphobia and anti-semitism.
Each table had a variety of religious
faiths represented as Jews, Muslims
and Catholics broke bread together
and got to know each other on a one
to one basis.
The focus of this Interfaith Seder
Service was ‘freedom from xenopho-
bia. During these times of increasing
anti-semitism and Islamaphobia,
Santa Teresa is actively committed to
peacebuilding and the promotion of
interfaith understanding in order to
manifest God’s kingdom in our society
so that Christians, Jews, Muslims and
all religious traditions are respected so
that their adherents can live lives free
from violence and discrimination.
Many participants commented how
much they enjoyed meeting people of
different faith traditions and that we
should do these types of things more
often.
The Interfaith Seder Service is one
of the highlights of Santa Teresa’s in-
terfaith work of the past several years.
SAM the parish Social Justice Com-
mittee has sponsored talks by Rabbi’s,
Muslims, Jains, Hindus, Mormons,
Buddhists, as well as others. Spear-
headed by Lynda Demanti, pastoral
associate at Santa Teresa, the parish not
only sings the song ‘All Are Welcome”
but actively invites other faith tradi-
tions to join us in interfaith celebra-
tions, social events and talks about each
other’s religious tradition.
Two Locations — May 13th
Martial Cottle Park | San Jose
Kennedy Park | Union City
FriendsofRealOptions.net/walk
For more information about this event,
email us at [email protected] or
call 408-229-9836 to reach our office.
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