The Holy Father: Homily for Chrism Mass [full text]

 Below please find the official text of Pope Francis’ Homily for Chrism Mass, Holy Thursday 2013:

Dear Brothers and Sisters, This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.

The readings of our Mass speak of God’s “anointed ones”: the suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: the anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God’s faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed… A fine image of this “being for” others can be found in the Psalm: “It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe” (Ps 133:2). The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe.

The sacred robes of the High Priest are rich in symbolism. One such symbol is that the names of the children of Israel were engraved on the onyx stones mounted on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, the ancestor of our present-day chasuble: six on the stone of the right shoulder-piece and six on that of the left (cf. Ex 28:6-14). The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were also engraved on the breastplate (cf. Es 28:21). This means that the priest celebrates by carrying on his shoulders the people entrusted to his care and bearing their names written in his heart. When we put on our simple chasuble, it might well make us feel, upon our shoulders and in our hearts, the burdens and the faces of our faithful people, our saints and martyrs of whom there are many in these times…

From the beauty of all these liturgical things, which is not so much about trappings and fine fabrics than about the glory of our God resplendent in his people, alive and strengthened, we turn to a consideration of activity, action. The precious oil which anoints the head of Aaron does more than simply lend fragrance to his person; it overflows down to “the edges”. The Lord will say this clearly: his anointing is meant for the poor, prisoners and the sick, for those who are sorrowing and alone. The ointment is not intended just to make us fragrant, much less to be kept in a jar, for then it would become rancid … and the heart bitter.

A good priest can be recognized by the way his people are anointed. This is a clear test. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news. Our people like to hear the Gospel preached with “unction”, they like it when the Gospel we preach touches their daily lives, when it runs down like the oil of Aaron to the edges of reality, when it brings light to moments of extreme darkness, to the “outskirts” where people of faith are most exposed to the onslaught of those who want to tear down their faith. People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their hopes. And when they feel that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ, has come to them through us, they feel encouraged to entrust to us everything they want to bring before the Lord: “Pray for me, Father, because I have this problem”, “Bless me”, “Pray for me” – these words are the sign that the anointing has flowed down to the edges of the robe, for it has turned into prayer. The prayers of the people of God. When we have this relationship with God and with his people, and grace passes through us, then we are priests, mediators between God and men. What I want to emphasize is that we need constantly to stir up God’s grace and perceive in every request, even those requests that are inconvenient and at times purely material or downright banal – but only apparently so – the desire of our people to be anointed with fragrant oil, since they know that we have it. To perceive and to sense, even as the Lord sensed the hope-filled anguish of the woman suffering from hemorrhages when she touched the hem of his garment. At that moment, Jesus, surrounded by people on every side, embodies all the beauty of Aaron vested in priestly raiment, with the oil running down upon his robes. It is a hidden beauty, one which shines forth only for those faith-filled eyes of the woman troubled with an issue of blood. But not even the disciples – future priests – see or understand: on the “existential outskirts”, they see only what is on the surface: the crowd pressing in on Jesus from all sides (cf. Lk 8:42). The Lord, on the other hand, feels the power of the divine anointing which runs down to the edge of his cloak.

We need to “go out”, then, in order to experience our own anointing, its power and its redemptive efficacy: to the “outskirts” where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters. It is not in soul-searching or constant introspection that we encounter the Lord: self-help courses can be useful in life, but to live by going from one course to another, from one method to another, leads us to become pelagians and to minimize the power of grace, which comes alive and flourishes to the extent that we, in faith, go out and give ourselves and the Gospel to others, giving what little ointment we have to those who have nothing, nothing at all.

A priest who seldom goes out of himself, who anoints little – I won’t say “not at all” because, thank God, our people take our oil from us anyway – misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart. Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks. This is precisely the reason why some priests grow dissatisfied, become sad priests, lose heart and become in some sense collectors of antiques or novelties – instead of being shepherds living with “the smell of the sheep”, shepherds in the midst of their flock, fishers of men. True enough, the so-called crisis of priestly identity threatens us all and adds to the broader cultural crisis; but if we can resist its onslaught, we will be able to put out in the name of the Lord and cast our nets. It is not a bad thing that reality itself forces us to “put out into the deep”, where what we are by grace is clearly seen as pure grace, out into the deep of the contemporary world, where the only thing that counts is “unction” – not function – and the nets which overflow with fish are those cast solely in the name of the One in whom we have put our trust: Jesus.

Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart.

Dear priests, may God the Father renew in us the Spirit of holiness with whom we have been anointed. May he renew his Spirit in our hearts, that this anointing may spread to everyone, even to those “outskirts” where our faithful people most look for it and most appreciate it. May our people sense that we are the Lord’s disciples; may they feel that their names are written upon our priestly vestments and that we seek no other identity; and may they receive through our words and deeds the oil of gladness which Jesus, the Anointed One, came to bring us. Amen.

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About Gertrude

Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio, cóntra nequítiam et insídias diáboli ésto præsídium.
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11 Responses to The Holy Father: Homily for Chrism Mass [full text]

  1. Giovanni A. Cattaneo says:

    I have heard disturbing news out of Rome and in the light of that this homily makes little to sense, however I am reserving judgement until it is confirmed, but things do not look good.

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  2. Giovanni A. Cattaneo says:

    What I feared would happen did indeed happen. I do not know what to think at this point. My faith is shaken at the moment. The silence from those that should protect the teaching of the Church is quite palpable. Something must be done or at least said at the very least and explenation is in order for this clear violation of canon law.

    If this does not matter then nothing realy does.

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  3. johnhenrycn says:

    “What I feared would happen did indeed happen…My faith is shaken…”

    So, Giovanni, His Holiness has opted to live in a Vatican guest house instead of in the Apostolic Palace? Or are you distressed by the fact that a high school girls choir from Carrolton School of the Sacred Heart in south Florida will sing at Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday? What’s the problem? Please don’t be quite so coy. Thank you.

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  4. toad says:

    “I have heard disturbing news out of Rome….” ..well, tranquillo Giovanni, don’t get all bent out of shape too soon.
    Because, if you got this “news” from The Darling Loony* Media, it probably isn’t true anyway – merely… “…People making money out of telling half truths, spreading scandal, and gossip!” Just you wait and see!
    Brother Burrito will be more than happy to confirm this.

    *Copyright, Golden, 2013

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  5. golden chersonnese says:

    Toads, ugh! (from 2:31 to 3:32)

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  6. toad says:

    If you can’t see the beauty in a toad, Golden, well – all I can advise is, “Look again.” Every bit as beautiful as a frog.

    Disturbing (and significant?) silence from the stricken Giovanni.
    Ooo-er. Bated breath. Agog. Tenterhooks. Etc.

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  7. kathleen says:

    Toad,
    Giovanni has a great love for tradition and the Church, so he (and many others) are finding some of the ‘novelties’ Pope Francis is introducing and saying difficult to digest. It is understandable.

    Giovanni,
    This post by Father Z might help calm some of your doubts and help to see things in perspective:
    http://wdtprs.com/blog/2013/03/what-is-pope-francis-really-saying/

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  8. toad says:

    But what “novelties” are we talking about?
    Nixing the “bling”? Making his own porridge?
    Toad can see very much indeed to admire in Pope Francis, but none of it particularly novel.
    As far as he can tell. But he might be wrong.

    When Toad starts defending popes against Catholics, the apocalypse cannot be that far away.

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  9. Giovanni A. Cattaneo says:

    It has to do more than just tradition I am afraid. Thank you the link though and I have read it I am a regular to Father Z blog.

    Pray for the Pope and pray for the Church

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  10. toad says:

    So, I suppose it was the washing the feet of a Muslim thing that has ’em all hyper-ventilating and keening.
    It strikes Toad as an incredibly good, saintly and wonderful gesture to dare to make.
    And not an action he, (Toad) is good, or decent enough to even contemplate, any time soon..
    The sex of the Muslim is irrelevant, by the by. Or so he thinks.
    If only Toad believed in God, he might, inspired by Francis, become a Catholic again tomorrow.
    But a bit of a big “if,” alas.
    (Quite a big “might” as well.)

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  11. kathleen says:

    Toad,
    It’s more complicated than that. Some of the symbolism that Pope Francis is rejecting in public have a deeply significant meaning. Of course first one has to understand what the mozzetta, red shoes, et al. stand for – and as many do not, they see these rejections by Pope Francis as a sign of embracing true poverty. Is it though?
    Pope Benedict XVI (Pope Emeritus), a deeply humble man, never failed to make use of all the traditional vestments and actions when he was the Vicar of Christ. He did not do this to promote himself, but he saw in the use of these traditions, the profound and vital role of what the Papacy stood for.

    Then again, some of Pope Francis’ words are causing alarm due to the many scars (dissent, lack of proper Catholic catechesis, errors of Modernism) that have disfigured the Catholic Church, especially in the West, since the second Vatican Council. Having begun to repair the damage done, under the last two great Popes, we do not want a return to that troublesome period again!

    Those who love the Sacred Liturgy are also worried, because Pope Francis does not seem to have this very high up on his list of priorities.

    On the other hand, Pope Francis, a caring, hard-working, morally upright pastor, naturally holds solidly to Catholic Doctrine and Teachings. So when it really comes down to it, we need have no fear; we know we shall be in good hands.

    Giovanni is right though – we must pray hard for the Pope and the One Holy Catholic Church. And at the same time remember:

    “Let nothing disturb you,
    Let nothing frighten you,
    All things are passing away:
    God never changes.
    Patience obtains all things.
    Whoever has God lacks nothing;
    God alone suffices.”
    (St. Teresa of Avila)

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