Homily for the Chrism Mass : April 6, 2006

Given by the Most Reverend Stephen E. Blaire at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Stockton.

In the Chrism Mass our priests recall that in their ordination to the ministerial priesthood they were anointed with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the service of God’s people. Each of them can say: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me….” Just as this passage was fulfilled by Jesus in the hearing of the people, so today this passage is fulfilled in your hearing by the priests of the Church. Priests essentially are not some kind of professional clergy people who receive their identity by running ecclesial institutions, although pastoring a parish very much involves pastoral administration. But the heart of being a priest is to identify prophetically with Jesus in the Synagogue, anointed “to bring glad tidings to the poor.” I do not expect that each and every priest in the diocese has all the gifts necessary for the Church to carry out her mission of pastoral care in the parish and to transform the world for Christ. In the body of Christ there is one Spirit but many gifts and a richness of ministries among the people. But I do expect all the priests to be faithful to their responsibility to hand on the precious deposit of our faith in their preaching, in their celebration of the Sacraments and in their pastoral leadership.

I agree with an essay written a number of years ago by Cardinal Walter Kasper at the time he was appointed a bishop. He said that the burning issue for the contemporary church is the handing on of the faith, and that “less and less does it appear to be a determinative influence on life and reality. All the pastoral issues which have been raised in the diocesan synod – communication, unity in diversity, faith development, family unity, financial transparency, leadership, liturgy, social justice, a welcoming church and youth ministry – come down to living our faith in response to God’s love for us. That is why the synod delegates have been asked to examine each strategic pastoral goal as to whether or not it brings us closer to Christ and makes a difference in the world.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the truths of our faith but not as propositions to be adhered to but as truths to be lived. Our Catholic faith is not an ideology; it is a way of life. The content of our faith is Jesus Christ Himself. Our faith in Christ and our belief in God determines our whole way of living. Faith does not make us narrow in opinion but gives us the light to see the real meaning of life. The stronger our faith, the more free we become because we have a conviction in the ultimate meaning of life. Nothing in this life ever gives us full and complete satisfaction. We always yearn for something more, and that something more is a someone, GOD.

Faith is the gift of our total selves to God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. Listen to the prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and posses. “ Hear also the words of Blessed Charles de Foucault: “Father….into your hands I commit my entire soul, I give it to you, my God, with all the love in my heart, because I love you, and it is a need of my love to give myself to you.”

Faith is absolute trust and confidence in God alone and the profound desire that God be glorified in everything. It is the responsibility for the whole church to hand on our faith to the generations to come and we can only do so by the testimony of our lives. But it is the gift of ordination for our priests to preach and celebrate our faith in the name of Christ as good shepherds. The complexity of the times we live in, its pressures and distractions do not make this an easy task. We need courage. We cannot be afraid.

All of us in the Church must be firm and certain in our faith. The great Hebrew word AMEN says I believe in God with a full conviction of mind and heart. If you so believe, stand and say with me in a strong acclamation. AMEN, I BELIEVE.

Last Update April 7, 2006