Representatives from the parishes of the archdiocese gathered March 31, Holy Tuesday, to witness the blessing of the holy oils that will be used for the next year and hear the priests of the archdiocese renew their promises at the annual chrism Mass at Holy Name Cathedral.
The priests renewed their promises by “connecting to that moment in time when Jesus inaugurated his ministry and stood up in the synagogue to identify himself as fulfilling the ancient prophecy: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim glad tidings to the poor, liberty to captives and sight to the blind,’” Cardinal Cupich said in his homily, just before the renewal of their promises. “On this day, we who pastor the people of God make that identity our own by reminding each other and those we serve that we minister in his holy name, not our own. While we take up his mission anew with all its burdens, we are refreshed in knowing that we are with him.”
More than 225 priests vested for the Mass, joined by dozens of deacons and by the archdiocese’s auxiliary bishops.
Priests, the cardinal said, are to be “sacraments of peace, that is, signs and effective instruments of peace; in a time of conflict, to be those who are sent into the world to speak of the ‘Prince of Peace’ when the world cries for vengeance. We are called to be witnesses of a kingdom where borders matter less than the inescapable fact that we are all brothers and sisters to each other. We are to be vulnerable to the world’s wounds as we care for people who suffer from the cold heart of discrimination and injustice, whose dignity is questioned because of their race, culture, religion, language or legal status.”
The three oils that were blessed — the oil of the sick, the oil of catechumens and the sacred chrism — can help priests find the sacramental language to share the message of peace and healing with their people.
“With the oil of the sick, we announce by the soothing touch of our hands that Christians should never be afraid to draw close to the wounds of the world,” Cardinal Cupich said of the oil used in the anointing of the sick. “And they are many. … While media and government may treat the wounds of conflict or illness as a distant spectacle, the act of anointing is visceral and real. By drawing close to others by our touch we encourage our people to reject seeing those who suffer as a series of headlines, but as brothers and sisters who require an individual, tender touch.”
The oil of catechumens is used to anoint adults preparing for baptism in the church and before the baptism of water in infant baptism. It is intended to be a sign of God’s grace lending strength to those making their way towards the church.
“As we celebrate the power of God’s grace at work in them, we acknowledge that we are all a work in progress,” Cardinal Cupich said. “The journey of faith is not a sprint, but a long-form process of ‘strengthening’ that requires immense patience and continuous purification. And so, we are not judgmental of others or overly demanding of progress, for just as oil cannot be forced into the skin, so God’s grace seeps in gradually. The great enemy of that long journey is discouragement. The oil of catechumens helps us and our people to hold fast.”
Sacred chrism, the “most royal of the oils,” includes balsam oil mixed into the olive oil, imbuing it with a pleasant fragrance. Chrism is used to “seal a permanent character on the soil” in baptism, confirmation and holy orders, and it is used in the consecration of a church and the blessing of an altar.
“The logic of chrism is a radical alternative to the logic of the world, for chrismation seeks internal transformation rather than the manipulation of the external world to exert dominance,” Cardinal Cupich said. “It reveals that the most important change is not who ‘rules’ a territory, but who ‘rules’ the human heart. It witnesses to the truth that real and lasting peace is achieved not through external force, for ‘dominance’ is only as strong as the next weapon. Rather, peace comes by first transforming people, for peace is an internal quality of the soul. That royal transformation enables and invites our people to claim their true responsibility to be peacemakers in a wounded world.”
The Mass impressed Tommy Dreyer, a seventh grader from St. Edward Parish, 4350 W. Sunnyside Ave.
The parish each year chooses a seventh grader who is preparing for confirmation in eighth grade to attend the chrism Mass and receive the sacred oils for the parish.
Tommy attended with his parents, Jenny and Carl Dreyer, and his older brother Andrew, a student at St. Patrick High School.
He was most impressed, he said, with procession of priests entering the cathedral to “Lift High the Cross,” the opening hymn.
His mother said it was also impressive to hear all of the priests speak the words of consecration during the Eucharistic Prayer.
“It was very beautiful,” Tommy said.
Polly Trent of St. Alphonsus and St. Patrick Parish in Lemont said she volunteered to attend after School Sister of St. Francis of Christ the King Cindy Drozd, who lives at Mount Assisi Convent, called and asked if she would like to ride together.
“I did it for about 10 years before COVID, and I hadn’t done it since,” Trent said, adding that she was glad she did. “The music is beautiful.”
Beth Schuman of Assumption Parish, 323 W. Illinois St., came for the third time, she said.
“I love the Mass,” she said. “I love the music. I love when they renew their vows. When they re-up, so to speak.”
Pope Leo XIV presided at the chrism Mass on Holy Thursday April 2 in St. Peter’s Basilica, joined by hundreds of bishops and priests who renewed the promises they made at their ordination, Vatican News reported.
In his homily, the pope reflected on the mission to which God calls every Christian, which he said is the very same mission as that of Jesus.
“Each of us takes part in it according to our own vocation in a deeply personal obedience to the voice of the Spirit, yet never without others, never neglecting or breaking communion!” he said.
Ahead of the Easter Triduum, which began with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper later on Holy Thursday, Pope Leo said the culmination of the Christian liturgical year has the power to transform human pride, heal wounds, reconcile us and gather us together.
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Contributing to this story was Vatican News