Chrism Mass Homily

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the HERALD
(From the issue of 4/4/02)

The following is the homily that Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde delivered to the priests of the diocese at the annual Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, on March 28.

What takes place in the Chrism Mass each year is predictable: God’s People assemble, this time with the bishop and the majority of his priests concelebrating the Eucharistic Sacrifice; the blessing of the oil of catechumens and of the oil of the sick as well as the consecration of holy chrism; and, finally, the renewal of commitment to priestly service. Yes, all this will take place again this year in our midst.

Yet, what takes place at this Chrism Mass this year will take on new meaning. Why? Because the setting in which we celebrate the Chrism Mass here and throughout our country is unlike any other in the history of the Church in America. The Body of Christ, His Church, especially in the States, is truly enduring pain and suffering as her members experience a wide range of human emotions and reactions, including sorrow, empathy, confusion, frustration, horror, anger, revulsion and forgiveness. Yes, this setting is unique and very real. What are we to do?

We cannot and must not run away from the reality which engulfs us: from the admission of sexual abuse on the part of some priests and bishops and our reaction of horror and revulsion; from the pain of victims and the anguish of parents and our reaction of empathy and sorrow; from the objectively evil acts of some of our brothers in the priesthood and our reaction of justice and forgiveness; from the concerted effort on the part of not a few to link this truly devastating issue with all sorts of other agenda wholly unrelated and our reaction of frustration. Nonetheless, we must not run away. We are mindful of St. Braulio’s admonition to his brother who wanted to resign as abbot: "…You must stick by the work entrusted to you and the task you have undertaken. You must hate the sins, not the people. Even though tribulation brings us more than we can endure, let us not be afraid as if we were resisting with our own strength. We must pray with the apostle that God give us ‘the way out with the temptation’ (see I Cor 10-13), that we may be able to withstand, for Christ is both our courage and our counsel, ‘without him we can do nothing’ (see Jn 15: 3) and ‘with him we can do all things’ (see Phil 4: 13)."

Rather than run away from the present reality, we must embrace it and recommit ourselves to Jesus Christ, to the truth of His Gospel and to the mission of His Church. All of us — priests, deacons, religious and laity — form one family. Family members continue to stand by one another even as they rebuke, punish, challenge and rehabilitate one another. Only in our determination to live more authentically as members of God’s Family — imitating Jesus, obeying His Gospel and building up His Church — will we actually reflect all that is good and true and decent.

I turn now to my brother priests. In the face of the reality which in various ways touches us all, we must renew our commitment to priestly service in a deeper and more determined way. I urge us to renew our desire and willingness to become truly holy. Some might see in this call an attempt to run away from reality. True holiness is not an escape nor is it living in some pollyannaish existence. Holiness, if understood correctly and undertaken seriously, is very demanding. It demands that we be honest with ourselves and about ourselves before God and with our leaders. Where we see sinfulness, we must respond with sorrow and a firm purpose of amendment. Where we see any form of addiction or unhealthy behavior, we must seek the appropriate intervention and rehabilitation. Conversion and repentance require much of us and from us. On our own, we cannot respond, but with God's grace, we can and will turn back and be healed.

In his Holy Thursday letter to us this year, Pope John Paul II directs our attention to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. "I feel a pressing need to urge you, as I did last year, to rediscover for yourselves and to help others to rediscover the beauty of the Sacrament of Reconciliation" (n. 3). Moreover, referring to the situation of scandal we are presently facing, he writes: "As the Church shows her concern for the victims and strives to respond in truth and justice to each of these painful situations, all of us — conscious of human weakness, but trusting in the healing power of divine grace — are called to embrace the ‘mysterium Crucis’ and to commit ourselves more fully to the search for holiness" (n. 11).

Moreover, my brothers, we must renew our commitment to live celibate and chaste lives, in imitation of the Lord Jesus, who calls us to share in His priesthood in a different and distinct way. Living celibately and chastely in union with the Lord Jesus is the best guarantee that our future and that of the Church will be freed from all forms of sexual abuse and misconduct.

Following this homily, I will ask you "to renew your own dedication to Christ as priests of his new covenant, … to unite yourself more closely to Christ and to try to become more like him … for the well being of the people you were sent to serve" (cf. Chrism Mass Ritual). Your sincere and heartfelt "yes" implies of its very nature that you are ready and willing to try, as best you can, to proclaim and to live what Jesus Himself described as the core of His mission. "The spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord."

Yes, we are passing through a period of purification and conversion. We are passing over, with Christ, to a level of being and acting, which is at once the same in essentials yet markedly different in approach and behavior. Therefore, it is a sign of new hope. Candidates for the priesthood will continue to undergo a much-improved psychological screening process and receive a solidly catholic and integrated human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral formation. Our diocesan policy on sexual abuse and sexual misconduct, in place since 1991, is being regularly reviewed and refined, where needed. I assure you that this policy will be painstakingly followed in every situation meriting its use. Seminars explaining and clarifying this policy are held throughout the year for all new clergy, religious, Church employees and volunteers. Pedophilia is now judged to be incurable and, therefore, no one afflicted with this illness can serve in ministry.

Again, I turn to my brother-priests and encourage them to be eager in becoming truly holy, to be steadfast in serving God’s People with pastoral generosity and charity, to be relentless in supporting one another with genuine fraternal care and honesty. My brothers, I say to you again what you have heard me say in other gatherings. If you are aware of any problem that requires attention, let us together address it properly before it harms one single person in the Church.

We began on a somber note. Let us end with a hope-filled one. Yes, as the Holy Father stated, a dark shadow of suspicion is cast over all the other fine priests who perform their ministry with honesty and integrity and often with heroic self-sacrifice (cf. Pope John Paul II, 2002 Holy Thursday Letter to Priests, n. 11).

No priest in this presbyterate is without sin; neither am I, your bishop. Although we shall ever be in need of forgiveness for our sins, we shall never give up trying to reform our lives and be faithful to the Gospel. We sincerely do renew our commitment to priestly service in a deeper and more determined way as we celebrate this Chrism Mass this year. People of God, accept our renewed commitment and pray for us that we may be found faithful to the end. And, my brothers, let us likewise support one another and pray for each other. Despite the tragedy of recent events, we love the Lord, we love our people, we love the Church and we love the priesthood. With the Lord’s strengthening grace, we pledge ourselves anew to be faithful ministers of Christ the High Priest and generous servants of the People entrusted to our pastoral care.

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