Just as ordinary bread becomes the Body of Christ after the
consecration, said St. Cyril of Jerusalem, the holy oil and
chrism are no longer ointment after the priest’s invocation,
but Christ’s very grace. “It is applied … with a symbolic
meaning: The body is anointed with visible ointment, and the
soul is sanctified by the holy, hidden Spirit,” he said.
Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde and priests, deacons and
seminarians of the diocese gathered at the Cathedral of St.
Thomas More in Arlington March 24 to bless the oil that will
be used throughout the year to anoint and heal. The bishop
also congratulates his brother priests on the day when
Christs instituted the priesthood – Holy Thursday.
As the laity filled the pews, the choir, accompanied by
violin and organ, gently sang Psalm 23, its verses harken
back to the biblical roots of holy oil: “You anoint my head
with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever.”
Seven deacons presented Bishop Loverde with the oil of the
sick, the oil of the catechumens and the sacred chrism for
him to bless. At the end of Mass, the deacons carried the oil
out of the cathedral; seminarians helped dispense the oils
into smaller containers to be sent to all the parishes.
In his homily, Bishop Loverde quoted the Old Testament
reading from Isaiah, “We have been anointed and sent to bring
glad tidings to the lowly.” Those glad tidings are the mercy
of God, he said.
Chrism MassBishop Loverde blesses the sacred chrism on
#HolyThursday. Read about the significance of the Chrism
Mass here: http://bit.ly/1VKJPE4 #HolyWeekPosted by Arlington
Catholic Herald on Thursday, March 24, 2016
“The culture desperately needs to experience God’s mercy.
Pope Francis said that without a witness to mercy, life
becomes sterile,” said the bishop. “Mercy is the force that
awakens us. The church is commissioned to announce the mercy
of God, the beating heart of the Gospel.”
Bishop Loverde then turned to the priests of the diocese. “I
need you to be the face of the Father’s mercy,” he told them,
before asking them to renew their priestly promises. Bishop
Loverde said he is proud of the priests he has ordained for
the diocese in his 17 years as bishop, 73 of them according
to the diocesan Office of Vocations.
Catholics from around the diocese filled the pews for the
Mass. Though Margot Araujo has been a parishioner at the
Cathedral of St. Thomas More for 30 years, she still vividly
recalls the different rituals she saw at the chrism Mass in
her home country of El Salvador. “I still remember and missed
them so I needed to be here. I know that here is God,” she
said.
Di Mauro can be reached at [email protected] or on
Twitter @zoeydimauro.
Photos from the chrism Mass can be purchased
here.
