Once again, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist was filled nearly to capacity for the annual Chrism Mass on March 26. Bishop Edward Malesic was the celebrant with Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost, Auxiliary Bishop emeritus Roger Gries, OSB, Abbot Gary Hoover, OSB and about 200 priests from across the eight-county Diocese of Cleveland as concelebrants.
The liturgy, one of the most beautiful in the Church, celebrates the institution of the priesthood and the renewal of priestly promises. In addition, the sacred oils used for sacramental purposes throughout the diocese are blessed during the Mass.
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“It is good for us to, once again, be together at this Chrism Mass. It is a sign of the unity of our Church and the strength of our faith,” the bishop said. “The oils we bless and consecrate tonight will seep into the sacramental and pastoral ministries found in every parish and many ministries throughout Northeast Ohio.”
The sacred oils are used in sacraments such as confirmation. When he meets with confirmandi, Bishop Malesic said he reminds them why Jesus is so important. “In him we have found our salvation. But to find salvation, we must know we need it and know who can give it to us.”
Life was perfect in the Garden of Eden until the devil tempted Adam and Eve and they disobeyed God, eating the forbidden fruit. With that act, sin and death entered the world, the bishop said. “With every passing year, paradise slipped further and further from human grasp,” he added.
There was a desire to return to that idyllic time before the fall, but man could not reclaim what was lost by his own efforts. We could not remake the Garden of Eden without outside help from God.
“But God had a plan. God would come to us. God would do what we could not do for ourselves,” the bishop said, explaining that he sent his only son so that whoever believes in him might not perish, but might have eternal life.
“Jesus is God’s rescue plan,” he said, explaining that he urges us to pick up our crosses and follow him. He went to the cross and the grave. Then, three days later, he was resurrected with a glorified body transformed for the new order.
“He came to life again in a garden,” the bishop said, but it wasn’t called Eden. It is the kingdom of God – heaven – which is where Jesus is leading us, from sin to reconciliation, from death to life.
“This is the good news. We can be forgiven, redeemed, restored,” he added.
“Now we have a task from God. We, who have been baptized into Christ or will soon be baptized at the Easter Vigil, are called and chosen, anointed with the sacred oil. We are called to proclaim this good news to others,” he said, adding we have received the spiritual gifts needed to fulfill this mission.
“Jesus is the only one who can reset and restore God’s original plan for the human race,” Bishop Malesic said. Through the sacraments, we bring Christ to places that need the reconciliation and recovery that Jesus shared with us.
“And that is why we come today. We come to go. We assemble to be sent out as God’s family of faith with the ‘oil of gladness,’ the oil of salvation, the oil of our sacraments, the oil that strengthens us, heals us, confirms us, consecrates us. We are anointed with sacred oil as messengers that God’s new life is available here and now. Let’s never be afraid to tell others how Jesus has made a difference in our own lives – a difference that is live giving and lifesaving. We are anointed, chosen and blessed to be witnesses of Christ,” he said.
When Jesus came, he took on our humanity so that we could share his divinity, the bishop explained. He mentioned a story by Leo Tolstoy about a harsh king who wanted to see God. It took a poor shepherd to show him what God does. The shepherd told the king they needed to exchange clothes.
“Pope Francis said that ‘Christ has put on our clothes: the pain and joy of being human, hunger, thirst, weariness, our hopes and disappointments, our fear of death, all our apprehensions until death. And he has given his ‘garments’ to us,” the bishop said, adding St. Paul urged us to “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is symbolized in some of the sacraments, such as baptism, when the newly baptized are given a white robe to be clothed in Christ and to assume their new identity as God’s children.
Speaking to the priests, the bishop noted that they not only put on the clothes of Christ at baptism, but they received additional clothing – the vestments of a sacramental priest. “Just as your clothes were changed on the outside, you were changed on the inside with a special character that is enduring. You are priests forever, we say.”
He reminded the priests their hands were anointed for the work of God. “You were anointed for ordained ministry, consecrated for the purposes and plans of God. Your life was no longer your own. You were set apart and associated with Christ the head and shepherd. Gentlemen, Christ wants to live in you as his living sacraments – not through your clothing, but through your very lives. Act in his name. Do everything in his name,” the bishop said.
“My brothers, know that we are grateful to you for your service, your sacrifice, your joy and your fidelity,” he said, asking the congregation to thank the priests for all they do. The response was sustained applause.
The bishop reminded the faithful that they wear “the diving clothing of Christ who has taken on our humanity in a great exchange. God looks on us as his own sons and daughters. We have become heirs to the kingdom of God. We are anointed to be the messengers of God’s good news of salvation with the oil of our sacraments and sacramental. We look forward, one day, to find ourselves in the garden of paradise as saints, made so by God’s loving mercy. Let us continue our prayer as we ask God’s spirit to fill this oil with the joy of the Gospel and ask God to move us forward in faith from death to life as his beloved sons and daughters.”
The liturgy was livestreamed on the diocesan website. Click here to watch the recording.