Holy Thursday - Chrism and Eucharist

First Posted: Thursday, April 13, 2006

Holy Thursday
Readings for the Chrism Mass

Readings for the Evening Mass of the Lords Supper

Reflections:

Chrism Mass

Today is a huge day in the life of the Church. This morning at the Cathedral all the Priests of the Diocese will gather, along with the Bishop and do two important things (In addition to the most important thing, of course, the celebration of out Lords Sacrifice and Covenant in the Eucharist.) First, the Bishop and all of the Priests will bless the new oils for our use in the coming Church year.

They will bless the Oil of the Sick that will be used to anoint those in need of the Sacrament of Healing Anointing of the Sick in these words:

Lord God, Loving Father, you bring healing to the sick through your Son Jesus Christ. Hear us as we pray to you in faith and send the Holy Spirit, mans Helper and Friend, upon this oil which nature has provided to serve the needs of men. May your blessing U come upon all who are anointed with this oil, that they may be freed from pain and illness and made well again in body, mind and soul. Father may this oil be blessed for our use in the name or our Lord, Jesus Christ.

They will bless the Oil of Catechumens used to anoint those just embarking upon the faith to assist them in growing in both faith and holiness. These words will be spoken:

Lord God, protector of all who believe in you, bless U this oil and give wisdom and strength to all who are anointed with it in preparation for their baptism. Bring them to a deeper understanding of the gospel, help them to accept the challenge of Christian living, and lead them to the joy of new birth in the family of your Church.
We ask this through Christ our Lord


Finally the will consecrate the Oil of Chrism. This oil, so critical in the life and sacraments of the church is used to infuse us with holiness at our Baptism, seal the Holy Spirit at Confirmation, and rededicate in holiness Priests at their ordination. It is also used to dedicate to God Alters of Churches and the Churches themselves when they are new. I thought it would be good for those of us not able to attend this unifying event to hear the words the Bishop will use as our Chrism is consecrated:

Let us pray
that God our almighty Father
will bless this oil
so that all who are anointed with it may be inwardly transformed
and come to share in eternal salvation.[1]

God our maker,
source of all growth in holiness,
accept the joyful thanks and praise
we offer in the name of your Church.

In the beginning, at your command,
the earth produced fruit-bearing trees.
From the fruit of the olive tree
you have provided us with oil for holy chrism.
The prophet David sang of the life and joy
that the oil would bring us in the sacraments of your love.

After the avenging flood,
the dove returning to Noah with an olive branch
announced your gift of peace.
This was a sign of a greater gift to come.
Now the waters of baptism wash away the sins of men,
and by the anointing with olive oil
you make us radiant with your joy.

At your command,
Aaron was washed with water,
and your servant Moses, his brother,
anointed him priest.
This too foreshadowed greater things to come.
After your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
asked John for baptism in the waters of Jordan,
you sent the Spirit upon him
in the form of a dove
and by the witness of your own voice
you declared him to be your only, well-beloved Son.
In this you clearly fulfilled the prophecy of David,
that Christ would be anointed with the oil of gladness
beyond his fellow men.

[2]And so, Father, we ask you to bless U
this oil you have created.
Fill it with the power of your Holy Spirit
through Christ your Son.
It is from him that chrism takes its name
and with chrism you have anointed
for yourself priests and kings,
prophets and martyrs.

Make this chrism a sign of life and salvation
for those who are to be born again in the waters of baptism. Wash away the evil they have inherited from sinful Adam, and when they are anointed with this holy oil
make them temples of your glory,
radiant with the goodness of life.
that has its source in you.
Through this sign of chrism
grant them royal, priestly, and prophetic honor,
and clothe them with incorruption.
Let this be indeed the chrism of salvation
for those who will be born again of water and the Holy Spirit. May they come to share eternal, life
in the glory of your kingdom.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

For the life of the Church these blessed and consecrated oils are distributed to members of each parish following the Mass to be brought back for our use. They are presented tonight at the Mass of the Lords Supper.

The second important thing that takes place in this Mass is the renewal of Vows by our Priests. It is important not only to the life of the church that these men who have selflessly dedicated themselves to Gods service (and ours) publicly proclaim their fidelity to the vows they took at their ordination. With so great a promise it is critical that we recognize this pledge and celebrate it each year. They are the ones, delegated by the bishop and sworn to the service of God and His Son Jesus Christ to bring the great gift of God to the people. They stand in Christs place before us in the sacrifice of the Mass; they are the very image of Gods love in the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. The stand for the whole Church as witness at the sacrament of matrimony and as we will see at the Vigil of Easter, they are Gods invitation to holiness in the sacraments of initiation; Baptism and Confirmation. This renewal is important for them and for us.

The scripture supports what takes place at this grand celebration with the story of Jesus in the temple proclaiming from the scripture in Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
(Lk 4 18-19)

A great reminder to our Priests (and our Bishop since he also was first ordained a Priest) of the mantel they assume at their ordination.


Mass of the Lords Supper

This celebration begins the Triduum, the three fold celebration of our greatest gift; the gift of the Eucharist, the Passion and Death of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Rising from the Dead. It is noteworthy to point out that tonights celebration, while it is called a Mass, does not end with a final blessing. Rather we will remove the consecrated Body of Christ to a Tabernacle of Repose outside the church building (Later, the vigil lamp that always burns to let us know Jesus resides inside (so close to us) will be extinguished telling us he is no longer there).

The celebration actually continues through our service tomorrow (Good Friday) and will end with the final blessing at the Easter Vigil, Saturday night. How could we separate the gifts of the Covenant?
Tonight we hear once more the story of the celebration of the Passover by Christ and His disciples - the Last Supper. In this celebration, Christ, for the very first time gives us His Body and Blood, marking us forever as members of his Holy people, joined by his spirit into the living Body of Christ His Church.

We hear for the first time the unambiguous words of the Eucharistic feast that tells us that it is not just bread and wine we receive, but the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is this one story and our fervent belief in the Words of Christ that separates us from many of our Protestant brothers in spite of these words and those we find in the other Gospels as well they cannot accept the great miracle He left for us. They cannot accept that somehow, the gift he gave to the disciples in the upper room has been handed down to us, through all those years, for our salvation.

Let us immerse ourselves in the great love of God that flows from this most amazing gift of all time and enter the Triduum of our Lord in fullness. Pax.
[1] Then the bishop may breathe over the opening of the vessel of chrism. With his hands extended, he sings or says the following consecratory prayer.
[2] The Priests join the Bishop in prayer as they raise their hands in silence toward the Chirsm