Homily of Bishop Earl K. Fernandes
Chrism Mass, April 15, 2025
Church of St. Paul the Apostle, Westerville, Ohio
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I welcome you all to this Chrism Mass. In a special way, I greet my brother Bishops, the priests of the Diocese, who will renew their priestly promises at this liturgy, permanent deacons, members of the diocesan staff, those entering the Church this Easter. As Pilgrims of Hope during this Jubilee Year, we gather as the People of God, journeying together toward the new and eternal Jerusalem.
Today, we will bless the three oils which will be used in the administration of the sacraments. The Ordo for the Blessing of the Oil of Catechumens, Oil of the Sick, and Consecrating the Chrism begins:
“The Bishop is to be regarded as the High Priest of his flock, from whom the life in Christ of his faith is in some way derived and upon whom it depends. The Chrism Mass, which he concelebrates with Priests from various regions of the diocese and during which he consecrates the sacred Chrism and blesses the other oils, is among the principal manifestations of the fullness of the Bishop’s Priesthood and is considered to be a sign of the close bond of the Priests with him. For it is with the sacred Chrism consecrated by the Bishop that the newly baptized are anointed and those to be confirmed are signed. It is with the Oil of Catechumens that catechumens are prepared and disposed for Baptism. Finally, it is with the Oil of the Sick that those who are ill are comforted in their infirmity.”
Jesus, our High Priest, was anointed with the Spirit at His Baptism in the Jordan, and the voice of the Father was heard, “This is my beloved Son.” Through the waters of baptism, we were made a new creation and were anointed priest, prophet, and king. We were made sons and daughters of God and members of the Church. We are members of the flock of Christ, the Good Shepherd, our High Priest.
After His baptism, Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the desert where he fasted and prayed for forty days and forty nights, overcoming the temptations of the devil. We also journey through Lent toward the celebration of the Paschal mysteries.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus comes in the power of the Spirit into the synagogue at Capernaum, where, in a dramatic fashion, he unfurls the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. The Gospel repeats the passage from the first reading; it begins: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me.” The Spirit had anointed Jesus with the oil of gladness at His baptism. Jesus is the spirit-filled, long-expected Messiah, the Son of David. Recall that when Samuel anointed David with oil as king, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David.
This passage is about Jesus’ identity and mission, and, therefore, because we belong to Him and are His disciples, it is about our identity and mission as believers. The first line re-establishes who Jesus is, as Luke attempts to do, right from the beginning of the Gospel, but the rest of the passage speaks of His mission. He has been sent to bring glad tidings (to evangelize) the poor and to proclaim (kerygmatic preaching) liberty to captives.
The primary recipients of His Good News will be the poor, not only the materially poor, but also those who are wealthy but spiritually poor, such as tax collectors, like Zacchaeus. He is to proclaim liberty to captives, which evokes the passage from Leviticus: You shall proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you. During a jubilee year, those in debt-slavery were set free. Jesus is announcing the definitive Jubilee and inaugurating it in His very person. His ministry will be one of mercy and forgiveness, proclaiming liberty to those in debt on account of their sins. He will proclaim liberty to captives through his healing miracles and exorcisms, as when he delivered the woman with a curved spine. He will restore sight to the blind, not only physically, but by curing the blindness of sin. Jesus, the Messiah, has been sent to let the oppressed go free.
The passage from Isaiah concludes with the fact that He has come to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord – a Jubilee Year. Then, He makes a shocking claim: “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” In Him, God’s blessings are available today. Initially, all spoke favorably of Him, but shortly, they begin to question: Is this not the carpenter’s son? They become infuriated when Jesus refers to the healing of foreigners, such as the widow of Zarephath, or Naaman the Syrian.
It is not unlike our times and our previously Christian culture, which once spoke highly of Him but now rejects Him. That rejects Him in his “native place.” That grits its teeth and is filled with fury that God’s grace and blessings might be bestowed on foreigners. Although Jesus meets with opposition, He continues what His mission demands. We as disciples, and priests, in particular, should not be surprised by opposition, yet, anointed by the Spirit, we carry out what our mission demands for the salvation of the world. In the Acts of the Apostles, the apostolic ministry is opposed by the authorities, but even persecution cannot stop the spread of the Gospel. Why? Because the true protagonist of the mission is the Holy Spirit!
Jesus’ identity and mission are clear. His mission which He proclaimed boldly in the synagogue remains the mission of the Church – of every believer, but sometimes we forget to proclaim Good News, proposing mere teachings, traditions, severe judgments, and the like. I am convinced that the proposal of Christ Himself and the mercy He offers is always attractive; it is the teaspoon of honey that attracts rather than the bitter barrel-full of vinegar. As a missionary Church, we need to propose Christ, “the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is, who was, and who is to come.” Twenty-five years ago, the theme of the Jubilee was “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
In a special way, however, I wish to address the priests of the Diocese gathered here and to reflect upon our priestly identity. Allow me to first thank you for your priestly service. It is not easy in this culture. I know you experience hurt and rejection, yet I am grateful that you carry on in hope. Benedict XVI defined hope as the certainty that “I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me – I am awaited by this Love. And so, my life is good.”
To you, my brothers, I want you to know that you are loved by God and by your Bishop. There are many who do not understand, or even reject, our way of life. Some complain about their priests (and even their bishop), and we take these complaints personally. I encourage you to have perspective – to see where God’s grace is at life in your work and how you have allowed it to work through you to reach the lives of your people. You too are pilgrims of hope, called and sent by the Lord to bring His mercy to the People of God and to the whole world.
When he concluded the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis said that mercy cannot be a parenthesis in the life of the Church. As priests and leaders of the Church, I invite you to consider four models of priesthood proposed by Saint Alphonsus Liguori to see how you can carry out this mission of mercy during the Jubilee Year: father, physician, teacher, and judge.
The priest is the father. Like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, he searches for those who left home. Every day he searches, and upon seeing his lost child, he runs to embrace him and to welcome him. He kisses him, restores his dignity as son, and gives him his freedom back. He does not dwell on his child’s failings but celebrates with joy his return. He also knows how to offer words of encouragement to the other son: “I am with you always. Everything I have is yours.” A father is one who protects, defends, and nourishes his family. He works hard to provide for his family, and he rejoices in generating new life.
The priest is also a physician. Christ, the Physician, heals the wounds of sin with the medicine of mercy. A good doctor listens to his patient; he builds up trust which encourages greater transparency and leads to better care. The outstanding physician knows his patient’s history, considers what will best help the patient to get well and be restored, considers side effects and, rather than offer a mechanical prescription, personalizes his care. The end goal is the restoration of life and health. The priest, through the grace he imparts, not only helps heal the wounds and defects of sin, but also strengthens, through sacramental grace, especially the Eucharist, those entrusted to his care to experience the fullness of life.
The priest is also a teacher. He teaches by word and example. Jesus was an excellent teacher as He demonstrated in the Sermon on the Mount, but He also taught by His example, washing His disciples’ feet. He could, as a teacher, challenge but without crushing. In the story of the woman caught in adultery, he taught the scribes and Pharisees not to condemn but to look at their own failings and need for mercy, and, at the same time, to the woman caught in adultery, he said, “neither do I condemn you but go and sin no more.” He called sin a sin; he did not deny the truth. The good teacher knows how to balance justice with mercy. He is faithful to the truth – the truth that is known through nature, the truth that is revealed in the Scriptures and Tradition, the truth that is the person of Jesus, our High Priest.
Finally, the priest is a judge. This can be a frightening image to some. Certainly, the Council of Trent described the priest as a judge ad instar. He is like a judge, having to weigh the gravity of sins, a person’s penitence or contrition, or what penance to be imposed. However, inscribed on the ancient justice building in Rome are the words Iustitia et Misericordia. He is like a judge, but the person declares himself guilty rather than the judge condemning him. Rather than imposing a harsh sentence, the priest forgives the sin and imparts a healing grace. We proclaim liberty to captives and let the oppressed go free.
Jesus’ essential mission was one of mercy to give people hope for the forgiveness of sins and to live the newness of life that the Spirit brings. On the evening of the Resurrection, Jesus wished the Apostles peace twice, and breathed on them the Holy Spirit, saying, “As the Father has sent me so I send you.” While He gave his Apostles a special power, He also calls the whole Church, not merely to be a Church of the reconciled, but a Church that reconciles.
What type of a Church do we want to be? A Church of judgment or a Church of Hope? Jesus’ appearance in the synagogue inaugurated the definitive Jubilee of Hope. I conclude with the words of Pope Benedict:
“We see as a distinguishing mark of Christians the fact that they have a future: it is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness. Only when the future is certain as a positive reality does it become possible to live the present as well. So now we can say: Christianity was not only “good news”—the communication of a hitherto unknown content. In our language we would say: the Christian message was not only “informative” but “performative”. That means: the Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known—it is one that makes things happen and is life-changing. The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life.”
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, who carried the hope of the entire world in her womb, accompany us on our mission, as we pilgrims of hope, journey toward the new and eternal Jerusalem. May the Spirit of God who overshadowed her and appeared again at Pentecost, descend upon us now that we may bring glad tidings to the poor. Veni Sancte Spiritus. Veni per Mariam.