Unlike the other ceremonies of Holy Week the Chrism Mass has the same readings every year. What changes, therefore, is not so much the message as the people, clergy and laity, who gather for the blessing of the oils that will be used in the year to come. Every year we hear the words of Jesus: "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (Lk 4: 21) The question that occurs to me is: is this really the case? Have the Scriptures over the previous twelve months been fulfilled in our parishes and communities? Is the faith and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ been realized and, if we cannot say so, what is preventing it from happening? The priests are getting older and fewer. Many of the laity too are showing the wear and tear of age. Jesus' message is one of hope: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me...". (Lk 4: 18) We too are anointed, in baptism and confirmation, with the priests also anointed in ordination, so it is with that power and faith that we need to encounter the future and live out the mission entrusted to us. Pope Francis, building on the work of his predecessors, is our leader on earth. Let us entrust ourselves to his mission and realize the power of the anointing that we have received.
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