The Diocese of
Monmouth
Chrism Eucharist 2011
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me. Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18
The Chrism Eucharist is for any serving bishop one of the highlights of the year because he gathers with his priests and deacons in this, the most important week of the year, to celebrate the Eucharist, to consecrate the holy oils - and to pause for a moment in what is spiritually a very demanding time - to reflect on the wonderful gift of Holy Orders, to recapture that deep inner sense of having been chosen and called - and to reaffirm our ordination vows and to commit ourselves once again as servants of the gospel.
It is important that on this occasion we also gather with the laity, the faithful people of God, because together we are a Christian family and the word ‘Christian’ is derived from the word ‘Christ’ which means ‘the anointed one’. To be a Christian is to be a follower of the one whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit to be both priest and king. In the synagogue Jesus identified himself with the prophecy of Isaiah The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me.
At the heart of the Christian ‘good news’ is the message that God has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. It is God who took the initiative and he who acts, and that is at the very heart of our understanding of sacramental theology. Jesus is himself the perfect sacrament and when we celebrate the sacraments of the Church, it is the Holy Spirit that acts through us and through the gifts of God’s creation – water, bread and wine, and oil. Water is essential for life and so it is not surprising that it is also the means to eternal life through baptism. In biblical times, bread was the food of everyday life and wine was the drink of feasting and so at the Eucharist we are sustained to live our daily lives as we also celebrate the kingdom feast.
But it is oil which is at the heart of the Chrism Eucharist today. Perhaps when many of us were ordained, oil was what you put in your car engine or used to silence squeaky hinges. Now, thankfully, we have embraced Mediterranean cuisine and many households use olive oil on a regular basis and it has become as familiar as water, bread and wine. In the bible, olive oil has a wide range of meanings. It was used as food; it was used as medicine to ease wounds. It was used by athletes to prepare them for the race; it was used to beautify the face; it was used to cure the sick and it was used to anoint those chosen by God to be kings and priests. The Garden of Olives (as we shall see over the next few weeks) was the place where the Passion began but it also became the place from which the Risen Christ ascended, so it is a place of suffering and also the place of glory.
At this Eucharist we bless and consecrate the oils. By tradition the Chrism Eucharist takes place in the cathedral and the clergy are sent out with the oils to be used all over the diocese. It is therefore an expression of the unity that the bishop has with his deacons and priests. Oil is used in sacramental ministry from the cradle to the grave – in baptism, confirmation and in sickness and at death. It is used at priestly ordinations as a sign of consecration and blessing for those who in the ministerial priesthood are called to bless and reconcile God’s people.
We believe that the Holy Spirit acts through our sacramental ministry and God’s anointing is also given to those who are called to preach God’s word. That great Vatican II document on priesthood Presbyterorum Ordinis states this, ‘The people of God are joined together primarily by the word of the living God and rightfully they expect this from their priest. Since no one can be saved who does not first believe, priests as co-workers with their bishops have the primary duty, the Primum Officium, of proclaiming the Gospel of God to all’. It is the primary duty of those who are ordained to preach God’s word in whatever ways we can, but we can only do that effectively if we understand the culture in which we live. People hunger for God, but the word of God is a two-edged sword – it defines, divides and separates -and it can be frustrating when as preachers we have a message that no-one wants to hear, or when we meet hostility from church goers who don’t like what they hear. Equally, it can bring delight when people respond to our preaching and joy when we see how the word of God can change people’s lives.
Some of you will know that on the 1st April, All Fools Day, I advertised a diocesan preaching competition! I am grateful to those who applied to enter - and I shall take your names to the grave with me - but in a way, I was heartened to think that clergy appreciate the importance of good preaching. There are now more opportunities than ever to teach the faith, not just through preaching and the use of modern technology, but also by using diocesan schemes like Living Faith and with weeks of guided pray to help people to meet God through the scriptures, and with pilgrimages and parish or deanery weekends which can be great opportunities for learning together.
It has been good to welcome new or returning Christians in the past year, who have found churches where the worship brings them into the presence of God, where the preaching is stimulating and where there is a buzz in the congregation to reach out to others in a spirit of exploration and enthusiasm. I know that one of the reasons people give for not taking part in ‘Welcome Back to Church Sunday’ is that they don’t see why their friends should suffer as well, so let’s strive to have lively places of worship where newcomers will be welcomed and loved into the kingdom.
Some of you will know the story of the man who was dying and he sent for his doctor, his priest and his lawyer. They met together at his bedside and he told them that they were the people that he trusted so he gave each of them an envelope containing £20,000 in cash with the instruction that he didn’t wish to leave his money to anyone and so he asked them to throw the money into his grave when he died. At the funeral, the three men each threw an envelope onto the coffin and the grave was filled in. Afterwards they asked one another if they had kept any of the money for themselves. The doctor admitted that he was owed some fees so he had taken out £1,000. The priest admitted to taking half and giving it to his church restoration fund claiming that it had gone to a good cause. The lawyer was shocked that fellow professionals had behaved in such an unethical way and he explained that he had thrown in a cheque for the full amount!
Priests and deacons are professionals who should never use their unique vocation as an excuse not continually equipping themselves for the task ahead. It is very likely that later this year we shall be invited to accept ‘Common Tenure’ as a means of retaining our status as office holders and thus recognising the vocational aspect of ordained ministry, but also expecting us to engage in the disciplines laid upon other professions to engage in further learning and ministerial development. This places a responsibility upon clergy to engage with the wider church and it places a responsibility on the wider church to provide good quality professional development and support.
We were anointed (by the Anointed One) to serve God and his people and we must do that by continually consecrating ourselves, studying the scriptures and deepening our lives of prayer. When I anoint with oil the hands of priests at their ordination I am always conscious of the link between the Greek word for oil elaion and the Greek word for mercy eleos. Oil is always a sign of God’s mercy. The merciful God anoints us and we must show mercy to others. We are servant leaders, not called to lord it over the laity, but to listen to them, to love them and to show mercy towards them.
My brothers and sisters, as you take these holy oils back to your places of ministry, I want to thank you for your faithful shepherding of the people of God. My own pastoral staff is a symbol of the pastoral ministry carried out by many others –laity, deacons and priests throughout the diocese. I thank you for your life of prayer, for without it you will lose touch with God and there is nothing sadder that a disillusioned, negative and cynical priest who poisons a congregation. I thank you for your faithful study of the scriptures and for relating them to the everyday lives of your people. I thank you for being a channel of Christ’s sacramental ministries as you anoint and feed those entrusted to your care. I thank you for being around at these difficult times in the life of the Church and the diocese as we struggle to maintain all that is good and to explore new areas of ministry and mission.
So let us pray that the Anointed One will continue to anoint us with the Holy Spirit, to strengthen us in the service of the gospel and to embrace the cross in the knowledge that through the cross comes joy, and peace and hope. Amen.