Oil is very much part of our conversation these days. In the political tensions that dominate our news and our thoughts, we are being reminded of the immense power stored in something we so easily take for granted. We have long known that the global economy runs on oil, but we are learning again that oil also carries a deeper message: access to it is a form of power, and the ability to cut it off is the power to shape events and influence nations. Some of us still remember the shock of 1974, when the world suddenly woke up to its dependence on oil and oil-producing countries discovered the hidden power they possessed.
Tonight, we gather for the Chrism Mass, one of the great milestones of Holy Week. This celebration carries the central Christian message that we are all called to ministry. It is the only major liturgy in the Church year that has a truly diocesan character. While Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter are celebrated in our parishes as local Christian communities, tonight we come together as one Diocese – people, ministers, priests and administrator – in our Cathedral. Our hope and prayer is that the sacred energy of this night will radiate to every corner of the Diocese, carried in the holy oils we are about to bless.
These sacred oils release a divine energy in our lives: an energy that builds up, heals, affirms and marks us as belonging to Christ. After the ceremony, the priests and people present will physically, bring home the small vessels containing the Oil of Baptism, the Oil of Confirmation and the Oil of the Sick. Spiritually, you carry the message that we are united with all those who will be touched by these oils over the coming year – the children yet to be born who will be baptised, those preparing for Confirmation, and all who will need the healing prayer of the Church in times of illness. You are not simply carrying oil; you are carrying home the power of God.
In the Chrism Mass we see clearly that the Church exists for a purpose beyond itself. Through the sacred oils, that purpose is revealed: to welcome, to heal, to affirm, to encourage, to challenge, to support and to comfort. When we view the use of the oils through the lens of vocation, we realise that every stage of life, from Baptism to the moment of death, is a vocational moment. We are called into Christ’s family so that we may become his sisters and brothers, and in turn draw others into that same family through love.
We live constantly on the human see-saw of power and powerlessness, dependence and independence – rarely finding balance. As Holy Week and Easter unfold across the world, our shared spiritual story is overshadowed by a shared anxiety for peace. As Christians we understand the paradox: we are powerless in ourselves, yet God in his immense power has entrusted His own power to us through the doorway of Baptism and the nourishment of the sacraments. These are the fuel for our journey – a journey that begins at the baptismal font and continues to unfold in homes, parishes, schools and prayer groups right across our Diocese.
People prompted by the Holy Spirit are already being Church in new ways: they are the sparks that light ‘Flames of Hope’ in the lives of others. We are witnessing the emergence of a Church that remains faithful to what we have received yet, as a people, are “wise as serpents” in responding to the changing world around us.
This emerging Church is increasingly synodal in character – a Church that walks together, listens together and discerns together. Pastoral councils, at parish and diocesan level, are vital expressions of this synodality. They allow the baptised to share their gifts, insights and lived experience for the good of the whole mission. In a changing ecclesial landscape, we are also being invited to think more creatively about structures. Dioceses around Ireland are already exploring ways of sharing a bishop, and conversations about possible mergers of dioceses are taking place across the country. These developments are not signs of defeat, but of a living Church adapting so that the Gospel may continue to be proclaimed in a new reality.
We who are ordained ministers are called to serve the community of baptised disciples in carrying out this one mission of the Church – a mission that takes on fresh demands in our ever-changing world. We are greatly heartened by those who pray, who share their insights into Scripture in prayer groups, who lead liturgies whether as lay or ordained ministers and who gather for the Eucharist. We are especially proud of the twenty-eight lay people who are nearing the end of their formation for lay ministry in the Diocese. We thank them, and all who have accompanied them through study, pastoral placements and reflection groups.
The growth of lay ministry is a powerful sign of our interdependence – an interdependence that reflects the harmony of heaven while being firmly rooted in the realities of life in our time. Just as we have seen how oil can fuel greed, war and poverty, so too we recognise the importance of coming together in God’s light to bless these holy oils that will sustain us on our common journey – with one another and with God.
We give thanks tonight for the faithful ministry of our priests who, in a changing Church structure, continue to live their lifelong commitment with generosity and discover new expressions of their vocation. We offer special congratulations to those celebrating jubilees this year: our Diamond Jubilarians, Fr Lar O’Connor and Fr Pat Stafford; our Golden Jubilarians, Frs Colm Murphy, Jim Nolan and Jim Finn; and our Ruby Jubilarian, Fr Jim Fegan. We remember with affection those priests who cannot be with us tonight because of illness, and with sadness we pray for those who have died since last year’s Chrism Mass: Bishop Brendan Comiskey, Frs Odhran Furlong, Tom Eustace, Willie Howell, Dick Hayes, Kevin Cahill and Denis Doyle. May they be rewarded for their faithful service in the vineyard of the Lord.