Msgr. Gilbert Urbina – Vicar General
Reverend Fathers and Religious Sisters, Dear Brothers, and Sisters of Christ. Bungto sa Diyos Maupay nga aga ha iyo ngatanan.
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In this mass, we will be blessing the Holy Oils. Chrism Oil – used for Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination, and blessing of churches and altars. Infirmorum – oil used in the Anointing of the Sick.
In the Old Testament ceremonial anointing was an outward symbol that God had chosen and set apart the person for a specific holy purpose.
Kings, priests, and prophets were anointed outwardly with oil to symbolize a more profound spiritual reality – that God’s presence was with them and his favor was upon them.
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ reveals Himself as our anointed King, Priest, and Prophet. He is God’s Holy and chosen Son, the Messiah, the Christ – the anointed one.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free.” (Lk 4:18)
The New Testament also associates anointing oil with healing and prayer. Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the Gospel, “They cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with oil”. (Mk 6:13) James instructs believers to “call the elders of the church to pray over them” when they are sick “and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” for healing. (James 4:14)
Renewal of Priestly Promises
At the same time, the Priests will renew their priestly promises. They will publicly renew their priestly promises and commitment to serve the Lord and his people. We can only be effective in our work if we remain in God’s love. Away from God, we can do nothing.
A priest needs to be close and not far. But close to whom?
- Pope Francis calls it the principle of the four “proximities” of priests:
- Closeness with God through Prayer
- Closeness with the bishop
- Closeness with other priests
- Closeness to the people of God
Pope Francis: “Without friends and without prayer, celibacy can become an unsupportable burden and a counter-witness to the very beauty of the priesthood.”
My dear priests the work of the priest is becoming more and more challenging. Some challenges were identified in the Synod Synthesis of the Archdiocese and the Metropolitan.
- Gaps in the Church – action needs to be undertaken to bridge the gap between the clergies and the laity, clergy to clergy, laity to laity, the rich and the poor, the youth and the adult, the newcomers and the seniors in the years of service, etc.
- Needs for a more listening church – The high-walled boundary between the clergy and the lay people still exists. The empowerment of the lay is not yet seen and observed in many local churches.
- Favoritism, elitism, and competition – Some observed that church leaders are less accommodating particularly those who belong to the lower strata of society. Pastoral accompaniment of the poor and victims of calamities, injustices, and poverty need to be reinforced and addressed.
- Transparency and accountability – a call for the transparency and accountability of funds, donations, and project expenses.
- The need to Strengthen the Spirituality of the faithful through Formation and Catechism. – Allowing the faithful to grow through evangelization – the proclamation of the good news. The priest should reach out to the parishioners especially the ones who do not go to church.
- Evangelization of Families – The family should be evangelized because it constitutes a strong church. The Family and Life Apostolate as well as the Basic Ecclesial Communities should be revived.
Finding new ways and languages to Share the Gospel
We have to bring people closer back to God. We need to find new ways and languages for evangelizing. But what are these new ways and languages that we have to use in evangelization?
The synodal process that Pope Francis proposes to us has precisely this objective: to set out, together, in mutual listening, in sharing ideas and projects, to show the true face of the Church: a hospitable “house”, with open doors, inhabited by the Lord and animated by fraternal relationships.
A language full of theological insights will not be efficient in the work of evangelization if the people do not feel welcome in the church.
Let us make our churches hospitable houses with open doors, ready to welcome everyone.
Church activities should not be exclusive and favor only a few. “No one should be left behind.”
We are to reach out to people and foster fraternal relationships. Be friendly, caring, and loving.
Never be arrogant and domineering. Pope Francis: “If there is no closeness to the people of God, you are not a good priest.”
The word of God that we preach should be seen in the kind of life that we live. Our commitment to being faithful to our priestly promises is manifested in our love for the people and in our pastoral zeal.
Priests are anointed to anoint
My dear priests, we are anointed to anoint. We are anointed and anointed others when we administer the sacraments. But also we are anointed to proclaim the good news. We received that mission from our Lord.
And just like our Lord are to bring good tidings to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free. We are to give preference to the poor, the blind, the captives, and the oppressed. These are the last, the least, and the lost members of the community.
But is this the kind of priestly ministry that you live in? Do the needy have a place in your ministry?
My Dear people of God, the priests need much of your prayers and support. We your priests have our own share of weaknesses and imperfections. We need your prayers, care, love, and fraternal correction.
Let us ask the help of Mama Mary who is the Mother and Guardian of Priests, to help us follow Jesus and do always His will.
Mary Mother of Priests, Pray for us.