We're Oil Ready for Easter!

If you'll pardon the pun...

I just returned from the Chrism Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral in Downtown Toronto. What an experience!

This is the Mass where all of the oils for sacramental usage are blessed: the Oil of the Catechumens, the Holy Chrism oil, and the Oil of the Sick (for the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick - see James 5:14-15).

It's also the Mass where all priests of the archdiocese renew their wedding vows (to the Bride of Christ, that is), reaffirming their priestly vows and their obedience to our new archbishop, Thomas Collins (pictured).

Speaking of our new shepherd, he offered up another sterling homily, without notes and very passionate. In speaking about the oils in sacramental use, and our sacramental, incarnational Catholic faith, he noted that "We're not angels...in more ways than one!"

The sacraments are physical signs that give grace. And we need that grace badly, because indeed we are not often angelic in our behavior. Which is why God provided us with priests to not only anoint us for physical healing, but far more importantly, to make us spiritually well in the sacrament of Confession.

When it comes to physical and spiritual healing, no one, of course, was better at it than our Lord. Do you remember my recent post about typology being fulfilled in the liturgy? Tonight's Mass had a fantastic example of fulfilled prophecy:

The first reading was from Isaiah 61, the very words Jesus quotes in tonight's Gospel account from Luke 4, when Jesus reads this text in his hometown synagogue of Nazareth:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Not only does Jesus quote from Isaiah 61, but he specifically says that this Scripture was fulfilled in the very hearing of his listeners! They were watching salvation history unfold before their very eyes.

And before ours too, at each and every Mass: the Lord himself not only speaks to us in the Liturgy of the Word, but becomes physically present - body, blood, soul, and divinity - in each Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Word of God goes from written text to living word in the Mass - Jesus, the living Word of God, alive in his Eucharistic body.

But maybe the most fascinating part of Jesus' quoting Isaiah is the part he leaves out - in Isaiah 61, the servant is to "proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeange of our God."

I believe Jesus omitted that intentionally, because the day of vengeange of our God will arrive at the Last Judgment. So, from the time of Jesus until that Day, it is the Age of Grace. The acceptable year of the Lord's favor. That time is now.

So get it while the gettin's good - there's no better time than Holy Week to go visit one of those newly rededicated priests, make a good confession, and hear the words "I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit".

And those words will be fulfilled in your hearing.