Chrism Mass

Holy Thursday

Today is the Holy Thursday when the churches in the world celebrates the Chrism Mass. 

During the Chrism mass, the priests in the archdiocese gather around the Archbishop who blesses the Holy Oils for use in the coming year. The Holy Oils are Oil of the Sick, Oil of Catechumens and Sacred Chrism.

The Chrism mass reminds us of our oneness in Christ, especially for the priests in the ministry of Christ. 

So the priests renew their vows of celibacy, obedience and the prayer life during the liturgy. Their commitment to serve God’s people in the unity of the Archbishop is a highlight of the liturgy which is the same of Jesus’ mission statement in the Gospel today.

The Korean tradition on the Holy Thursday is that the faithful congratulates their priests with flowers after the mass because they treasure the priesthood rooted in Christ.

I love the Holy Thursday that shows one priesthood, one Eucharist gathered around one shepherd. 

And the evening mass of the  Lord’s Supper is a natural move for the priests to celebrate the Eucharist with the faithful established by the Lord before His death.

The following is the statement of the Second Vatican Council for the significance of the Chrism Mass for the Church: 

The bishop is to be considered the high priest of his flock from whom the life of his people in Christ is in some way derived and on whom it in some way depends. Therefore, all should hold in the greatest esteem the liturgical life of the diocese centered around the bishop, especially in his cathedral church. They must be convinced that the principal manifestation of the Church consists in the full, active participation of all God’s holy people in the same liturgical celebrations, especially in the same Eucharist, in one prayer, at one altar, at which the bishop presides, surrounded by his college of priests and by his ministers.