Bishop Ruggieri calls for renewal at annual Chrism Mass
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was filled with worshipers on Tuesday afternoon for the Chrism Mass, one of the most solemn liturgies of the Church year. Bishop James Ruggieri presided over the Mass, celebrated annually on the Tuesday of Holy Week.
The Chrism Mass serves two significant purposes in the life of the Church. At this Mass, the bishop blessed the Oil of the Sick and the Oil of Catechumens and consecrated the Holy Chrism, which will be used throughout the coming year for baptisms, confirmations, and the dedication of altars and churches.
The Chrism Mass is also a visible sign of unity between the bishop and his priests. During the celebration, priests from around the state renewed their promises made at ordination, recommitting themselves to lives of service and fidelity. The faithful, in turn, offered prayers for their priests and for the Church they serve.
In his homily, Bishop Ruggieri reflected on the biblical story of David’s anointing and invited the assembly to look beyond appearances. He recalled how the prophet Samuel, impressed by the stature of Jesse’s older sons, was reminded by the Lord that “not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart.”
“Here we must allow the word of God to confront us," the bishop said. "Because the story is no longer about David. The story is now about us."
He challenged all those listening to examine their own faith. “If the Lord were to look into our hearts, into the hearts of those of us who have been anointed, what would he see? If the Lord were to look into my heart, into the heart of my priesthood, what would he see? If the Lord were to look into the hearts of our parishes, what would he see?"
"Would he see men and women who are truly conformed to Christ?" Bishop Ruggieri asked, "would he see people living by the grace of their anointing? Would he see hearts set on fire by the Holy Spirit? Or hearts that have grown accustomed, perhaps even indifferent, to the gifts the Spirit gives?"
Bishop Ruggieri cautioned against relying on external signs of faith without cultivating true faith in one's heart. “It is possible to have the outward signs of belonging without the inward reality of conversion,” he said. “Anointing is not meant to remain external. The Holy Spirit that we receive through sacramental anointing is meant to penetrate our hearts. It is meant to change the way we think, the way we love, the way we live.”
Bishop Ruggieri urged the gathered priests to reflect on their vocation anew. “Are we truly striving to be conformed more closely to Christ the High Priest?” he asked. “Are we living as men set apart, not for ourselves, but for the people entrusted to our care?”
Bishop Ruggieri ended his homily with an emphatic call to renewal. The bishop declared, "Let us begin anew, recommitting ourselves again and again to conversion, personally and collectively as a diocesan church, and let us together call upon the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Living God."
After the homily, parishioners presented the oils to be blessed. Bishop Ruggieri blessed the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of Catechumens, and the Holy Chrism, in turn. The oils were then taken and divided up to be distributed among the parishes across Maine.
At the end of the Mass, representatives from the local parishes stepped forward to receive their holy oils for the coming year. Parishes in northern Maine will receive their oils at the Mass of the Holy Oils in Van Buren.
