Pope Francis Holy Thursday Homily 2013

Pope Francis Holy Thursday Homily 2013

2013-03-28 Vatican Radio:(Vatican Radio) Below please find the official text of Pope Francis’ Homily for Chrism Mass, Holy Thursday 2013: http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-homily-for-chrism-mass-full-text

Dear Brothers and Sisters, This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.

The readings of our Mass speak of God’s “anointed ones”: the suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: the anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God’s faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed… A fine image of this “being for” others can be found in the Psalm: “It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe” (Ps 133:2). The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe.

The sacred robes of the High Priest are rich in symbolism. One such symbol is that the names of the children of Israel were engraved on the onyx stones mounted on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, the ancestor of our present-day chasuble: six on the stone of the right shoulder-piece and six on that of the left (cf. Ex 28:6-14). The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were also engraved on the breastplate (cf. Es 28:21). This means that the priest celebrates by carrying on his shoulders the people entrusted to his care and bearing their names written in his heart. When we put on our simple chasuble, it might well make us feel, upon our shoulders and in our hearts, the burdens and the faces of our faithful people, our saints and martyrs of whom there are many in these times…

From the beauty of all these liturgical things, which is not so much about trappings and fine fabrics than about the glory of our God resplendent in his people, alive and strengthened, we turn to a consideration of activity, action. The precious oil which anoints the head of Aaron does more than simply lend fragrance to his person; it overflows down to “the edges”. The Lord will say this clearly: his anointing is meant for the poor, prisoners and the sick, for those who are sorrowing and alone. The ointment is not intended just to make us fragrant, much less to be kept in a jar, for then it would become rancid … and the heart bitter.

A good priest can be recognized by the way his people are anointed. This is a clear test. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news. Our people like to hear the Gospel preached with “unction”, they like it when the Gospel we preach touches their daily lives, when it runs down like the oil of Aaron to the edges of reality, when it brings light to moments of extreme darkness, to the “outskirts” where people of faith are most exposed to the onslaught of those who want to tear down their faith. People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their hopes. And when they feel that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ, has come to them through us, they feel encouraged to entrust to us everything they want to bring before the Lord: “Pray for me, Father, because I have this problem”, “Bless me”, “Pray for me” – these words are the sign that the anointing has flowed down to the edges of the robe, for it has turned into prayer. The prayers of the people of God. When we have this relationship with God and with his people, and grace passes through us, then we are priests, mediators between God and men. What I want to emphasize is that we need constantly to stir up God’s grace and perceive in every request, even those requests that are inconvenient and at times purely material or downright banal – but only apparently so – the desire of our people to be anointed with fragrant oil, since they know that we have it. To perceive and to sense, even as the Lord sensed the hope-filled anguish of the woman suffering from hemorrhages when she touched the hem of his garment. At that moment, Jesus, surrounded by people on every side, embodies all the beauty of Aaron vested in priestly raiment, with the oil running down upon his robes. It is a hidden beauty, one which shines forth only for those faith-filled eyes of the woman troubled with an issue of blood. But not even the disciples – future priests – see or understand: on the “existential outskirts”, they see only what is on the surface: the crowd pressing in on Jesus from all sides (cf. Lk 8:42). The Lord, on the other hand, feels the power of the divine anointing which runs down to the edge of his cloak.

We need to “go out”, then, in order to experience our own anointing, its power and its redemptive efficacy: to the “outskirts” where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters. It is not in soul-searching or constant introspection that we encounter the Lord: self-help courses can be useful in life, but to live by going from one course to another, from one method to another, leads us to become pelagians and to minimize the power of grace, which comes alive and flourishes to the extent that we, in faith, go out and give ourselves and the Gospel to others, giving what little ointment we have to those who have nothing, nothing at all.

A priest who seldom goes out of himself, who anoints little – I won’t say “not at all” because, thank God, our people take our oil from us anyway – misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart. Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks. This is precisely the reason why some priests grow dissatisfied, become sad priests, lose heart and become in some sense collectors of antiques or novelties – instead of being shepherds living with “the smell of the sheep”, shepherds in the midst of their flock, fishers of men. True enough, the so-called crisis of priestly identity threatens us all and adds to the broader cultural crisis; but if we can resist its onslaught, we will be able to put out in the name of the Lord and cast our nets. It is not a bad thing that reality itself forces us to “put out into the deep”, where what we are by grace is clearly seen as pure grace, out into the deep of the contemporary world, where the only thing that counts is “unction” – not function – and the nets which overflow with fish are those cast solely in the name of the One in whom we have put our trust: Jesus.

Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart.

Dear priests, may God the Father renew in us the Spirit of holiness with whom we have been anointed. May he renew his Spirit in our hearts, that this anointing may spread to everyone, even to those “outskirts” where our faithful people most look for it and most appreciate it. May our people sense that we are the Lord’s disciples; may they feel that their names are written upon our priestly vestments and that we seek no other identity; and may they receive through our words and deeds the oil of gladness which Jesus, the Anointed One, came to bring us. Amen.

Jesuits: The Men Behind the Collar

Loyola Chicago's student paper has a good article on Jesuits. Click Here - Fr. Rick

The Phoenix/Dan Rogers

Jesuits at Jesuit Jam

A number of Loyola’s Jesuits, including the ones above, participated in the annual Jesuit Jam last weekend that was held in the Gentile Arena.

Posted: Wednesday, February 8, 2012 4:52 am | Updated: 5:05 am, Wed Feb 8, 2012.

by Lauren Bogacz lbogacz@luc.edu | 0 comments

Last summer, theology student Ben Anderson was in northeastern India, traveling and visiting tea plantations where tribal groups still live in what he called slave-like conditions. A Catholic labor organizer traveling with him has spent his life working to improve the conditions of these plantations. He turned to Anderson and asked: “Why did God make the tea workers so poor and you in your country so rich?”

It was at this moment that Anderson felt like a Jesuit.

“I was standing at the foot of the cross with the forgotten of the world and trying to articulate with them God’s invitation for life,” said Anderson, 27, who is working toward a master’s degree in philosophy at Loyola.

With the upcoming celebration of Ignatian Heritage Week from Feb. 12-19, students should take the opportunity to learn more about the Jesuit lifestyle, said junior Sean Barry.

“I think Jesuit Heritage Week is important, because it reminds us all of the Jesuit institution and why we go to the university,” said Barry, who hopes to someday become a Jesuit himself. “This is time set aside for us all explicitly to understand the Jesuit charisms.”

St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, underwent a spiritual conversion in 1522 and was inspired to devote his life to God. When the Society of Jesus was approved by Pope Paul III in 1540, the first Jesuits (including Ignatius) were officially ordained into the Catholic priesthood. Together, these men established the foundational values the Jesuits still practice today.

Those pursuing life as a Jesuit often have distinct inspirations and experiences that motivate them to devote their lives to God.

“I wanted to commit myself to something much larger than myself,” said Fr. Brendan Horan, S.J., who is a professor of political science and a special assistant to the Rev. Michael J. Garanzini, S.J. “The opportunity to live and work in a number of other countries and experience their diverse cultures has been a particular blessing.”

The steps to becoming a Jesuit are the same for every man interested in becoming one, and the process takes from nine to 12 years.

There are three stages that a man goes through in the process of becoming a Jesuit priest: the novitiate, the regency and theological studies. During this period, they are known as a scholastic.

The novitiate is a two-year period that emphasizes spiritual growth. It consists of a 30-day pilgrimage and a month-long silent retreat, part of the Spiritual Exercises written by St. Ignatius.

After novitiate, Jesuits take their perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The next three years are typically spent obtaining a master’s degree in philosophy.

The regency phase follows, which is usually spent teaching in a Jesuit high school. When this is finished, a person generally earns a master’s degree in divinity, which fulfills the requirements for priesthood. Many Jesuits later pursue a Ph.D. in a subject they’d like to teach.

For Fr. Michael Agliardo, S.J., the entire process includes an opportunity to increase awareness about the world.

“The formation process involves gaining an understanding of the world through exposure to other cultures and learning to look critically at your own,” said Agliardo, a sociology professor who spent time working with the poor in the Dominican Republic.

Fr. Charles Jurgensmeier, S.J., director of Loyola’s music program, remembers his own experience of becoming a Jesuit, which included many interviews, a physical and an appointment with a psychiatrist to make sure that he was “mentally fit” for the lifestyle.

The interview process is thorough, Jurgensmeier said, because the Jesuits want a complete picture of the applicant before he is admitted.

“They really get to know you, asking questions about your prayer life, how often you go to mass, about the faith itself and your relationship with Jesus,” he said. “They also asked about my family, schooling, health and background.”

Jesuits can do a variety of jobs, including but not limited to the fields of social work, education and helping at parishes and retreat houses, according to Agliardo, a sociology professor.

Many Jesuits work at Loyola, teaching and helping out at events on both the Lake Shore and Water Tower campuses. Not to mention, Loyola’s President the Rev. Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., is also a Jesuit. And because Loyola is a Jesuit Catholic university, its mission coincides with the five characteristics of a Jesuit education: commitment to excellence, faith in God, service that promotes justice, values-based leadership and global awareness.

Jurgensmeier said that part of his responsibility as a Jesuit is to help others seek the truth he said he has found.

“Cura personalis, or ‘care for the person,’ is the mission of the university, regardless of who the person is,” he said. “We challenge students’ points of view by having them take classes in disciplines that they normally wouldn’t.”

The question he asks is: “Where do I find God in all of this?”

Go to luc.edu/ignatianheritageweek for more information on the events taking place during Ignatian Heritage Week.

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