Chrism Mass Homily by Bishop Ness F. Ongtioco, DD
April 1, 2010
Immaculate Conception Cathedral

First of all allow me to thank you for my brother priests for all the initiative, efforts and creativity that you did and you do to make our celebration of the Year of the Priests meaningful and fruitful. It was not easy to gather 5,540 priests. It was truly the work of the Holy Spirit. In my opinion, today – Holy Thursday is the very heart of the year for Priests. This is because on this day, the New Testament Priesthood was instituted by Christ our Lord. The reason why priests gather around the altar with their bishop on this day is precisely because on the night He was betrayed, our Lord instituted the Eucharist and commanded His apostles to “Do this in remembrance of me.” This command to do the Eucharist in his remembrance is the ordination of the Apostles into the priesthood. This is the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

                In the light of the Year for Priests, I would like to look at the events of the Paschal Triduum in the perspective of the Priesthood of Christ. To me, the High Priesthood of our Lord is the perspective through which we should see the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ for unless we do so, the events of these Holy Days will be nothing but a long narrative of violence, torture and pain. In fact, the Letter to the Hebrews explores the wealth of Christ’s priesthood, describes our Lord’s passion as His entrance into the Holy of holies in the very fashion a high priest does in the Old Testament.

                Pope Benedict  teaches us that the mission of the priest is “to combine, to link two realities that appear to be separate, that is, the world of God far from us, often unknown to the human being – and our human world. The priest’s mission is to be a mediator, a bridge that connects, and thereby to bring human beings to God, to his true redemption, to his true lights, to his true life.” (Lectio Divina with priests of Rome 18 Feb 2010) In an age that has lost its theocentricity, many people will not immediately appreciate the work of the priest. For, if the human being were a self-made creature, what need has he for God? But the truth about our humanity is that it cannot be understood apart from God in whose image and likeness we have been created. “In Him we live, we move, and have our being,” so said St. Paul. In as much as the human being is the only creature God created for Himself, man is most truly man when he offers God worship. It is in the priesthood that the human being achieves the very purpose of his existence which is to know, love and serve God and to find ultimate fulfillment and happiness in Him. While it may be true that we find fulfillment in placing ourselves at the service of humanity and society, let us not forget that human philosophy cannot be regarded as independent of divine service.

                But of all priesthoods (whether Jewish or pagan), Christ’s priesthood is the most excellent for Jesus, our High Priest, is “holy innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and higher than the heavens (Hebrews 7:26). The Holy Father, in his lectio divina to the parish priests of Rome said, “The whole of the religious world, the whole of reality of sacrifices, of the priesthood that is in search of the true priesthood, the true sacrifice, finds in Christ its key, its fulfillment.” (Benedict XVI, Lectio Divina) In His incarnation, Christ, who is of the Father, became man, and becoming man, he is priest: “The Son of God was made man precisely in order to be a priest, to be able to fulfill a priest’s mission.” (Ibid) The letter to the Hebrews said, “He can deal gently with the ignorant and the wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness” (Heb 5:2) Essential to his humanity in his compassion: “Essential to being human is being compassionate, suffering with others: this is true humanity.” (Benedict XVI, Lectio Divina) Thus, “in the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, to Him who is able to save Him from death” (Heb 5:7). Christ entered into human wretchedness; He recapitulates in Himself the “passion” of humanity”. He bears with us the burden of our suffering: “The whole of human suffering entered the Passion. He transforms the whole of suffering humanity, taking it to Himself in a cry to God to hear Him… bringing it before the eyes and to the hands of God and thus truly bringing it to the moment of redemption.” (Benedict XVI, Lectio Divina). With this offering is the “fulfillment of His priesthood, thus He brings humanity to God, in this way He becomes mediator, He becomes priest.” (Ibid).

                When we were ordained, the bishop presented to us bread on a paten and wine in a chalice. The bishop said: “Receive from the Holy People of God the gifts to be offered to God. Know what you do, imitate what you celebrate and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.” (Rite of Ordinations of Priests.) “Imitate what you celebrate”… imitate Christ the High Priest. “Christ offered Himself and made this offering of Himself with the very compassion which transforms the world into prayer and into a cry to the Father.. In this sense, our own priesthood is not limited to the religious act of Holy Mass in which everything is placed in Christ’s hands but all of our compassion to the suffering of this world… is a priestly act… it is offering up (a sacrifice) In this regard… we must understand and learn how to accept more profoundly the sufferings of pastoral life, because priestly action is precisely this, it is mediation, it is entering into the mystery of Christ, it is communication with the mystery of Christ, very real and essential, existential and then sacramental.” (Benedict XVI, Lectio Divina)

                Let us ask ourselves: How should we priests understand the five point agenda of our diocese? Should we look at it as added work? Is it an added burden to the many other burdens of pastoral life? Engaging in the work of establishing Basic Ecclesial Communities is tedious, I admit. So is engaging in Catechetical work. Our patron, St. John Vianney found time to catechize everyday amidst his hectic schedule in the confessional. Using media for evangelization takes too much time and demands a lot of creativity. It is true, these are very demanding tasks which could easily lose significance unless we see them as means to draw closer to the real suffering and concerns of humanity. BEC is the Church descending upon her esteemed pedestal so that she may once again be immersed in the day to day affairs of humanity. However, let us not forget that this immersion is not the end. Rather, it must be lifted up to God as Christ, in his prayers and tears, lifted up the suffering of humanity to God. Drawing closer to humanity’s sufferings, we should bring it to God in a real priestly act. “The priest is not a thing (a role that we play) for a few hours. But (the priest) I fulfilled precisely in pastoral life, in his sufferings and weakness, in his sorrows and in his joys.” (Ibid).

                This is real stewardship. We should offer up to the Lord what, in the first place, we have received from Him. The ordination to the priesthood is not ours. Rather it is absolutely a gift from God. “No one can be a priest by himself: God alone can authorize me, can introduce me into participation in Christ’s mystery… this aspect of divine giving, of divine precedence, of divine action that we ourselves cannot bring about and our passivity – being chosen and taken by God – is a fundamental point… the Sacrament (of Orders)… this gift in which God gives me what I will never be able to give participation, communion… with the priesthood of Christ.” (Ibid) Because it is a gift which I undeservedly received, I should offer it back to Him together with all the sufferings and inconveniences that come with the pastoral life. I received it as a gift, I give it back as a gift. At ordination, God gives me His word: “You are a priest for ever.”Today, let us give Him our word: “Here I am, I come to do your will!”

                Tonight, we shall hear these words: “How can I repay the Lord for His goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise, I will call on the Lord’s name.” May the thought that our ordination is itself a gift, give these words a more profound significance. Tonight, let us raise the chalice of salvation with gratitude for the gift of the priesthood. Let us look at our Savior and tell Him, “Lord, thank you for making me a priest. Thank you for being good to me.” As I drink of this chalice, may I imitate our great High Priest who drank of it in the spirit of obedience: “It is not my will, but your will be done.” Amen.