Obispo Kevin Farrell

Pastor Principal de la Diócesis Católica de Dallas

Sígame

Misa Crismal

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Misa Crismal

Puede ser que haya notado tres frascos en un estante al frente de su iglesia. Contienen los santos óleos utilizados en la administración de los sacramentos. Los óleos incluyen el Óleo de los Enfermos, utilizado en la Unción de los Enfermos; el Óleo de los Catecúmenos, que es para quienes se preparan para ser bautizados y el Santo Crisma, que es consagrado y utilizado para el Bautismo, Confirmación y Orden Sagrado. Todos son aceite de oliva puro con un poco de bálsamo y ungüento añadido por el obispo al Crisma Sagrado mientras es consagrado. Ellos son los signos externos de la gracia operante de Dios en los sacramentos.

Al concluir la celebración, a cada sacerdote le es entregado el suministro de óleo de su parroquia para el siguiente año. Los óleos nuevos aparecerán en los frascos al frente de su iglesia hasta que sean necesarios para las celebraciones sacramentales.

La bendición de los óleos no es sólo un evento importante que ocurre durante la Misa Crismal. Los sacerdotes, unidos al obispo, renuevan sus promesas sacerdotales, comprometiéndose a ser fieles administradores los misterios (sacramentos) de Dios y a seguir a Cristo, cabeza y pastor. La Misa Crismal, concelebrada por el obispo y todos los sacerdotes de la diócesis, simboliza su unidad con el obispo en el cumplimiento de sus promesas sacerdotales.

El Evangelio de este día, tomado del Evangelio de San Lucas, resulta muy apropiado en este Año de la Misericordia y enfatiza el llamado sacerdotal a un discipulado misericordioso. En él, Jesús hace eco de las palabras del Profeta Isaías anunciando su propia unción como redentor.

El Espíritu del Señor está sobre mí,
porque me ha consagrado por la unción.
Él me envió a llevar la Buena Noticia a los pobres,
a anunciar la liberación a los cautivos y la vista a los ciegos,
a dar la libertad a los oprimidos
y proclamar un año de gracia del Señor (Lc 4,18-19).

Tradicionalmente, los santos óleos son consagrados y bendecidos la mañana del Jueves Santo. Sin embargo, por diversos motivos, la Iglesia permite que la Misa Crismal se realice en otro momento cercano a la Pascua. En la Diócesis de Dallas, esto se llevará a cabo la noche del martes de Semana Santa en la Catedral Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe durante una celebración pública. Todos son bienvenidos a esta hermosa y significativa liturgia.

Mass of the Chrism

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A very important event during Holy Week is the Mass of the Chrism. It takes its name from the fact that it is where the bishop consecrates the Sacred Chrism and blesses the other holy oils that will be used in administering the sacraments in the various parishes during the coming year.

Sometimes celebrated on Holy Thursday morning because of its relationship to Jesus establishing the priestly order on that day, it is the custom in our diocese to move the Mass of the Chrism to Tuesday evening in Holy Week.

It is also a special event that emphasizes the unity of the bishop with his priests. Together they celebrate their common priesthood by the renewal of their priestly vows and their commitment to a life of service to the Church.

In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “Each year the Chrism Mass exhorts us to return to that “yes” to the call of God which we pronounced on the day of our priestly ordination. ‘Adsum – here I am!’ we said like Isaiah, when he heard the voice of God, who asked him: ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ ‘Here I am, send me!’ Isaiah replied” (Isaiah 6:8).

As a preparation for their renewal of priestly vows, priests participate in a day of recollection on the afternoon preceding the Chrism Mass which they will concelebrate with the bishop.

Sacred Chrism is the oil that is used in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders and in the consecration of churches and altars. Only the bishop may consecrate Holy Chrism. The other Holy Oils are the Oil of the Sick, to be used in the Sacrament of the Sick, and the Oil of Catechumens to be used in the Sacrament of Baptism.

Deacons, who with the priests will be using the Sacred Chrism and the Oil of Catechumens in their administration of the sacraments, present to the bishop the vessels containing the oils to be blessed.

After the ceremony, the priest, or another representative of each parish, will fill a small container with each of the Holy Oils to be taken for use in their parish.

In a sense the entire Church of Dallas participates in the Chrism Mass, not just in the presence of the bishop, priests, deacons, religious and lay people at the celebration, but in the fact that the blessed oils become part of the sacramental life of each parish in the diocese during the coming year.

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

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Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. It is now called Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Some of you will remember that before the Holy Week reforms of 1970 the Sunday before Palm Sunday was called Passion Sunday, and the crucifix and all the statues were draped, usually in purple, for the two last weeks of Lent, known as Passiontide. This custom is no longer common in the United States, altough it is permitted.

The Passion is read on Palm Sunday and again on Good Friday. On Palm Sunday the Passion that is read alternates each year among the three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. The Passion of John is always read on Good Friday.

Palm Sunday begins outdoors, weather permitting. The palms are blessed and Matthew’s gospel of Jesus entering Jerusalem is read. The celebrant and the congregation then process into the church, recalling Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The joyful air of the processions is sombered by the reading of the Passion (from Matthew this year), thus emulating the joyful/sorrowful dichotomy of Holy Week.

Preceding the reading of the Passion, one of the Suffering Servant songs from Isaiah is read (Is 50:4-7) in which the Servant, seen as a forshadowing of the Messiah, says: “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.”

Taken from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, the second reading speaks of the Incarnation, of God’s Son emptying himself, as it were, of his divinity to take on the burden of humanity.

“He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” The reading once again reflects the joyful/sorrowful dichotomy when it concludes: “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Thus we enter once again into what was once called the Week of Sorrows that culminates, not with the sadness of the Crucifixion but with the joyfulness of the Resurrection.

The Resurrection of the Lord

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On this great feast we celebrate more than the Resurrection of the Lord, we celebrate our Redemption, the effect of the Lord’s Resurrection upon each of us. The opening prayer of the Easter liturgy expresses it beautifully. “God our Father, by raising Christ your Son you conquered the power of death and opened for us the way to eternal life. Let our celebration today raise us up and renew our lives by the Spirit that is within us.”

We are remindd by Peter’s words in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles that our Redemption is a beginning and not an end. They are taken from his baptism of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, and his family. It is the Apostle’s first outreach to the gentile community and presages the ready acceptance of the gospel by the Greco-Roman world. Peter sends us a clear message as to what our task is. Like Peter, we are impelled by the Christ event to share it, to mediate it to others. “We are witnesses to what he did.” We must proclaim Jesus as Savior and “bear witness that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Our Redemption does not mean that we should rest in satisfied self-righteousness, but rather, that we must set about continuing and completing the work of Christ and the Apostles. Just as the Light of Christ dispelled the darkness of death, by our words and our actions, we must raise up Christ in our communities, in our place of work, in our families, in our world where the darkness of sin and selfishness needs to be dispelled. In the words of the responsorial psalm, because of the Resurrection “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”

As members of the Body of Christ we continue the saving work of Christ, not on our own but by the power of “the Spirit that lives within us.”

I wish you all a very blessed Easter.

The Easter Vigil of the Lord’s Resurrection

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The Easter Vigil is not a Holy Saturday service, but is celebrated Easter Night, as each day begins with the previous evening’s vigil. It is the solemnity of solemnities, the pinnacle of the liturgical year. It is a waiting for the coming of the Lord.

No liturgy is richer in symbolic acts and gestures. There are four parts to the vigil liturgy: The Service of Light and the Easter Proclamation; the Liturgy of the Word, a prolonged meditation on the wonderful works the Lord has wrought for his people; reception of new members reborn in baptism and the celebration of the Eucharist, the high point of the vigil.

Properly, the Easter Vigil begins in total darkness which is dispelled by the light of the new fire that is blessed outside the church, recalling “…this most holy night when our Lord Jesus Christ passed from death to life…the Passover of the Lord.”

The new fire is blessed as a sharing in the glory of God “through your Son, the light of the world.” The new fire is used to light the Paschal Candle , symbolizing Christ. The Paschal Candle then leads the congregation in procession into the church, where “Christ our light” is intoned three times. The fire is then passed from the Paschal Candle to the congregation further dispelling the darkness in the church.

Concluding the first portion of the vigil, the deacon or priest chants the Easter Proclamation or Exultet , a poetic text that tells the story of the Easter mystery, including the “Felix Culpa” or Happy Fault, the “necessary sin of Adam which gained for us so great a redeemer.”

There follows the Liturgy of the Word, which includes seven readings from the Old Testament which give an account of the outstanding deeds of the history of salvation. The Gloria is then sung, the lights of the church turned on and the bells joyously rung after which we are reminded that God has “brightened this night with the radiance of the Risen Christ.”

Anticipating the baptism of new members, Paul’s Letter to the Romans reminds us that “we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death” so that “just as Christ was raised from the dead…we too might live in newness of life.”

The Gospel reading returns to Luke for the story of the women of Galilee visiting Christ’s tomb and finding it empty and being asked by the angel “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised,” the first proclamation of the Resurrection.

Baptism and confirmation of new members follows the homily, including the blessing of the baptismal water wherein the priest recalls the important role of water in salvation history and prays that the Father will “by the power of the Spirit give to the water of this font the grace of your Son.”

Catechumens and candidates have spent a year in preparation for this night when the celebrant prays to God to “send your spirit of adoption on those to be born again in baptism.”

After the baptism of new members, the members of the congregation renew their baptismal promises and are sprinkled with water, recalling in gestures and words the baptism they had received.

Finally, for the first time the newly baptized and confirmed participate fully in the Easter Sacrament by joining in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the commemoration of the sacrifice of the cross and the presence of the risen Christ.

The vigil concludes with the great Easter Allelulia

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

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Austerity and simplicity are the marks of the Good Friday liturgy as is appropriate for the commemoration of the death of the Lord. No sacraments may be celebrated on this day except for the Sacrament of Penance and the Anointing of the Sick. In accordance with ancient tradition, no Mass may be celebrated. No musical instruments or bells are permitted.

Good Friday is nonetheless a time of celebration, celebration of our Redemption as noted in one of the opening prayers: “Lord, by the suffering of Christ your Son you have saved us all from the death we inherited from sinful Adam.”

Ideally the Good Friday liturgy is celebrated at three in the afternoon, the hour of Jesus’ death, but it may be celebrated early in the evening at a time more convenient for working people.

The liturgy consists of three elements. The Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion.

In silence the priest and other ministers enter the Church and prostrate themselves before the stripped altar. This prostration symbolizes grief and sorrow and the submissiveness of man in the presence of God.

In the first reading from Isaiah, we reflect on the Messianic prophecy of the Suffering Servant. “…he was pierced for our offences, crushed for our sins: upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we are healed.” The second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews picks up on Isaiah and reminds us that “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of salvation for all who obey him.”

Once again the Passion is read, this time from the gospel of John which is used every Good Friday. John alone tells us of Jesus placing his mother in the care of the Beloved Disciple: “He said woman, behold, your son,” and then to John, “Behold, your mother.” It is also John who anticipates Pentecost when he tells us that at the moment of his death the Lord said: “‘It is finished.’ And bowing his head, he handed over the Spirit.”

Following the Passion and a homily, a series of up to ten special intercessory prayers are said emphasizing Jesus death was for the salvation of the entire world.

Then follows the unveiling and the veneration of the cross as the priest gradually takes the covering from the crucifix while singing three times “This is the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the World.” The cross is then venerated by the priest and ministers and then individually by members of the congregation as the ancient reproaches are sung recalling the history of salvation in which God cries out “My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? Answer me!”

The cross is left for veneration while a simple Communion service beginning with the Lord’s Prayer is held at which the Eucharist concentrated on Holy Thursday is distributed.

There is no closing ceremony as the priest and ministers depart in silence. Only the cross and four candles remain, inviting us to reflect on Jesus in the silence of the tomb.

The Triduum – Holy Thursday

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In reality the Triduum is a single three-day celebration that includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. It begins on the evening of Holy Thursday, which is the vigil of Good Friday. For the Jewish people, the day begins at sunset of the previous day. The Triduum ends at sunset on Easter. For this reason, there is no concluding ritual on either Thursday evening or on Friday, because the observance is seen as continuing for the three days. For our purposes we will treat each of the three liturgies separately.

At the center of the Holy Thursday celebration is the Eucharist, not as it is in every liturgy, but in a special way as we remember and reflect upon the great gift of Thanksgiving that Jesus left us. In the opening prayer we are told that “He gave it to us when he was about to die and commanded us to celebrate it as the new and eternal sacrifice.”

The importance of remembering is brought out by the Passover story from Exodus which concludes with the words: “This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord, as a perpetual institution.”

Interestingly the scripture recalling the institution of the Eucharist is taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. The memorial or remembrance theme is continued with Jesus’ words: “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” He repeats it with the cup when he says; “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

With these simple words the Lord not only instituted the Eucharist, but also the means of continuing it by providing a ministerial and hierarchical priesthood. We are reminded of exactly what the Eucharist is by the responsorial psalm: “our blessing-cup is communion with the Blood of Christ.” It is the Eucharist that unites with Jesus as well as one another.

In the gospel from St. John we see that Jesus commanded us not only to celebrate and remember him in worship but also in service. When Jesus began to wash the disciples’ feet, impetuous Peter shouted out “You will never wash my feet.” Not surprising since the task of washing feet was not that of a servant but of a slave.

Jesus not only took on human flesh, but the role of a slave and then commanded his disciples to do the same. “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” This theme of servant and slave will be amplified in the readings as the celebration continues on Good Friday.

During the liturgy of the Eucharist enough bread is consecrated to provide for the Friday observance. Because the bread for Friday is consecrated on Thursday evening, the Friday liturgy was at one time referred to as the Mass of the Pre-sanctified.

Finally, with no closing ceremony, the Eucharist is carried in procession to a chapel where it will be reserved until Friday. During the procession the Pange Lingua an ancient hymn that celebrates the institution of the Eucharist , is sung. The altar is stripped bare and any crosses in the church are covered.

We are left to reflect upon the unmistakable fact that worship of God is eternally linked to service to others.

The Chrism Mass

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On Tuesday of Holy Week we will celebrate the Mass of Chrism at the Cathedral. Two meaningful rituals occur during the Crism Mass. The first is the renewal of their priestly vows and commitment to the priesthood by all the priests and the Bishop. The second is the blessing and distribution of the Holy Oils.

The gathering of the Bishop and his priests together with the people symbolizes the fullness of the Bishop’s ministry as chief shepherd of the diocese. Since the celebration was originally in the morning of Holy Thursday, it anticipates the celebration of the institution of the episcopate and the priesthood by Jesus at the Last Supper.

Our priests will prepare for their renewal of priestly vows by a day of reflection on the mystery of their vocation. After the gospel, in a series of responses to the Bishop’s questions the priests renew their dedication to Christ as priests of the New Covenant, promise to sacrifice their own pleasures and ambition to bring peace and love to their people and to be faithful ministers of the sacraments, teachers of the faith and imitators of Jesus Christ.

Finally, the bishop asks the people to pray for their priests and for him that he may become more like Jesus, the High Priest and Good Shepherd.

Following the renewal ceremony, three containers are brought forward to the Bishop. Each contains oil, one to be consecrated as Sacred Chrism, the other two to be blessed as Oil of the Sick and Oil of the Catechumens.

The Liturgy takes its name from Sacred Chrism, the consecrated oil that is used at Baptism, Confirmation and Ordination which together with the other Holy Oil is blessed every Holy Week by the Bishop.

Chrism is the Greek word for oil. Oil is one of the great symbols of the Church. Christos is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, the anointed one. Thus, Jesus Christ means, Jesus the anointed one or Jesus the Messiah. The early Church adopted the ancient custom of anointing kings, priests and prophets with oil to designate them as chosen ones. In the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders the anointing with Sacred Chrism recognizes the fact that the Sacrament celebrates the chosen-ness of the ones being anointed and their sharing in the kingly and prophetic priesthood of Jesus.

When the Bishop consecrates the Chrism he prays: “Father, by the power of your love make this mixture of oil and perfume a sign and source of your blessing. Pour out the gifts of your Holy Spirit on our brothers and sisters who will be anointed by it.” Similar prayers are used in the blessing of the Oil of the Sick: “Make this oil a remedy for all who are anointed with it; heal them in body, soul and spirit.” When he blesses the Oil of Catechumens the Bishop prays the anointing will “give wisdom and strength to all who are anointed.”

The Chrism Mass brings together these two important rituals of Holy Week, separate from yet connected to the Triduum. The connection, of course, is that the Chrism Mass celebrates Jesus’ institution of both the episcopate and the priesthood, the Sacraments of those anointed to continue the celebration of the same Eucharist as other Christs.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, each priest takes a portion of the newly blessed oils to his own parish to be used in the celebration of the Sacraments.