Most Rev. Ernest Obodo’s Homily on Holy Thursday, 17 April, 2025, year C
Brothers and sisters, today is Maundy Thursday, a day in which we celebrate chrism Mass; a Mass of unity between the Diocesan Bishop, who is the Pater Familias of the Diocese, together with his priests. The English word chrism comes from the Greek original khrîsma (χρῖσμα), meaning unction or the act of anointing. Both the Gospel and first reading of today refer to Jesus Christ as the anointed one. “The Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the Good News to the poor. Lk 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1. The original title of the Messiah is Χριστός (Christos) meaning the anointed one. We have assembled to celebrate the priesthood of Christ from where every priesthood in the Church takes its name. The chrism Mass is one of the principal manifestations of the fullness of the bishop´s Priesthood and established a close bond between him and his priests who are his immediate collaborators. Today´s celebration is both a reminiscence and a fulfilment of the OT Passover feast of Exodus ch.12 which is a family feast in which the Father of the family slaughters either a lamb or a goat to celebrate the liberation which God granted to the people of Israel from their slavery in Egypt.
In this Mass the institution of two sacraments of the Church: the Priesthood and the Holy Eucharist are celebrated. These two sacraments are so interconnected that some theologians believe that it is the Priesthood that makes the Eucharist. That means that without the Priesthood, there will be no Eucharist. The three important oils used in the Church throughout the year: oil of chrism, oil of catechumen and oil of the sick are blessed in the context of this Mass. The matter for all three oils to be blessed today is the olive oil while the form is the words of blessing said over them. Let us look more briefly and closely at the liturgy.
FIRST: THE BLESSING OF OIL FOR THE CHRISM, OIL OF THE SICK AND OIL OF CATEHUMENS.
Chrism, from where this Mass takes its appellation is the oil from olive tree mixed with balsam perfume to give a pleasing fragrance, blessed by the bishop and used in the post-baptismal anointing, confirmation, ordination of priests and dedication of churches and altars.
The theological import of the chrism oil is that it reflects the presence of the Holy Spirit on the person and objects to be anointed (see Joseph Komonchak et al, the new Dictionary of Theology, India, 2014 p185.) The action of the bishop of breathing over the oil recalls the Spirit of God moving over the face of the waters at creation (Gen1:12) and Jesus´ breathing on his disciples after his resurrection saying, “Receive he Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn20:22-23).
OIL OF THE SICK
By blessing the oil of the sick, the Church fulfills the biblical injunction by St James, “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the Church and let them pray over him; anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. Such prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed any in, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15). The theological reason for a central blessing of this oil by the Diocesan Bishop is to give the family dimension of the whole Church of the Diocese praying for anyone sick among them. This oil offers the sick a remedy for infirmity of body and soul, so that they may bravely endure and fight against evils and obtain pardon for their sins. In accordance with canon 1003, only validly ordained priest can administer the sacrament of anointing of the sick.
OIL OF CATECHUMENS
The oil of Catechumens, a symbol of God´s strength is used during the Sacrament of Baptism as a symbol of God´s power and blessing. It strengthens and protects those preparing for baptism to enable them to leave their old ways of life to embrace Christ and repel the influence of the devil. It is used during the baptism of catechumens especially during Easter Vigil, during infant baptisms and during confirmation. Holy Thursday celebrates in a special way the institution of the Priesthood and Blessed Eucharist.
THE PRIESTHOOD
Today is a special day for all Catholic Priests in the universal Church. Whoever is unable to attend the Chrism Mass of his Diocese must have been highly ill-disposed. This is because it is a great moment of encounter of priests with one another, with the bishop and with Jesus who called them. Few months ago, a priest came to me to thank me for attending his father´s burial. He narrated how fellow priests helped him to bury his father. According to him, when his father died, he cried out his heart, not because he was not aware that his father would one day die but because he had close to nothing in his personal bank account. His priest- friends approached him and asked him not to worry because they had already formed a burial committee for the burial of his father. This group did not only raise enough money for his father´s burial but practically executed the said burial. This is practical priestly solidarity in action; as enunciated by the fathers of the Second Vatican Council in Presbyterorum Ordinis nos 7 and 8. Priestly solidarity with one another equally requires their hierarchical union with their bishops and the order of bishops. This Decree calls priests indispensable helpers and advisers to the bishops in the ministry and task of teaching, sanctifying and shepherding of the People of God. Even though they are assigned to different duties, priests form one priestly family in their diocese under their own bishop. A very profound article by and unknown author is entitled:
CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD: THE UNIQUE FRATERNITY.
“There happens to be in this world of strange social conventions one friendship that transcends all conventions and knows no rules. It is the brotherhood of Catholic priests. There is not under the stars an intimacy more reckless or more profound than the bond between one Catholic Levite and another. It needs no coaxing, no prelude and no formality. We meet and possess one another instantly. There is not the shadows of a barrier between us, neither age, nor antecedents nor nationality, nor climate, nor color of skin. Ours is a blunt, rough-hewn affection. It almost forgets to be polite. I can sit at his table without invitation, Sit in his study and read his books before I have ever met him; borrow his money or his clothes with no security. His home is my home; his fireside, my fireside; his altar, my altar. I can give him my confidence promptly and without reserve. I can neither edify nor scandalize him. We can quarrel without offense, praise each other without flattery, or sit silently and say nothing and mutually circumvented.
The Priest is called to proclaim the Good News
In a more intimate way, Jesus called the first Apostles, (Mk 3:13-14), “He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted and they came to him, and he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message” The Priest is called to, 1- be with Christ and 2 – to work for him. In his book, Shepherds and Fishermen, the preacher to the Papal household, Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, now a Cardinal noted that this short verse of the bible (Mk 3:14) has both a profound theological as well as a deep pastoral meaning. The first part deals with the appointment of the twelve; the choice of the 12 and to the beginning of the Church. “He appointed twelve, whom he called apostles”. Every bishop ordains priests who are to be helpful to the ministry of his diocese. Canon 1025 §2 outlines the requirement for ordination, including the bishop´s judgment that the candidate is beneficial to the ministry of the Church of his Diocese. Jesus´ choice of the 12 signifies that he did not want his work to end with him.
The call of the apostles meant that they would leave their homes, families, relationships, work, etc to be with Jesus. This total abandonment of what they possess to follow Jesus was repeated in the episode of the call of the first Disciples as recorded when they were catching fish with their nets. “So, they brought their boats to land and leaving all they had, followed him” (Lk 5:11). There is no part-time priesthood. It is a full-time job. In this age of materialism when some priests are so distracted that their priestly ministry is only an appendage to the work they do, priests are advised to concentrate on their priestly ministry. Bishop Onaga would always advise his priests that the only things expected of them is simply to be Catholic Priests! Whether one is a lawyer, a professor, a farmer, a trader or land speculator; once called to the Priesthood, one is primarily a priest. All other engagements of his must be undertaken with an express permission of his local ordinary in accordance with Canons 285§3, 286 and 287 §2; whether engagement in civil service, trade or politics.
Donald B. Cozzens in his book, ´The changing face of the Priesthood wondered why the younger generation is abandoning traditional spirituality. According to him, the traditional spirituality had stood the test of time. Over two thousand years, despite the crises in Christianity and the Priesthood, it has continued to shine out in truth to the world. He points out that less than one hundred years of experience, the modern type of spirituality (Pentecostalism, bu bu ya ya) has even more crises than the traditional spirituality. He is doubtful if the modern way of spirituality would make a headway into the future. St Josemaria once said that when people favour a doubtful theology and an easy-going ´anything goes´ morality, and engage in dubious liturgical practices following their own whims, with a ´hippie´ discipline which is answerable to no authority, then it comes as no surprise if they spread envy, suspicion, false allegations, insults, ill-treatment, humiliations, gossip and all kinds of outrage against those who speak only of Jesus Christ (Text of St Josemaria, forge 755). To be with Jesus represents the idea of total abandonment of themselves to follow Jesus. This total abandonment of self is the idea of sacrifice in the life of the Catholic Priest. Christ gave Himself up on our behalf, a sacrifice breathing out fragrance as He offered it to God (Eph. 5:2).
In his book, “The Priest is not his own”, Fulton Sheen distinguished between the Priesthood of Christ in the NT and that of Priesthood in the OT. In the OT Priesthood, the priest and victims were separate from one another but in the Post-incarnational Priesthood of Christ, they are united and inseparable (P. 11). A good example of separation of the OT Priest from his victim is seen in the expulsion of the scapegoat in Leviticus ch. 16 where the priest confessed the sins of the community of Israel upon the head of the goat and sent it into the desert called Azazel to go and die. In his own sacrifice on the cross, Christ united in himself both priesthood and victimhood. This is what we still celebrate as priests at the altar: “Aja nke enu obe na aja nke Eukarisita bu out ihe…”
THE PRIEST IS BOTH A MISSIONARY AND A LIBERATOR
In the Gospel of today we read; “He has sent me to bring Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives… The primary reason why Jesus was born was to save humanity. “You are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” Mtt. 1:21. In union with Jesus, priests are called to be liberators. They are sent to proclaim liberty to the captives. The primary duty of Government is to security. We give credit to the Government of Governor Peter Mbah in the area of security but we can see what the Federal Government is doing in this regard. In many of our parishes, especially in the interior, the priests are all things to all men. They are, sometimes, chief security officers of their communities. In addition to dispensing the sacraments, they are community leaders; they organize for the provision of light and water for their communities and champion the health welfare of their local communities. Dear brothers and sisters, prayer for your priests. When they are weak, support them; when they faulter, forgive them as you would forgive your own sons and brothers. When they summon you to duty, it is Christ calling you to duty.
THE SACRAMENT OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST
The month of April is dedicated to the Eucharist. The author of the work, “Pastoral Guide” called the Eucharist, the mystery of mysteries”. (p.147) On Holy Thursday we learn that Jesus loved us until the end of time. He instituted the sacrament in which he gave us his body and blood for the remission of our sins. The words of institution of the Eucharist, central to the Christian sacrament, are: “Take this, all of you, and eat of it: this is my Body, which will be given up for you” and “Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me”. Central to the institution is the sacrifice of himself which Jesus made of himself on the cross through the shedding of his blood for the salvation of mankind. Blood is an essential element of human life and it is life giving. The human heart bumps blood about 60-100 times in one minute. In many cultures, covenants are sealed in a ritual of exchange of human blood.
The Jewish Passover became a covenant when the blood of sacrificed lambs was pasted at the door posts of every Jewish family and when the angel of destruction saw this symbol, he passed over (Exod. 24:6-8). But the blood of the old law is insufficient for taking away our sin. Today we hear of young people who are going back to Neo paganism offering the blood of bulls and goats in along river beds to appease their forefathers. Some even offer the blood of their parents or relations to idols in order to make money.
We must note that the post incarnational sacrifice differs from the OT idea of sacrifice. The blood of the lamb pasted at the door post on the camp of the Israelites served as a sign of liberation of the people of Israel. This is fulfilled by the death of Jesus on the Cross which we celebrate in this liturgy. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives us the opportunity to give thanks to God for all he does to me. What saves us is the sacrifice of Jesus. The incarnation makes the Eucharistic sacrifice possible. In the Mass, we participate in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Canon 897 says that the Eucharist is the sacrifice where Jesus is offered and received and by which the Church continually lives and grows. It is the memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord, in which the sacrifice of the cross is forever perpetuated, the summit and source of all worship and Christian life. The broken bread signifies the sacrifice which Jesus did of himself on the cross. He was broken for our salvation. Why must the priest always break the consecrated host before showing it to us? It symbolizes that Jesus was sacrificed, broken for our salvation.
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