“Without priests, we would not have the fullness of the sacramental encounter with the living and risen Christ”

by Cardinal Giorgio Marengo IMC*

We publish the homily given by Cardinal Giorgio Marengo during the Chrism Mass celebrated on Holy Tuesday, April 1, in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Ulaanbaatar

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Ulaanbaatar – “The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’” .

Holy orders exist to make possible that TODAY spoken of in today’s Gospel. Thanks to the ordained ministry, which extends Christ’s gestures and words in time and space, we come into contact with him here and now: it is a real encounter, mediated by visible signs, which reaches us to the most intimate fibers of our being.

As we approach the Holy Triduum, we are here to thank the Lord for this immense gift He has given to His Church; to contemplate again and again the mystery of His desire to associate with His Person flesh-and-blood men, who are His reflection, not by virtue of a presumed superiority over others, but by pure grace.

This is why we speak of “anointing”: it is a gift from above, which penetrates those called by Him and enables them to accomplish what by their nature they could not even imagine being able to achieve. In the biblical tradition, anointing seals God’s choice and marks a new beginning: the object or person who is anointed changes identity, becoming something else.

This is why one does not propose oneself to the priesthood, but is chosen for it. The individual gradually discovers that the Lord is calling him to a special intimacy with Him, to make him His instrument before others. Only then does the individual feel the strength to enter a process of discernment, which can last years and which—if the vocation is confirmed—will require a long period of preparation. To arrive at the day of priestly ordination: holy oil will be used to anoint the deacon’s hands, signifying his incorporation into the priestly order.

Those chosen for the episcopate also receive that oil on their head, as narrated in the biblical pages, signifying the fullness of the ordained priesthood. It is shared with priests and deacons, who, united with the order of bishops, become dispensers of God’s grace.
A long journey culminating in a solemn rite.

Today, each of the priests present here remembers the day of his priestly ordination; and before the people of God, he renews the commitments made that day. All this will happen shortly, here. It is therefore a moment to give thanks for this gift: without priests, we would not have the fullness of the sacramental encounter with the living and risen Christ. It is true, sometimes we priests too make mistakes; we fail to live fully the vocation we have received. We are all fragile, marked by many wounds. I ask you, then, to join in thanksgiving with prayers for all of us priests: that we may rise from our falls, which we humbly acknowledge, and throw ourselves back into the arms of the Risen One, who wants us as an extension of his hands nailed to the cross, to break the Eucharistic bread, to alleviate suffering, to seal sacramental forgiveness, to sanctify the lives of all. Thank you very much, dear brother Priests, for being a reflection of Christ’s love here in Mongolia!

The commitments we priests made on the day of our ordination are not light, as you will hear from the questions I will shortly ask: celibacy for the Kingdom, moderation, obedience to the bishop… To be faithful, we need your understanding and your prayers. So, it is we priests who say to you: THANK YOU! Thank you for supporting us with all our limitations; thank you for discerning Christ’s presence in us and for overcoming, with your kindness, the obvious limitations that characterize us; thank you for educating your children in the school of the Gospel, so that some of them may also discover their priestly vocation; thank you for the prayers with which you support us and the material assistance you never fail to provide. May Christ, the one High Priest, reward you for this love and grant His Church in Mongolia the priests He desires. Amen.

*Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar

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