Below is the transcribed homily of Most Rev. Nicholas DiMarzio, of the Diocese of Brooklyn, of the Chrism Mass, after which was made the Consecration of the diocese to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The event took place at June 19, 2020 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.
See also the article on the Mass and consecration, the Act of Consecration, and photos of the event.
Tonight, as we come to celebrate this Mass of Chrism, not during Holy Week, but on this Feast of the Sacred Heart, it’s appropriate, however, that we do it, on this day. We come to bless the oils used in the sacramental life of the Church, and it is from the wounded side of Christ that the Church is born and the sacraments have become available to us. The early fathers of the Church, especially Saint Ephrem and Saint John Chrysostom told us very early in the life of the Church that what the issue was that the Blood of the Eucharist came from the water from Christ’s side.
And so, it is truly appropriate tonight that we celebrate this Mass of Chrism on this beautiful feast day. At the Mass of Chrism, we consecrate, which means we set apart and bless oils to be used in the administration of the Sacraments, especially Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick and Holy Orders. Yes, all of these blessings remind us of the work that we do as Church, as clergy and laity. Put together, we form the Body of Christ, which makes Christ present in the world.
Saint John Vianney once said that the priesthood is nothing but the love of the heart of Christ. This simple definition of priesthood is what we celebrate tonight as we come more so to renew our commitment. It is we priests who have the responsibility of making the love of the heart of Christ present to those whom we serve. Tonight, at the end of this Mass, we will we consecrate the Diocese of Brooklyn to the Sacred Heart.
On this 100th anniversary of the canonization of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom the Sacred Heart appeared and made those wonderful promises. The consecration to the Sacred Heart reminds us that we know the love of God, that the Father has given us in Jesus, his Son. The Son who died and rose for us. We also recognize that we must still make reparation for our sins and the sins of others because God’s love is offended by sin, when we turn away from God.
It is so important tonight that we recognize that it is also this day of sanctification for priests established many years ago by Saint John Paul II. We know how difficult it has been for us in the last years to deal with our lives as priests when we recognize that some of our own ranks have sinned and destroyed the lives of many. How can we make reparation for our own sins and the sins of others, especially now that we struggle to overcome a new heritage which is ours now because the Church has not dealt properly or in some ways ignored this horrible situation. There is no other way to repair damage done by those who have marred the priesthood than by showing ourselves to be truly lovers of God and of humankind.
Reparation is never an easy thing to do. People wonder, how can I make reparation for the sins of others? Well, I think during these three months that we’ve endured COVID-19, the months that we were not able to celebrate liturgy publicly, the months where we mourn for those who died in a very different way, a time of suffering personally for almost all of us, the time of being closed for almost three months. All of that suffering is something we can offer back to the Lord, even though it is past, it is still present to God, who is eternal.
Love is the spirit of Jesus. It is the indistinguishable love of the Trinity. Who is God? What exchange can we give for these gifts of love that we have received except love itself, the love we have received by the gift of our priesthood? Only love can repay love. And we must mirror the love that we have already received. Saint Margaret Mary, the great apostle of the Sacred Heart, to whom Jesus revealed himself, wrote these words:
“There must be no longer anything of ourselves, but this divine Heart of Jesus must take the place of our own so completely that our Lord alone will live and act within us. Our own will must be taken up by His, that He may be able to act in us without any resistance whatsoever.”
Tonight, as we consecrate the Diocese of Brooklyn, here in Queens and Brooklyn, and ourselves to the Sacred Heart, we ask for that grace, that Jesus take us over, that our will become His own. And that is our special request tonight.
As priests, we have been conformed to Christ by our ordination. There was a real change in who we were. You might say our nature became something different. Yes, we are no longer ourselves, but we belong to God in a special way. But there has not been a change in the will. The world is free. We can still sin. We can still negate the love of God.
And the sanctification is a work yet to be completed in each one of us. No matter who we are – bishops, priests, deacons, laity, religious. That work is never finished until we have our last breath. It is the work that we cannot do alone. It’s rather the work that we do in the Communion of the Saints in union with our people, in union with our brothers and sisters. Tonight, as we gather, we normally would have a good representation of the priests, deacons, seminarians, religious and laity of the diocese.
Tonight, the Church is rather empty. And yet tonight you join us by the miracle of television. And yet we see that gathered here. We have representatives of all the groups. We have yet begun to have our public Masses as was announced. We begin with the weekday Masses on the 22nd and then hopefully in the first week of July with the public Masses. We are waiting that time. It has been difficult and slowly but surely, we will return to the full schedule that we can make possible to everyone.
We are entering a new phase, I think, in the life of the Church. Some have called that the new evangelization. Yes, we must learn how to deal with the hurt in the mourning of many people. We have learned to improvise. The virtual Masses on the Internet and on television have been a consolation to us. Perhaps they point to the future of what methods we can use to make sure the love of Christ is shared with many more people.
In speaking with one of our seminarians, I called each one of them to have our interview since we could not have it in person. One of them told me he saw a cartoon and in this cartoon, the devil approaches God and says, “I have succeeded in closing all the Churches.” And God responds, “But I have opened one in every home.” I believe that this certainly is true. I don’t think people have prayed more at home than during this time.
The spirit of prayer and devotion entered into each home in a different way. Perhaps it is the Sacred Heart of Jesus who asked to be honored in every home with his picture to remind us that His love should be the centerpiece of each Catholic family, the domestic Church. Tonight, as we bless these oils, we
And so we ask the Lord for the graces we need for this new evangelization to reassess our approach, to learn new ways, new methods that can help people return to, maybe, a new normal. And we may be able to constantly show the love of God to each one of them. And so tonight, we thank you for your presence virtually, and really. We come as the people of God asking God’s help, that the sacraments that make us Church will continue in our midst.
See also the article on the Mass and consecration, the Act of Consecration, and photos of the event.