On Holy Thursday, I’ll have a couple of rare privileges in my still-new diaconate life.

In the morning, I will join the other clergy at the annual Chrism Mass at our cathedral, and serve as deacon on the altar beside the bishop.

Then, in the evening, I will preach the homily at the Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper, at my parish in Queens.
(If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by. It’s a gorgeous mass, and a gorgeous church.)

Both these events are among the most beautiful and moving liturgies in all of Catholicism. One celebrates the institution of the priesthood; the other, the institution of the Eucharist. The evening mass concludes with the repositioning of the Blessed Sacrament, after a procession throughout the church, to a side altar, to the haunting strains of “Tantum Ergo.”

The Chrism Mass is a bit more obscure to many people — perhaps because in our diocese, it happens during the day, when most people are at work. But a priest at Young Fogeys has described his experience of the Chrism Mass in his diocese, which was celebrated Monday night:

During the Chrism Mass, the Priests recommit themselves to the promises they made on their ordination days, whether it was recently (like my diocese’s Fr. Bede Kim, who was ordained last year) or decades ago (like Msgr. John Torney of my diocese, ordained in 1939).

A while back on this blog, I reflected on my ninth anniversary of ordination. As I approach my tenth year (certainly acknowledging there are plenty of guys who have been ordained longer than I) I was surprised how that moment of Mass hit me last night. Being there in the cathedral in which I was ordained, standing about 10 yards from where I stood on that day, I couldn’t help but go back to that day in 1998. I looked at the face of the man who’ll be ordained a Priest in a few months; he had a smile on his face throughout Mass and even his voice in proclaiming the Gospel (he was Deacon of the Word last night) had joy and happiness in it. I saw the seminarians of our diocese. For the first time in a while, we actually have more seminarians than jobs for servers at Mass, so the extras sat together on the side of the sanctuary. I used to be one of them, full of zeal and energy, simply enjoying being there at the Chrism Mass. I’d bet none of them moaned about going.

It’s a wise thing the Church does, having Priests come together once a year to remember their ordination. It’s wise because every Priest is human, and every human being has memories that get triggered by senses. So, bring us back to the place, and we’ll remember the joy, hope, and zeal we had on the day we said “yes” to God.

I’ll be there, saying “yes” again tomorrow morning; deacons also renew their promises to the bishop at the same time as the priests. And the beauty and mystery and blessing of this vocation will be made miraculously new.

Also: you can also find a very good write-up of all things Chrism-y over at Rocco’s joint.