Post by jimfrompennsylvania on Mar 29, 2024 23:16:24 GMT
In my diocese on Holy Thursday they only have one Chrism Mass it is a diocesan wide event, the diocesan bishop conducts the Mass. On Holy Thursday at individual parishes in my diocese they do have a mass in the evening at generally 7:00 or 7:30 commemorating the Last Supper. I think Bishops across American do the Catholic faith a disservice not having a chrism Mass at individual parishes during the day because they miss an opportunity to make the Holy Week experience a stronger faith experience, an experience which deepens and makes more impactful one's faith in Christ. Beginning on Palm Sunday the Holy Week and the experience of what it means begins and every day during the day for the entire week up until Thursday that experience grows as there is a Mass each and in each such Mass there is a stark emphasis on the event which is going to take place Thursday night and Friday. Then on Thursday there is this lull there is this break in the emotional and spiritual experience of Holy Week until Thursday evening until the Last Supper Mass. Sure there is prayer events on Thursday during the day but they aren't the same thing as a Mass where one in a way relives the last supper and the Lord Jesus sacrifice on calvary and his death through crucifixion and the eucharist is created and received by attendees. I just think Bishops across America miss an opportunity to make the Holy Week experience better for Catholics in their decision of not having a mass during the day on Holy Thursday at individual parishes. Bishops should have Chrism Masses at individual parishes this day, I am not an expert at Chrism Masses it may be the case that the three oils made during that Mass can only be made by the diocesan Bishop; in that case then have the individual parish chrism masses be a recognition of the Holy Oils and their value and a thanksgiving Mass for such oils from God. A critique might say well laity in individual parishes if they want to go to a Mass during the day on Holy Thursday can go to the diocesan wide chrism Mass; that is not realistic besides the travel challenge that lies this Mass cannot hold that many people and at the chrism Mass you have a huge number of Parish priests which come because the Mass focuses on their priesthood which makes for less room at the chrism Mass for laity. One aside note should be the high attendance of parish Priests at such Chrism Masses; Bishops across America really aren't being fully prudent conducting such diocesan Chrism Masses with a concentration of clergy attending considering the evil in the world specifically the evil of terrorism. It is not unforeseeable a terrorist act taking place at one of these diocesan wide chrism Masses held across America and with generally a hundred plus priests at each of these diocesan wide Masses across America one could see a couple of dozen priests killed in a terrorist attack. If such occurred how many hundreds of souls would be lost to hell with the death of such a number of priests if one considers how many souls an individual priest saves from this fate through the sacraments of confession and anointing of the sick across an individual priests administers during his life-time! The U.S. Bishops Conference should study this issue of Dioceses across America having only one diocesan wide Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday; the Bishops need to ask themselves is that good shepherding of the lay faithful in their diocese, If Jesus was the Bishop of their diocese would he carry on that practice?