Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Chrism Mass 2025
15 April 2025
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Members of the Diocese of Broken Bay,
Faithful of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross,
Peace be with you: and may hope in Jesus Christ rise in your hearts.
As we gather in this cathedral church during the Holy Year of Hope, our Chrism Mass takes on a deeply powerful significance. It is here that the oils of the Church are blessed, and the Sacred Chrism consecrated, signs of healing, joy, strength, and consecration. It is also here that we, the priestly people of God, renew our mission. And today, that mission is one of hope.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…”
The Prophet Isaiah speaks with powerful poetry: “He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives…” These are not the dreams of an idealist; they are the concrete promises of God to a people who needed hope.
These same words were spoken by Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth, and they were fulfilled in him. The Spirit of the Lord anoints the Christ, and because we are His Body, the Holy Spirit anoints us too.
In this year dedicated to hope, it is Jesus himself who becomes our hope, hope incarnate, hope made visible, hope risen from the tomb. And this hope is not passive. It moves outward. It heals wounds. It lifts the fallen. It announces a new beginning even in the shadow of death.
Saint John, in the Book of the Apocalypse, describes Jesus as “the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth.” And then he says something astonishing: He made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father.
My sisters and brothers, this Chrism Mass proclaims the reality of the priesthood in the Church at two beautiful levels.
First, the common priesthood of all the baptized: your priesthood. Every one of you, by virtue of your baptism and confirmation, is called to offer your lives as spiritual sacrifices: through holy living, through active charity, through self-denial and love. This is not reserved for an elite. It is your vocation as the People of God.
Second, the ministerial priesthood, shared by those of us called to serve through the ordained ministry.
Today, I thank God for my brother priests; those of Broken Bay and the Personal Ordinariate. Through the laying on of hands, you have been consecrated to lead the people in worship, to proclaim the Gospel with truth and compassion, and to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice in the person of Jesus Christ. You make present among us the faithful Shepherd who never abandons His flock.
And so, this Chrism Mass is not just a ceremony of oil and ritual, it is a celebration of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, flowing through every member of His Body, and especially through those who stand in his name at the altar.
This year, marked as a Holy Year of Hope, invites us to ask: Where do we place our hope? Is it in the shifting sands of politics? In our plans and ambitions? In our own strength?
Our Scriptures today answer clearly.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ. Not because he makes life easy, but because Jesus transforms it. Because he has loved us, freed us from our sins by His blood, and made us priests serving His God and Father.
Real hope, my dear people, is not optimism, it is endurance. It is trust. It is the choice to believe that even when the night is long, the morning will come, because He is risen.
But how do we make hope real, especially when life feels heavy or uncertain?
Let me offer three ways for our consideration:
1. Be People of Encouragement
A hopeful heart lifts others. Speak words that build up. Write the letter. Make the call. Look for the lonely person in your parish, in your community, in your street. Say to them, “God is with you.” Because God is.
2. Choose Forgiveness
Nothing saps hope more than resentment. Let go of what you’re holding on to. Forgive, even if it is hard. Jesus did not rise from the dead so we could stay stuck in past wounds.
3. Return to the Eucharist
The Mass is the heartbeat of our hope. In the Eucharist, Christ offers us again and again the assurance that we are never alone, and that the journey of faith leads not to despair but to glory.
To my brother priests: Thank you. You bear the weight of many souls and walk roads that few understand. But you do not walk alone. Christ walks with you. I walk with you. And the Church loves you. Be faithful. Be joyful. And above all, be men of hope. The world needs your witness.
To the faithful of Broken Bay and the Ordinariate: Live your priesthood. Offer your lives in love. Your daily sacrifices are sacred. Your prayer matters. Your witness speaks loudly in a world that longs for meaning.
Together, as one Church, we proclaim that hope in Jesus Christ does not disappoint. And we will not keep silent, because the Spirit of the Lord is upon us.
May the oil of gladness fill our hearts.
May the Spirit of God renew our strength.
And may our lives reveal the beauty of God’s grace and the power of His glory. Amen.