More than 70 priests gathered at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh last night for the annual Chrism Mass.

The Chrism Mass is where the bishop consecrates the sacred chrism (a mixture of olive oil and balsam) and blesses the other holy oils (oil of catechumens and oil of the sick). 

These oils are then taken home by priests and appointed parish volunteers for use in the parish over the year.

The Chrism Mass is a sign of the close bond between the bishop and the priests of the diocese, and priests renew their commitment to their ministry. 

In his Homily, Archbishop Cushley said: "As the clergy renew their promises this evening...may we who already have the gift of the Spirit learn again to let the living Lord speak to us in the depths of our hearts; and, encouraged and strengthened by that indwelling gift, may we in our turn give the warmest of welcomes to those joining us this Easter."

Homily of Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews & Edinburgh, Chrism Mass, 15 April 2025, St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Edinburgh  

My dear brother deacons and priests, dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

A very warm welcome to our Chrism Mass in this Jubilee Year, dedicated by the Holy Father to the theme of hope.

This celebration not only distinguishes us in our various services to each other, it also gathers us in unity around our High Priest, Jesus Christ.

We have all been anointed, we all share the same Spirit, we have all been called, ultimately, to the same dignity, that is, Life with Christ.

We take our different places, as St Paul says, in Christ’s Mystical Body, but always with a view to the same end, the same good, the same purpose: union with Christ, and its essential corollary, union with each other.

And union with each other is no mere optional extra.  Christianity is not a private relationship.

The sign of peace that we offer each other, during Mass, is no mere handshake or peck on the cheek.

The Spirit is at hand in each one of us, to comfort and encourage, and to strengthen hearts and limbs that are weary.

It is a sign of communion with Christ and with each other, a modest token to be sure, but the sign of an eternal and solemn pledge of love, of loyalty, and of union with all present as we gather in the Spirit around our living Lord Jesus Christ.

The Spirit that we receive then, especially in the Sacrament of Confirmation, is like the mortar that builds us poor, small, living stones into a great spiritual house, fit for the Most High God to dwell in.

That loyalty towards each other often goes unremarked, unsaid, until tests of it come along, and of course, tests do come, sometimes from within and sometimes from without.  They come in the form of words and gestures and actions, intended or not.

They come in scandal that dismays us, they wound a pride or self-regard that is never far from the surface.

Then our love and loyalty can be tested bitterly, but at such times, we need to remember that the Spirit, which was poured so generously into our hearts, is not a distant souvenir of an event long past; the Spirit is alive and active among us.

It is a Spirit of comfort, of healing, of gladness; it is a Spirit that brings good news, and a joy to be shared by the whole people.

The Spirit is at hand in each one of us, to comfort and encourage, and to strengthen hearts and limbs that are weary.

If only we would learn to be still again before the Lord, to be trusting, humble and open in His presence, and to listen to the Spirit that is within us, ready to refresh, console and inspire us anew.

As we hear today, in a passage from Isaiah, sought out and read to us by the Lord Himself as he stands in the synagogue in Nazareth, the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, today, here and now.  It is a Spirit of comfort, of healing, of gladness; it is a Spirit that brings good news, and a joy to be shared by the whole people.

This year is a Holy Year, and so it is also a time of liberty from the bonds of sin and sadness, as the Holy Father has emphasised, a Jubilee Year dedicated to hope.

We see deeply troubling events unfolding in the world in these days, and we must wonder sometimes what there is to be hopeful about, but the Lord is still at hand to assist us.

Men and women of goodwill, inside the Church and outside it, still work to identify the common good, and having identified it, to pursue it and to promote it.

The bullies, and the powerful will one day reap their just desserts.

And the just will receive the reward of their patience and their labours and their goodness.

This is the message of this jubilee year, and it is the message of our Chrism Mass texts.

The spirit of the Lord has come abundantly upon our Lord Jesus, as he has shared that same Spirit with all of us here today.

As the clergy renew their promises this evening, and as the whole diocese prepares to welcome hundreds of new Catholics into the Church this Easter Vigil, many of them young adults, may we who already have the gift of the Spirit learn again to let the living Lord speak to us in the depths of our hearts; and, encouraged and strengthened by that indwelling gift, may we in our turn give the warmest of welcomes to those joining us this Easter.

Thank you for listening, and may God bless all your preparations for the Triduum!