Together on the Journey:
A Weekly Blog 

Every year, on the Tuesday in Holy Week, I make my way down to St. James Cathedral along with every other clergy person in the Diocese of Toronto. We gather every year, on Holy Tuesday, for a service with a very long name: The Holy Eucharist and Blessing of Oils and the Reaffirmation of Ordination Vows of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. It’s more commonly referred to simply as the Chrism mass.

And it’s a beautiful service. A service where we reaffirm those promises made at our ordination and witness the blessing of oils that we use at baptism and in healing ministry. We even get a chance to be anointed for healing ourselves. After the service, we take our empty oil jars to two long tables covered in paper to replenish our supply of oils we use in our churches.

And as much as this service is beautiful and moving, every year I think the same thing: why on earth does this service take place during Holy Week?

I don’t think it’s a secret that Holy Week for clergy is kinda busy. Certainly it would make more sense for this service to be scheduled . . . well . . . any other week of the year. Why add any extra thing to an already intensely busy week?

But then I remember that this service is not just about the actual service, but about the community as well. When the service ends, it’s difficult to leave the cathedral because there are so many people to say hi to and catch up with. Afterwards, it’s customary to meet your clergy friends for lunch, and every restaurant within about a 1 km radius of the cathedral is booked up.

So perhaps the Chrism mass is more than just a moving service, it’s a chance to pause in the midst of busyness and reconnect with friends and colleagues. It’s a chance to practice what we preach: the importance of rest and not rushing through Holy Week.

And so as you move through Holy Week, I invite you to consider where you may pause, take a breath, and slow down. Maybe taking some time to reconnect with some friends may be the perfect thing, or maybe taking some time to yourself. Whatever it is that you need, take some time to do it this week, because Easter Sunday will come soon enough, but for now, we pause.

– Jess