This is a very ancient ceremony which has its roots in the Old Testament. In the Book of Exodus chapter 24, we find Moses consecrating the altar as well as the entire people to God. The consecration of the altar takes place using the Oil of Chrism. This Oil was blessed by me as the Bishop of the Diocese during the Mass of the Oils which took place on the Monday of Holy Week. During that Mass, I blessed the Oil of Chrism, the Oil of the Catechumenate and the Oil of the Sick which were in turn taken to every parish in the diocese to make us understand that we are all one family in our journey to God. Oil has been used by the church for a particular reason. Oil is a symbol of strength and of healing and when we bless something or someone with oil we are saying that this person or this object belongs totally to our God. As a result we all become a source of great blessing and healing to others.
The consecration of an altar or of a church is done by the bishop. There is a very specific and important reason for this. As the bishop. I do not only represent all the people who are in the Diocese of Sandhurst. I am also the central link with the whole church all over the world. Moreover, this link is not only with the church that is alive and active today but with the church as it has lived and existed over the past two thousand years. This prayer of consecration that I will be making today has the backing and the support of all those holy men and women who have gone before us. This is an awesome prayer, which makes us realise how vital it is to gather regularly in our parish church around the Eucharist to be constantly nourished by our living God in order to be able to serve others.
The parish of St Joseph's Benalla does not stand on its own. It is part and parcel of all the other parishes in our Diocese as well as of the whole world wide church. This is also the reason why we put some relics of the saints within the consecrated altar. At the start of the Mass, we priests kiss the altar to acknowledge the special nature of the altar as something dedicated exclusively to God and to give honour to the remains of the saints that are imbedded in the altar. The relics remind us that we are following an amazing number of witnesses who were even prepared to die for what you and I believe today. These relics remind us that we are also called to do whatever is necessary so that the message of our God will continue to be proclaimed and practiced boldly and passionately.
Today I am putting in this altar the relics of St Timothy Martyr and St Justin Martyr. St Timothy died in the year 311. This holy man went from Antioch to Rome to continue preaching and teaching about Jesus Christ. He was beheaded by the Roman Emperor because of his Catholic faith. St Justin was a lay person. He was born in Nablus, Palestine which is part of the famous West Bank that we often hear about today. At the age of 30, he became a Christian and travelled widely defending and proclaiming our Christian faith. He eventually ended up in Rome, where he suffered martyrdom together with other Christians. He is the first lay person to serve as a great teacher of our faith.
We still have an authentic account of Justin's martyrdom. The Prefect Rusticus says: "No one in his right mind gives up piety for impiety. The Prefect Rusticus says "If you do not obey, you will be tortured without mercy. Justin replies : That is our desire, to be tortured for Our Lord Jesus Christ, and so to be saved, for that will give us salvation and firm confidence at the more terrible universal tribunal of Our Lord and Saviour. And all the martyrs said, Do as you wish; for we are Christians, and we do not sacrifice to idol. The Prefect Rusticus read the sentence - Those who do not wish to sacrifice to the Gods and to obey the emperor will be scourged and beheaded according to the law. The holy martyrs glorifying God betook themselves to the customary place, where they were beheaded and consummated their martyrdom confessing their Saviour.
As a parish community you can gain amazing strength and hope by coming together regularly around our God and in the company of such martyrs as St Timothy and St Justin. Strengthened by the Eucharist we are then sent out to be of service for others, to nourish others and to serve others. Taking the cue from today's gospel. Each of us is capable of praying for healing with others because we have eyes that can see, ears that can hear, tongues that can speak, hands that can touch and above all a heart that can love.
God bless.
