“It is our mission as Christians to be servants of Christ the liberator,” Collins said. “We ourselves have been liberated by Christ and we’ve been sent on a mission to others.”

To carry out the mission, Christians need integrity, clarity and effectiveness, and they need to recognize the kinds of oppression that are all around. Physical oppression, spiritual oppression and intellectual oppression are often made invisible by a culture that is satisfied with the way things are.

Intellectual oppression in our time is the result of a “secular fog,” said the Cardinal. People are enslaved by ideas “that at first seem attractive but on further examination they make no sense,” he said.

When people argue that euthanasia is the logical and compassionate answer to suffering they fail to translate the Greek origins of the word. Euthanasia means “happy death.”

“No it’s not,” said Collins. “They’re not thinking clearly. It’s a little bit of the heart but not much in the head. You’ve got to think clearly.”

The muddled thinking of secular culture is the reason for what Collins called the “fourth pillar of our pastoral plan.” The plan released more than a year ago calls for Toronto Catholics — priests and parishioners — to dedicate themselves to evangelization.

Collins referred to Confession and Reconciliation as “this great sacrament of freedom” and reminded priests it is their privilege to be ministers of the sacrament.

“People come to us burdened by sin and we offer them to Christ the liberator,” he said.

The annual Holy Week Chrism Mass which blesses the year’s supply of oil for anointing is always an occasion to celebrate priesthood and gather the priests of the diocese together because the oil plays an important part in the sacrament of Holy Orders. Chrism oil is also necessary for the sacrament of Confirmation.

Collins also used the occasion to officially acknowledge the six Toronto priests who were named chaplains to the Holy Father this year, conferring the title of monsignor.