AFTER
the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, the Church possesses nothing more sacred than
the Holy Oils used in the administration of certain of the sacraments and in
certain other functions of religion. It must, therefore, prove interesting and instructive
to treat of the Holy Oils; for whether they are used in elevating a bishop or a
priest to his sacred dignity, in consecrating an altar, a chalice, or a bell,
or in blessing a baptismal font, they always conduce either directly or
indirectly to the spiritual benefit of the individual Christian. Yet here, as with
regard to the Missal, the Ritual, and the Breviary, the opportunities afforded
the people for obtaining full and accurate information are limited.
It
is to be remarked that wherever the word oil is used in the Sacred Scriptures,
the Fathers, or the liturgy of the Church, olive oil is meant. It is pre-eminently oil The olive and the cedar were the most important trees of the East, and the
inhabitants of those countries being an imaginative people, both of these trees
were extensively used in supplying writers and speakers with rhetorical
figures. A glance at the Scriptures will be sufficient to establish this fact.
The latter tree was the symbol of majesty and strength; the former, of
fecundity, utility, beauty, and perennial life. The first symbolical use of the
olive in sacred history was that of the branch brought to Noe by the dove, as
the emblem of peace, after the waters of the deluge had subsided; and from that
time the olive branch has been regarded in art and literature as the emblem of
peace, as the palm has been of victory. The time of pressing oil as well as
wine was a season of festivity among the Orientals. The natural uses of oil, in
contradistinction to its mystical uses, are: for food, for light, medicine, and for anointing, with a view of increasing beauty or strength. Of
the first three uses nothing need be said ; they are known and admitted by all
; the last named, too, is almost as well known. Not only those who wished to
improve their appearance used oil upon their hair, to which Our Saviour alludes
when He says, '' When thou fastest, anoint thy head, but the athletes of
classic times anointed their bodies to strengthen them for the contests in
which they were to engage.
In the mystic sense, oil is the symbol of grace and
charity, of mercy and alms, of spiritual consolation and joy. ' But how it may
be asked, did oil come to have a mystic signification? The answer to this
question is more important and necessary as we live in a material age when all things are judged by the testimony of the senses. We of this age, and
especially of the Western World, are not naturally so imaginative as the
Orientals, and, as a consequence, the mystic signification of anything will not
be so likely to impress us, even if brought to our notice, as it would them;
while we would seldom dream of seeking a mystic signification, although it
would be their first study. It was natural for the early Christians to attach symbolic meanings to many of the sacred functions of religion, and this for
three reasons. In the first place, it was in harmony with the genius of the
people themselves ; again, it was taught them by the example of those of the
Jewish Dispensation whom they regarded as their fathers both in the flesh and
in the faith ; and, finally, it was in a measure necessary, since they worshiped an invisible God, in whose service they were constrained to make
use of visible creatures to aid them in giving expression to their faith and
devotion. They recognized the work of the hand of God in the visible world, and
learned from it to make use of that creation to express their homage and to
solicit His aid. The Church, then, adopted mystic significations both on
account of their appropriateness and from necessity ; and she could not have
found in all creation anything better calculated than oil, by its nature and
its various uses, to become a symbolical exponent of her feelings and desires.
The
first person who used oil in the worship of God of which any record is
preserved was Jacob, who, when he was fleeing into Mesopotamia from his brother
Esau, as related in the 29th chapter of the book of Genesis, slept one night in
the open air, and was favoured by God with the vision of a ladder reaching from
earth to heaven, upon which angels were ascending and descending, while the
Almighty rested on the top. Filled with a holy fear, on awakening he set up the
stone upon which his head had rested during the night and poured oil upon it as
a memorial of the vision with which he had been favoured. When the Mosaic law
was promulgated, the use of oil was prescribed for the fourfold purpose of anointing
priests, prophets, and kings, and the sacred vessels and vestments used in the
service of religion. The 29th chapter of the book of Exodus prescribes the
manner in which Aaron and his sons, their vestments, the altar of incense and
holocausts, and the sacred vessels were to be consecrated. Numerous passages of
the Old Testament show that oil was used in the consecration of kings, who were
common said to be ''anointed" kings. And that it was used in setting aside
persons for the prophetic office is seen from III. Kings, xix. 16, not to
mention other passages.
The
only places in which the use of oil for religious purposes is mentioned in the
New Testament are in the Gospel of St. Mark and the Epistle of St. James. The
former relates how Our Saviour sent His apostles two and two throughout Judea
and Galilee to teach the people and to heal the sick ; and it is said of them
that they anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them." This
anointing was not, however, the administration of a sacrament, both because the
sacraments were not as yet instituted, and also because the apostles were not
then priests, and priests only can administer the sacrament of Extreme Unction
; but, as the Council of Trent teaches, the ceremony performed by them foreshadowed
that sacrament. The reference to oil in the administration of the sacrament of
Extreme Unction made by St. James (v. 14) is the only one found in the
Scriptures of its use in connection with the ritual of the New Law. It is not
the intention to enter in this place into an inquiry as to the early use of oil
in the various rites and sacraments in which it is now employed, nor when or
how it came to be so used, but rather to take it as we find it, and, after speaking
of the way in which it is consecrated and kept, to treat of its present uses,
and the lessons they are calculated to teach us.
Three kinds of oil are used in
the ritual of the Church; or, to speak more correctly, there is only one kind,
but it is blessed for three different purposes, and is called in the language
of the Church by three different names :
↷ the Oil of Catechumens,
↷ Holy Chrism,
↷ and the Oil of the Sick.
↷ The first of these, which is simply olive oil, derives
its name from its being used principally in the ceremony of baptism to anoint
the catechumens — that is, those who are undergoing instruction preparatory to being
baptized — before the infusion of water changes them from catechumens to
Christians.
↷ The second is composed of a mixture of olive oil and balsam, or balm,
and derives its name from its being used to anoint ; chrism being derived from
the Greek word Chrisma, which means anything smeared or spread on. Mystically
it signifies the fullness of grace ; and our divine Saviour, being anointed
Priest, Prophet, and King, is by pre-eminence the Anointed, and hence His name
Christ. ' The balsam used in Holy Chrism is a kind of odoriferous resin which exudes
from a tree that grows in Judea and Arabia. This species was always used in the
West till the sixteenth century, when Popes Paul HI. and Pius IV. permitted the
use of a better kind brought from the West Indies.
↷ The Oil of the Sick is so
named for its principal use being to anoint the sick in the sacrament of
Extreme Unction.
 |
| A bishop pouring balsam into oil at Chrism Mass |
About the time when the oils are consecrated and the
person by whom the solemn ceremony is performed, it is to be remarked that they
are consecrated by bishops only and that the ceremony takes place during Mass
on Holy Thursday. The consecration of the oils during the Mass dates from the
earliest times, and St. Basil attributes the origin of it to apostolic tradition. In the Western, or Latin, Church it was always performed by the bishops,
but in the Eastern Church, it was reserved to the patriarchs, who consecrated
the oils for their entire patriarchates. At first, the oils were blessed on any
day at Mass; but in a letter of Pope Leo the Great to the Emperor of the same
name, in the synod of Toledo, in the year 490, Holy Thursday was permanently
fixed as the day upon which the ceremony must take place. France did not,
however, adopt this ruling until the Council of Meaux, in 845. Barry thus
accounts for the selection of Holy Thursday as the day upon which the
consecration should take place: '' It was customary among the Jews for guests
invited to a banquet to anoint themselves with oil. From this, we may
understand why the Church consecrates her oils in the last week of Lent. Two
spiritual banquets are preparing. Many that were without the pale of truth are
to be brought into it by baptism during Easter time, and made to sit down with
the children of the household at the banquet of Christ's holy faith. The Holy
Ghost, too, is getting ready for a feast of sevenfold gifts and twelve precious
fruits of holiness. For the happy guests called to these two divine banquets
Mother Church prepares the fragrant oils of gladness wherewith they may be
anointed."
The ceremony of the blessing of the oils is very interesting
and impressive, and the time and manner are indicative of the reverence with
which the Church regards them and requires her children to treat them. Besides
the sacred ministers necessary to assist the bishop, as at every solemn
Pontifical Mass, there must be seven subdeacons, seven deacons, and twelve
priests, each clothed in the vestments of his order; or rather, as it almost
universally happens, so many of the neighboring priests vested as sub deacons,
deacons, and priests; for it is seldom that so many sub deacons and deacons are
found in any of our dioceses at the same time. In places where it is impossible
to have so large a number of the reverend clergy assist, the Holy See permits a
bishop to consecrate the oils with a smaller number. For the ceremony, a table
is placed in the sanctuary, between the foot of the altar steps and the
communion rail, with a white cover, a book stand, and several candles on
it, and with seats placed by it to face the altar. When the bishop, who must
celebrate the Holy Sacrifice himself, comes to the part of the Mass immediately
before the Pairs Nosey he leaves the altar and goes to the table, where he
seats himself with his ministers. The assistant priest then calls out in an
audible tone, in Latin, of course, '' The Oil of the Sick! " Immediately one
of the sub deacons, with an acolyte at each hand, goes to the sacristy where the
oil is and carries the vessel containing it to the bishop. The latter then reads
an exorcism and recites a prayer over it, which constitute the blessing of this
oil. It is then taken back to the sacristy in the same manner in which it was
brought ; and the Mass proceeds till the bishop has communicated and received
the ablutions. He then returns with his ministers to the table, and seats
himself; and the assistant priest calls for the other oils with the words, ''
 |
| Chrismatory for ritual oil, Silver-gilt, Erfurt, Germany, 1636 V&A Museum no. 139-1913 This chrismatory is made up of 3 compartments containing holy oils used in the Catholic Church for ritual anointing: Oleum Infirm rum used for the sick, Oleum Catechumen rum used at baptism and Charisma used for confirmation and ordination. A priest would carry a chrismatory with him when visiting a sick member of his community. |
The Oil for the Holy Chrism," and, The Oil of Catechumens. These are
brought to the bishop with greater ceremony than was the Oil of the Sick —
partly, it may be, because they are destined to serve more important purposes; and partly, perhaps, because how the Oil of the Sick is
brought and blessed, typifies the silence of death. A subdeacon with a processional
cross, an acolyte at either hand, carrying a lighted candle, and the
censer-bearer, leading the procession, are followed by the seven subdeacons, the
seven deacons, and the twelve priests, who proceed to the sacristy, where one
of the subdeacons takes the little vessel containing the balsam, while two of
the deacons take those containing the oils — the latter vessels being covered
with veils. Forming a procession they return to the sanctuary, chanting an
appropriate hymn. On arriving all take their places, except those who hold the
vessels, who stand at a convenient distance from the table, where they deliver
up the vessels as the ceremony proceeds. The bishop first blesses the balsam
with three prayers, mixing it in the meantime with some of the oil from that
which is to be, after consecration, the Holy Chrism. The bishop and, after him,
the twelve priests then breathe over the vessel of oil three times in the form
of a cross, but say nothing, while the vessel is still covered, except the top,
with the veil. This done, the bishop reads an exorcism, and then sings a very
beautiful preface, at the conclusion of which he puts into the oil the mixture
of balsam, reciting at the same time an appropriate prayer. He next sings
thrice, raising his voice a tone each time, the words Ave, Sanctum Chrisma ! —
'' Hail, Holy Chrism! ** — and kisses the lip of the vessel, in which he is
followed by the twelve priests, who go in turn to the foot of the altar,
genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament, and turning toward the vessel of oil on the
table, repeat the same words thrice, raising their voices and genuflecting to
the vessel each time. At the conclusion of this ceremony, the vessel is set
aside, its blessing being concluded, and that containing the Oil of Catechumens
is taken from the deacon and presented to the bishop.
The blessing of this oil
begins with the bishop and, after him, the twelve priests breathing on it
thrice in the form of a cross, after which the bishop reads over it an exorcism
and a prayer. He then sings thrice, as he did over the Holy Chrism, Ave,
Sanctum Oleum I — " Hail, Holy Oil ! " — and kisses the lip of the
vessel; and the same is done by the twelve priests. With this ends the
blessing of the oils, and they are taken back to the sacristy in procession as
they were brought out, with the chanting of a hymn, the bishop returning in the
meantime to the altar to finish Mass. This brief account affords but a faint
idea of the solemnity of the ceremony, and the beauty and expressiveness of the
prayers that accompany it. The holy oils must be blessed every year, audit is not
permitted to mix any of the oil of the previous year with what has been newly
consecrated. What, then, is done with it? It is burned in the sanctuary lamp,
if there is enough for that purpose; but if not, it must be burned in some
other way. As soon as possible, and generally on Holy Thursday, immediately
after the conclusion of the Mass, the clergy of the diocese, as far as
possible, procure their supply of the new oils for the ensuing year, which
they keep in three small vessels, that must be of some substantial and proper
material for the reception of so holy an article, and which must be duly marked
to prevent mistakes afterward in the use of the oils. They should be kept in a
receptacle in the wall of the sanctuary, at the side of the main altar; but if
for a sufficient reason, this cannot be done, they must be kept in some other
becoming place under lock and key, but not with the Blessed Sacrament in the
tabernacle.
Of the sacraments administered by a priest, there are two in
which the holy oils are used — Baptism and Extreme Unction. In Baptism there
are two unctions, the former of which takes place before the pouring of the
water, when the priest anoints the person with the oil of catechumens, first on
the breast and then on the back between the shoulders, saying while performing
the ceremony, '' I anoint thee with the oil of salvation in Christ Jesus Our
Lord, that thou mayest have eternal life. Amen.'' These unctions, like all the
other ceremonies of the Church, have a mystic signification, and one which
should be very interesting to us, since everyone of us has had this ceremony
performed for him, and that, too, at a time when he was incapable of receiving
an explanation of it. The baptized person, as an athlete of Jesus Christ, in
entering on the struggle for faith and piety, is anointed. '
By the anointing
on the breast the Christian is reminded that he should carry Christ in his
heart by faith, love, and the frequent remembrance of His holy presence, and,
like St. Paul, should desire to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. The anointing between the shoulders reminds him that he must be
prepared to carry the cross, according to the words of Christ : '' If anyone
will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow
Me." Another anointing takes place immediately after the pouring of the water,
and this time with holy chrism, in the form of a cross, on the top of the head.
While performing it the priest says : '' May Almighty God, the Father of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, Who has regenerated thee by water and the Holy Ghost, and
Who has granted thee the pardon of all thy sins, Himself anoint thee with the
chrism of salvation, in the same Jesus Christ Our Lord, unto life everlasting.
Amen."
Allusion is here made to the words of Our Saviour to Nicodemus :
'' Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God." ' Regarding this unction, the '' Catechism of the
Council of Trent" remarks: ** The person being now baptized, the priest
anoints with chrism the crown of his head, to give him to understand that from
that day he is united as a member to Christ, his head, and engrafted on His
body, and that therefore is he called a Christian from Christ, but Christ from
chrism." O'Kane gives the following explanation of this unction : ''
With respect to the unction with chrism after baptism, we may observe that in the
beginning the bishop was usually the minister of baptism, and he signed the
neophytes on the forehead with chrism immediately after baptizing them, so
that the chrism used by the bishop was in reality for the sacrament of
confirmation.
The vertical unction by priests was introduced, according to
Bellarmine, to supply in some way for this when the bishop was absent, and
when, consequently, confirmation could not be immediately conferred as usual.
It is said to have been instituted by Pope Sylvester L Innocent I., in a
letter regarding this matter, says that priests may anoint those whom they
baptize with chrism blessed by the bishop ; but they must not apply it to the
forehead, as this is reserved to bishops. From the '' Sacramentary" of St.
Gregory it appears that the vertical unction was applied by priests even when
the bishop was present and confirmed the neophytes immediately after. The
same may be also inferred from the '' Sacramentary" of St. Gelasius. ...
It is to be applied even by the bishop when he baptizes, though he may confer
the sacrament of Confirmation immediately after." ' Another unction
performed by a priest is in Extreme Unction, a sacrament which derives its name
from its being the last anointing the Christian receives before departing this
life. In the administration of this sacrament the priest, after the sprinkling
of holy water, with the customary prayer, recites two other prayers ; then one
of the persons present says the Confiteor, and the priest recites a third
prayer, after which he anoints each sense and the hands and feet with the oil
of the sick, in the form of a cross, pronouncing at each the prayer:
Through
this holy unction and of His most tender mercy, may the Lord pardon thee
whatsoever sins thou hast committed by (here the sense is named). Amen." So
much for the use of the oils in the administration of the sacraments. The
thoughtful and devout reader cannot but recognize the important part which they
play, whether they affect the Christian directly, as in Baptism, Confirmation,
and Extreme Unction, or indirectly, as in the consecration of a bishop and the
ordination of a priest, in Holy Orders. If we turn to their uses apart from the
sacraments, we shall find that they are only of less importance than these, but
are still of immense benefit to the faithful. I shall not pause to speak of the
use of the holy oils in the consecration of kings and queens, both because it
does not affect us, and also because in these unhappy times it is seldom or
never that rulers ascend their thrones with the solemn ceremonies prescribed
by the Church.
Foremost among the blessings of inanimate objects in which the
holy oils are used must be placed that of an altar or an altar-stone. As there
is but slight difference between these two, mention will be made only of an
altar. From the nature and dignity of the Divine Victim offered in sacrifice in
the New Law, we are prepared to expect a more solemn consecration of our altars
than of those of the Jewish Dispensation, upon which the sacrifice of animals
or of inanimate things was offered. Yet even those altars were consecrated with
great ceremony. From the beginning of the Christian era great attention was
paid to whatever related to the altar. But during the ages of persecution and
before the Christians were permitted to build churches, little attention, as a
rule, could be devoted to the material and location of altars. The faithful
were then compelled by stern necessity to do the best they could, and await
happier days. But when freedom began to be enjoyed, disciplinary laws were
enacted, and a new order of things was inaugurated.
Churches were built, generally
with the altar to the east — which is called in liturgical language the
orientation of churches, as Christ is called '' the Orient from on high' Who,
like the sun rising in the east, diffused the light of truth on those who sat
in darkness and in the shadow of death. The altar was then required to be of
stone; and if not the whole altar, at least the table of it must be of stone But
for the convenience of missionaries who had frequently to offer the holy
Sacrifice outside a church, as well as for churches too poor to afford an
entire stone altar, an altar-stone, large enough to place the chalice and host
upon, was and still is permitted. Five crosses, one near each corner and one in
the center are cut in the altar table; and in front of the one in the center is also cut a little cavity, called the ** confession " or 'sepulcher,'*
into which the relics of martyrs are placed at the time of consecration. The ceremony
of consecrating an altar is very long and is one of the functions reserved to
a bishop, or to a priest having special faculties from him. It consists of the
recitation of prayers and psalms, and the performance of ceremonies, such as
signing with the cross, sprinkling with holy water, being blessed especially for that
purpose, incensing, etc. But we are concerned only with the anointings, of
which there is a considerable number. In the course of the blessing, the bishop
anoints the interior of the four corners of the sepulcher with holy chrism,
before depositing the relics in it, repeating at each unction the words: ''
May this sepulcher be consecrated and sanctified: In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Peace be to this house.'* After the
placing of the relics in the sepulcher and the recitation of a psalm, he takes
the diminutive stone that is to cover the sepulcher, and, while signing it with
holy chrism in the form of a cross, he says : '' May this table (or stone) be
consecrated and sanctified with this unction and the blessing of God: In the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Peace be to
thee." When the cover of the sepulcher has been put in its place and cemented
there, he again signs it with holy chrism with the words: '' May this altar be
signed and sanctified: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost. Peace be to thee.'* Proceeding with the ceremony, he anoints with
the oil of catechumens the five crosses cut in the altar, repeating at each
unction the formula: '' May this stone be sanctified and consecrated: In the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, in honor of God and
of the glorious Virgin Mary, and of all the saints, to the name and memory of
St. A^. Peace be to thee." Soon the bishop anoints the same places with
the oil of catechumens in the same manner, and with the same form of words. As
the ceremony proceeds he repeats the anointings, but this time with holy
chrism, with the same ceremony and form of words as before. Having intoned an antiphon,
those in attendance recite a psalm while he pours oil of catechumens and holy
chrism on the altar, and anoints its entire surface. A number of prayers
follow, after which the bishop forms with holy chrism a cross at each corner
of the altar table, at the points where it rests on the sub-structure, as it
was joining them together; and during each unction, he repeats the words: ''In
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." With this
ends the anointings of the altar. The altar is now ready for the offering of
the Adorable Sacrifice. But vessels must also be consecrated for its use, and
this, too, by a bishop; for in them is to rest the sacred body and blood of Jesus
Christ. The ceremony of consecrating these is short. The paten, or small plate
upon which the sacred Host is placed, is first consecrated with three short
prayers, and while the bishop makes the sign of the cross on its inner surface
with holy chrism, and afterward anoints the entire inside, he repeats the words: '' Vouchsafe, O Lord God ! to consecrate and sanctify this paten by this
unction and our blessing, in Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God forever and ever. Amen." The
chalice is then consecrated with the same number of prayers and is anointed in
the interior, first in the form of a cross, and afterward in the whole interior
surface, the bishop reciting the while the same form as in the case of the
paten, only substituting the word chalice or paten. But it is not enough to
have an altar upon which sacrifice is to be offered, and the vessels necessarily its use; there should also be a means of calling the people to assist at the
holy Sacrifice, and the more so as this assisting is of obligation. Hence from
the beginning of our era, various means were employed, but all have long since
given place to bells, which will be treated in another essay. '' Unless a
man be born again of water and of the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God' "' nor, as a preliminary step to that, can he enter into
the Church, which is the kingdom of God upon the earth. But that the water by which
he is to be regenerated may be fitted for so holy a purpose, it should first
receive the blessing of the Church. For this, a very beautiful and appropriate
ceremony is arranged to be performed by priests, in every church that has a
baptismal font, on Holy Saturday and the eve of Pentecost, immediately before
Mass, because on those days the baptism of the catechumens takes place in the
primitive Church.
A shorter form of blessing, that can be performed at any
time, is arranged for the use of priests in missionary countries; but as it is
special, we shall not pause to speak of it. The blessing for the days named consists
of two short prayers and a beautiful preface, interspersed with several ceremonies; and toward the end of it, the oils are mingled with the water in
the following manner. The oil of catechumens is first poured into the water in
the form of a cross, the priest at the same time saying: "May this font be
sanctified and fructified with the oil of salvation, for those regenerated out
of it, into everlasting life.'
After this he pours in the holy chrism, also
in the form of a cross, reciting the words, " May the infusion of the
chrism of Our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Ghost the Paraclete be effected
in the name of the Most Holy Trinity." Next, taking in each hand one of
the small vessels containing the oils, he pours them together thrice into the
font in the form of a cross, saying: '' May the mingling of the chrism of
salvation and the oil of unction and the water of baptism be at the same time
effected: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost." With this ends the ceremony, and with the mining of the oils with
the water by the priest ends the blessing of the font, and the employment of
the holy oils in the functions of religion. In all these uses the reader has
seen how holy Mother Church manifests her solicitude for the spiritual welfare
of her devoted children. Whatever she does must, after the honor and glory of
God, redound to their advantage. Our gratitude to her should increase with our
increased knowledge.
Source : "The sacramentals of the holy Catholic church" - BENZIOBR BROTHERS
.