The Use of Oils in Sacraments
'Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…'; Many of the sacraments that are celebrated today involve the use of oil. Baptism and confirmation are the two principle sacraments involving oils. In the Church liturgies, the actual significance of oil is often not known (or at least not fully) to the members of the parish faith community. This paper will examine the meaning of oil, the sacraments in which it is used, and prayers associated with it.
There are three oils that are used in various sacraments: Chrism, Oil of Infirm, and the Oil of the Sick. The three oils are all equally important; however, an emphasis of sorts has been placed on the Sacred Chrism and the Oil of Infirm.
The first sacrament, which will be examined, is baptism. The sacrament of baptism is most commonly associated with newborn children. The newborns (or adults) are new members of the Church, and new members of the Body of Christ. As with any sacrament, there is a standard procedure to follow when the sacrament is administered. Oil is not introduced in the Rite of Baptism until after the general intercessions, '…to introduce either the anointing with the oil of catechumens, or the laying on of hands.'; The oil is one of the most significant items used in the celebration of the Rite. Jesus, himself, particularly encouraged children to be baptized, 'Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.';
During the time of Jesus, oil was used primarily used to show royalty; at this point in time, kings were the only 'anointed ones'. 'The completion of the sacrament consists, first, of the anointing with chrism, which signifies the royal priesthood of the baptized and enrollment into the company of the people of God…'; . Clearly, Chrism has a very powerful meaning in the celebration of baptism. Two thousand years ago, the Chrism was a sign of royalty and the tradition has carried on to today, where the 'royalty' are still anointed.
The Church encourages that baptism be celebrated before the entire faith community. Baptisms usually take place during the Sunday liturgy. During the actual anointing of the candidates the celebrant says: 'we anoint you with the oil of salvation in the name of Christ ...
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...me form of anointing. The anointing is always to fortify the recipient. Anointing also solidifies the body and soul, which are temples of the Holy Spirit.
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Sacramentary -- B, Prayer of Exorcism and Anointing Before Baptism, 50
Sacramentary - Rite of Confirmation Within the Mass, The Anointing With Chrism, 27
Sacramentary - Ordination of a Priest, Anointing of Hands, 24
Sacramentary - Anointing Outside the Mass, Anointing, 124
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...the people. Today’s believers are set apart by spiritual birth to be priests in order to minister atonement to others. 1 Petrus 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (NIV). As the priests were consecrated by putting blood on their ears, their right hand thumbs, and their right feet great toes, so we as believers are consecrated to render service with our hands, to hear the voice of God, and to walk a holy life. The oil that was poured on the priests and their garments indicate that we as believers should be daily filled with the Holy Spirit.
“In baptism every Christian has enough to study and to practice all his life. He always has enough to do to believe firmly what Baptism promises and brings – victory over death and the devil, forgiveness of sin, God’s grace, the entire Christ, and the Holy Spirit with his gifts. In short the blessings of Baptism are so boundless that if timid nature considers them, it may well doubt whether they could all be true.”
The Eucharist is an important sacrament found among many denominations of Christianity. A sacrament is a religious rite; sacramental practices vary throughout Christianity. Catholicism recognizes the seven sacraments of baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, ordination, and matrimony. The Eucharist is a source of endless debate for the Christian faith; its history is complex and has evolved over the centuries. The Roman Catholic Church’s perspective on this religious ritual differs significantly from other offshoots of Christianity.
Sextus Pomponius – Enchiridium, 2nd century AD – partly preserved in the Digest of Justinian: Alan Watson, The Digest of Justinian, Volume 1, University of Pennsylvania Press (2011)
One of the most controversial topics in Christianity is sacraments. Scholars define the word “sacrament” many ways. A common definition is that a sacrament is an outward, visible sign of an inward, spiritual reality. It would be inaccurate to say that a sacrament is just a sign. It should be viewed as an encounter or something that brings something else about. In other words, a sacrament is something that points beyond itself and has meaning in a spiritual sense. Sacraments compile a range of imagery which all have deeper meanings than meet the eye. It is not just a ritual enactment of something else going on; it has objective order.
The Blessing and Invocation of God over Baptismal Water evokes the history of baptism. The sacred scripture of the Bible is the etymology of the prayer, as it accentuates the purpose; it illustrates the new birth and death the newly baptized are involved in. The prayer is structured in stanzas of four sections. The first section makes reference to God’s power and amplifies the faithful’s gratitude to God’s grace that is received, the second section relates to the Old Testament and portrays the power and role of water that baptised and immersed the evil to reveal the virtuous
distinguish themselves from those who are not baptized; but is also a signal which points to the act of regeneration encompassing being born anew. In addition, the baptism of children is
Reading the Bible takes time and patience. Understanding the meaning of the stories can make the Bible more interesting to read. The baptism of Jesus is one such story that may seem small, but it has a deeper meaning to it that sheds some light on Jesus’s mission. The baptism of Jesus is recorded or indicated in all four gospels of the New Testament. It was specifically mentioned in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, and John 1:24-34. All the gospels give different accounts of how the baptism took place. True to their name, the Synoptic Gospels have stories that are almost similar, but the Gospel of John has its own unique story. Understanding the different accounts of the baptism is crucial to understanding the significance of why Jesus was baptized and by whom.
Baptism, one of the most prevalent signs of Christian faith, has, for a long time, been a highly debated topic within the community of the body of believers. There are many different ideas surrounding the different practices and views of baptism, even the reason of why we carry out the act of baptism. Just as the idea of a marriage ceremony is to profess your love and commitment to each other, a baptism ceremony has the same effect, but instead your commitment is to Christ. This essay will take a look at this topic, the philosophical ideas surrounding it, how the Bible address it, and also the historical context in which this theological topic falls into.
“And while they were at supper, Jesus took bread and blessed and broke and gave it to His disciples and said, "Take you and eat, this is my Body." And taking the chalice He gave thanks and gave it to them saying, "Drink you all of this. For this is my Blood of the New Testament which shall be shed for many unto remission of
Buren, Albert W. Van. "The Ara Pacis Augustae." Journal of Roman Studies 3 (1913): 134-141.
Born to Mary, Jesus of Nazareth is commonly referred to as “Christ”, the Greek synonym for the “Hebrew” word “Messiah” (Paul, John, II. "King."). Messiah can be defined in the Hebrew language as the “Anointed One” (Paul, John, II. "King."). Jesus’s three-fold title of prophet, priest, and king will be discussed from the perspective of the Catholic tradition which states that those who are called to the office of God are anointed with oil (Han).
During Baptism, we are received into the church. Baptism is important as it represents a death to the old sinful life. and a rise to a new life as a Christian. Water is used to cleanse and during Baptism, an infant is cleansed of original sin or a believer is. cleansed of personal sin.
It is followed by years of catechesis before being completed late by Confirmation and the Eucharist, the summit of Christian initiation. Baptism is the Church 's way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God and the promise of salvation. 'Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised..." ' (Acts 2: 38-39) Baptism happens not only to the individual, but also the wider Church. At the time of Christ it signified that the person being baptised became a follower of Christ and acquired a relationship with him. '... I (Paul) also baptised the household of Stephanas... ' (1 Corinthians 1:16) The rite is celebrated with the community present and actively participating. It is the community, who will journey with them throughout their