I love the rich heritage of the Catholic faith and the Power of the Wisdom of Three. It has made me who I am as a person, a professional, and a spiritual being.
One of the Holy Week rituals of the Church is based on the Jewish ritual of anointing a body with oil and more specifically, Jesus’ anointing prior to his Passion. Each year, during the Chrism Mass, bishops around the world, will bless the three oils used by the Church for the upcoming year. All three are blessed; oil for the sick, oil for the catechumens, and the Chrism oil is also consecrated.
The basis of anointing a body with oil is the fact that the body absorbs oil into the skin. Through the act of anointing, the oil and what it represents, becomes part of that person. You can’t see it, but it’s there and one cannot wash it off or out of their body, even if they wanted to.
Having personally been anointed with all three holy oils, I can attest to the blessings I have received through these powerful spiritual acts.
The first oil, the Oil of the Sick, is pure olive oil that has been blessed. It is used in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. Through this sacrament, God gives the sick person grace and strength to bear the illness or infirmity. Many people have witnessed the power of this anointing, bringing spiritual, mental, and yes, physical healing. The Catholic Church has seven Sacrament all of which are outward signs of the Grace of God.
The Oil of the Catechumens is also pure olive oil, and it is use during the Sacrament of Baptism of adults and children. When the oil is applied to an adult, we pray that God will instill in them the wisdom for discernment and the strength necessary to avoid evil during their inquiry into the Catholic faith and their preparation for a life with Christ. An infant is anointed just before receiving the waters of baptism and their anointing is to help ward off evil, avoid temptation, and help them grow to possess the faith necessary to carry the cross of Christ throughout life.
At the Chrism Mass, the bishops mix and consecrates the Holy Chrism oils made of pure olive oil and the oil from a Balsam tree. The oil symbolizes strength, and the fragrance represents the “aroma of Christ” (2 Cor 2:15). Anointing with chrism oil signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is used to consecrate someone or something to God’s service such as an adult, receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, confirming their commitment to the faith, and an adult receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders to become a priest and an infant during baptism, marking them as a Christian. When applied, the deacon, priest, or bishop, traces the Sign of the Cross with chrism oil on the forehead of the one being confirmed, the crown of the head at baptism, and says, “[Name], be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.
Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”