Review article
Anointing in Liturgy. Rites of blessing the oil and anointing with consecrated oil in the Roman liturgy
Zvonko Pažin
; Catholic Faculty of Theology in Đakovo, University of Osijek
Davor Senjan
; Catholic Faculty of Theology in Đakovo, University of Osijek
Abstract
The authors present the importance of olive oil and anointing
with oil in Holy Scripture and in the tradition of Church from the
beginning to the present. In ancient cultures daily and religious
use of olive oil was exceptionally important. In the Old Testament
religious and cult meaning of oil and anointing is particularly
evident, so that the awaited and definite saviour is called the
Anointed. For Christians Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God is
exactly that Christ-the Anointed, and they start to call themselves
Christians. Furthermore, the New Testament knows the ritual of
the anointing of the sick, and in the earliest Christian writings
we find the prayers for blessing the oil. The rituals of anointing
have been present since the 7th century and gradually oils start
to be distinguished - Oil of the Sick, Oil of Sacred Chrism and
Oil of Catechumens sanctified by the bishop on Holy Thursday.
In these oils the power of the Holy Spirit and the role of Christ’s
paschal mystery are stressed, as well as the fact that all believers
share, through the sacraments, Christ’s priestly, prophetic and
kingly honours. In today’s liturgy Oil of the Sick is taken in the
ritual of the anointing of the sick, Oil of Catechumens for the
anointing of the catechumen, and Oil of Sacred Chrism today
has the widest application range: in baptism, confirmation, the
ordination of priests and bishops, and the consecration of the
church and the altar.
Keywords
Roman liturgy; rituals of the blessing of oil; anointing with consecrated oil
Hrčak ID:
109379
URI
Publication date:
16.10.2013.
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