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

Cited: Benedict XIV, Ep. Ex quo primum tempore 52: Benedicti XIV – Bullarium, v. 3 (Prati, 1847) 320.