My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND SHALL EVER BE.
The Orthodox Mystery (Sacrament) of CHRISMATION,
"The Seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit."
The presiding Priest offer the following prayer:
[The Mystery (Sacrament) of the Chrism]
And when he who is being baptized has been
clothed, the Priest says the following Prayer:
Blessed art Thou, O Lord God Almighty, the Source of Goodness,
the Sun of Righteousness, Who lightest up for those in darkness
the Light of Salvation through the MANIFESTATION OF THINE Only-
begotten Son and our God, and Who grants to us who are unworthy
blessed purification through Holy Baptism, and Divine Sanctification
through Thy Life-giving Anointing; Who has also now been pleased
to REGENERATE Thy servant newly illumined through water and the
Spirit and has granted to him forgiveness of his voluntary and
involuntary sins. Do Thou, O compassionate Master, King of all,
grant to him/her also the Seal of the gift of Thine Holy, All-Powerful,
and Worshipful Spirit, and the PARTICIPATION OF THE Holy Body
and of the Precious Blood of Thy Christ. Guard him/her with Thy
SANCTIFICATION and CONFIRM him/her in the Orthodox Faith;
deliver him/her from the Evil One and all his wiles, and with Thy
saving fer protect his/her soul in purity and in justice so that he/she
may please Thee in his/her every work and word and become a son/daughter
and inheritor of Thy Heavenly Kingdom.
For Thou art our God, the God of mercy and of salvation, and to Thee
we ascribe glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now
and forever, and from all Ages to all Ages. Amen.
[And after the prayer the Priest anoints him/her who has been baptized with the
Holy Chrism, and he makes the Sign of the Cross upon the forehead and the eyes
and the nostrils and the lips and the two ears and the breast and the hands and
the feet, and says:
THE SEAL OF THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Amen.
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["A Mystery (Sacrament) is "a holy act by which grace, the redeeming power of God,
operates upon man in mysterious fashion."] Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow.
The Mystery (Sacrament) of CHRISMATION is performed IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MYSTERY (SACRAMENT) OF BAPTISM, comprising together with it A SINGLE CHURCH RITE. The performer of the Mystery, the bishop or Priest, "anointing the one who has been baptized with Holy Myrrh, making the Sign of the Cross on the brow and eyes, the nostrils, the lips, both ears, the breast, and the hands and feet", while signing each part of the body he pronounces the words, "The Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit." This Mystery is also performed on those who are united to the Church from heretical communities as one of the means of their being united to the Church. The words by which the Mystery is performed, "the Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit," indicate its significance and effect. It is a) the culminating act of BEING UNITED to the Church, the CONFIRMATION or Seal of UNION; b) THE SEAL OF THE GRACE-GIVING POWER which are bestowed in it for STRENGTHENING and GROWTH IN SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Saint Cyprian writes, "Those baptized in the Church are SEALED BY "THE SEAL OF OF THE LORD" after the example of the baptized Samaritans who were received by the Apostle Peter and John through LAYING ON OF HANDS and PRAYER (Acts 8:14-17) … That which was lacking in them, Peter and John accomplished…Thus is it also with us… they are MADE PERFECT BY THE SEAL OF THE LORD." (Saints Clement of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem), "THE SPIRITUAL SEAL." (Saint Ambrose of Milan), "THE SEAL OF ETERNAL LIFE" (Saint Leo the Great), "THE CONFIRMATION" (The Apostolic Constitutions), "THE PERFECTION" OR "CULMINATION" (Saints Clement of Alexandria,Ambrose). Saint Ephraim the Syrian writes: "By the Seal of the Holy Spirit are sealed the entrances into your soul by the seal of the anointing ALL YOUR MEMBERS ARE SEALED." Saint Basil the Great aks: "How will your Angel dispute over you, how will he seize you from the enemy, if he does not know the seal? …Or do you not know that the destroyer passed over the houses of those who were sealed, and killed the first-born in the houses of those who were unsealed? An unsealed treasure is easily stolen by thieves, an unmarked sheep may safely be taken away."
This Mystery is likewise called the "GIFT OF THE SPIRIT" (Saint Isidore of Pelusium), "the MYSTERY OF THE SPIRIT" (Sts. Tertulilian and Hilarion), "the SYMBOL OF THE SPIRIT" (St. Cyril of Jerusalem). Saint Cyprian testifies that the ancients, speaking of the words of the Lord concerning the birth by water and the Spirit, understood the birth by water to be BAPTISM IN THE STRICT SENSE, AND THE BIRTH BY THE SPIRIT TO BE CHRISMATION,
With the extraordinary spreading of the holy Faith, when people began to turn to Christ in all the countries of the world, the Holy Apostles and their immediate successors, the bishops, could not personally be everywhere so as immediately after Baptism to bring down the Holy Spirit upon all the baptized through the LAYING ON OF HANDS. It may be that this is why it was "pleasing to the Holy Spirit" Who dwelt in the Apostles to replace the LAYING ON OF HANDS by the CT OF CHRISMATION, with the rule that the SANCTIFICATION OF THE CHRISM SHOULD BE PERFORMED BY THE APOSTLES AND BISHOPS THEMSELVES, WHILE THE ANOINTING OF THE BAPTIZED WITH THE SANCTIFIED CHRISM WAS LEFT TO PRESBYTERS. CHRISM (MYRRH) AND NO OTHER KIND OF MATERIAL WAS CHOSEN IN THIS CASE BECAUSE IN THE Old Testament the anointing with myrrh was performed for the sending down upon people of special spiritual gifts (see Exodus 28:41; I Kings [I Samuel]; III [I] Kings 1:39]. Tertullian writes, "After coming up from the font, we are anointed with blessed oil, according to the ancient rite, as of old it was the custom to anoint to the Priesthood with oil from a horn" The Sixth Canon of the Council of Carthage forbids Presbyters only to SANCTIFY the Chrism.
The SANCTIFICATION OF MYRRH occurs in a special solemn sacred rite, with the participation, when possible, of other bishops of the Church. Now the Patriarch or chief Metropolitan CONSECRATES THE CHRISM FOR THE WHOLE OF HIS LOCAL CHURCH. Our Holy Chrism is consecrated by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. The preparation rite begins on Holy Monday and ends with the Divine Liturgy on Holy Thursday when the new Chrism is carried in during the Great Entrance and placed on the Holy Altar Table. It is a very solemn divine service of the consecration and it requires 57 various and numerous different aromatic essences and oils i.e. virgin olive oil, dry red wine, rose oil, gums, citrus flowers, animal essences: amber gris, animal moschos, the ash from burned icons, and other exotic essences and oils.. In the Patriarchate of Constantinople Chrism is made approximately every ten years.
In the Latin West (Roman Catholic), the separation of Chrismation from Baptism occurred in aout the 13th century. Moreover, at the present time in the Roman church, the anointment (which is called "confirmation") is performed only on the brow, whereas in the Orthodox Church the anointing with myrrh is made upon the brow, the eyes, the nostrils, the lips, the ears, the breast, the hands and feet. It is given in the Roman church to those who have become SEVEN YEARS OF AGE, and it is performed by a bishop.
Immediately following Holy Baptism and Holy Chrismation, the person, now a full member of the Church, the Body of Christ, RECEIVES THE HOLY BODY AND PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD, GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST THROUGH WHICH HE/SHE BECOMES ONE WITH HIM AND THE ECCLESIA (CHURCH).
Apart from the Mystery of Chrismation, the MYRRH is used also in exceptional circumstances. Thus, at the sanctification (consecration) of a Church there is performed the signing with the holy myrrh of the holy Altar table, upon which the Mystery of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ will be performed, and likewise of the walls of the church. As a special rite, the ANOINTMENT WITH MYRRH IS ALSO PERFORMED AT THE ACCESSION TO THE ROYAL THRONE OF Orthodox Kings and Queens. [Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in Christ’s Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 