Properly speaking, the blessing of the oils should take place on Holy Thursday, usually in the morning, before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the evening. For practical reasons, it may be transferred to another day during Holy Week, or close to the celebration of Easter. The reason for the link to Easter is that the sacraments are the way we share in the new life of Easter, as Christ’s risen life is shared with us so that we may grow in our faith in Him, both as individuals and as a family of faith. The salvation brought to us by the death and resurrection of the Messiah (which means “anointed one”) continues in us as a gift we are called to live for others. From Old Testament times, the sign of that gift of God’s Spirit has been the anointing with oil.
First, we need to remember the source of the oil we use for sacramental purposes. It must be olive oil and should be of the finest quality as its use signifies that which is most valued in our lives: our relationship with God. The olive must let itself be crushed to render the oil. If the olive is not crushed, there is no oil. And the oil of each crushed olive comes together as one oil. You cannot differentiate which drop of oil came from which olive. For your priests, this is a reminder that a priestly vocation to be Christ for His people – the alter Christus – we must give ourselves over totally, just as the olive gives itself over to become the oil. And that gift of self means that we come together in one priestly vocation and one priestly work. Just like the olives, it’s not about “me”. It’s all about the giving over, crushed in a certain sense, that we become the source of Christ’s life.
We should remember that in the ancient world, oil had three purposes. We need oil in our diet so that our bodies work. It nourishes and so keeps us alive. In the sacraments, we are nourished with God’s life and it is this continual sacramental participation that keeps us alive with God’s presence deep within each of us. Oil was spread on cuts and wounds in the ancient world. It would provide a coating that would allow the wound to heal and also would help to bring the skin together so there would be no scar. We are anointed with the Spirit so that God’s healing presence comes to the wounds in our lives, but also so that we bring His healing presence to others. And if we truly seek to be healed and healing, we don’t leave a scar. Oil was poured on the head of a king so that he would make good decisions and bring God’s way of life alive in the kingdom. We are anointed with oil so that the life of God we receive in the sacraments may be brought alive by our making good decisions under God’s guidance and in faithfulness to His commandments and the precepts of the Church.
The Oil of the Sick brings Jesus’ healing presence alive for those who are seriously or chronically ill, or facing the difficulties of advanced age. It is not a magic healing tonic. Rather, it invites us to come to Jesus in faith, as did those whom He healed in the gospels. Physical healing may or may not occur. The more important reality is the power of His presence to receive spiritual healing and strength that is needed in times of illness and infirmity.
The Oil of the Catechumens is for those who have had the stirrings of faith lead them to seek Baptism. This is no easy decision, and it involves a gradual acceptance and understanding of our Faith. The catechumen is anointed so as to be open to the gift of faith, be readied to embrace the gift of Baptism, and be strengthened to live the faith received in the sacrament.
The Oil of Chrism is used at Baptism, Confirmation, and Ordination. It brings us into a unique relationship with Jesus and marks us as His own, with the concomitant responsibility to live this relationship. Chrism is a mixture of olive oil and balsam. Olive oil is rich, spreads and sinks in, and in so doing it can be said to “change” that which is anointed. Balsam is fragrant and so reminds us that this presence of Jesus in the sacraments gives a certain “fragrance”. You cannot see a fragrance, but it pervades the air. So too, our relationship with Jesus, unable to be “seen”, pervades all that we do and gives it a certain “fragrance” – that is, it becomes the way we live our lives.
It makes sense that, in addition to blessing the oils which are part of the sacraments which the priest administers as the alter Christus, priests renew their commitment to Jesus and His Church by renewing their promises. These promises were made to the bishop at ordination and are renewed each year as priests gather with their bishop and walk with Jesus from the Last Supper in the Upper Room, to the Garden of Gethsemane, along the way of the Cross, to the suffering of Calvary, and to the empty tomb on Easter morning. This Paschal Mystery is what the priest brings alive for our people each day in the Eucharist and is the reason he does all the rest of that which he does each day. Together, like all those olives which when crushed form one oil, priests renew their promises to be docile to God’s spirit, listen and be able to preach His Word, nourish God’s people with the sacraments, and do it all in obedience to the bishop in communion with our Holy Father and the entire Church.
Here in the Archdiocese of New York, we gather for the Chrism Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. You are invited to join us in person or take some time that afternoon to appreciate anew the life we receive through the sacraments. As you do, say a prayer for your priests that we may remain faithful. And please, pray for vocations to the priesthood from the young men of this archdiocese. Our young people are filled with enthusiasm for the gift of faith. With your prayers more of our young men will hear and answer God’s call to the priesthood – and one day be standing with their brother priests in our cathedral renewing their promises to His Church.