The Seal of Eternal Life
The Personal Pentecost
While Baptism is our birth from above?washing away sins and granting us the nature of children of God?Chrismation is our confirmation and perfection. It is the Sacrament by which the believer receives the Holy Spirit, becoming a living temple of God.
Scripture Reference
1 John 2:20
A Participation in Pentecost
The descent of the Spirit through the Holy Myron.
If Baptism is our participation in the death and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:4), Chrismation is our participation in Pentecost. Just as the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles as tongues of fire, granting them power and sanctification, the Holy Spirit descends upon the newly baptized through the Holy Myron oil.
Through Chrismation the believer is sealed, sanctified, and dedicated entirely to Christ. As St. John the Evangelist writes "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things" (1 John 2:20).
Thirty-Six Anointings
Rich with biblical symbolism and liturgical depth.
Immediately after the baptized person emerges from the font, having put on the white garment of righteousness, the priest proceeds to the anointing. This is not a singular mark, but a comprehensive sealing of the entire body, signifying that the whole person?body, soul, and spirit?is being consecrated to God.
The Visible and Invisible
The priest uses the Holy Myron (Chrism) anointing the baptized person 36 times, covering the joints and senses of the body. During this visible application of oil, an invisible reality takes place.
"This ointment is symbolically applied to your forehead and to your other senses; while your body is anointed with the visible ointment, your soul is sanctified by the holy and life-giving Spirit."
The Laying on of Hands and the Breathing
"Receive the Holy Spirit and be a vessel of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Following the 36 anointings, the rite concludes with a deeply personal act mirroring the creation of Adam and the ordination of the Apostles. The priest places his hand upon the head of the newly baptized.
As the priest breathes and lays his hand, he pronounces the sealing prayer. With these words, the person is no longer an empty vessel or a vessel of the world; they are filled. They have become a vessel of the Lord, set apart for holy use.
The Seal of Ownership and Protection
In the ancient world, a seal was a mark of ownership. By receiving the Holy Myron, the believer is marked as God's exclusive property. This seal is indelible; it cannot be erased.
"As the shepherd seals his herd with a unique mark to recognize them... so does the Holy Spirit on those who belong to Him in baptism by the ointment of the holy oil."
When the devil looks upon a Chrismated Christian, he sees the mark of the King. We are no longer our own; we were "bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Engraving the Heavenly Icon
St. Basil the Great: "We were sealed by the Holy Spirit through God... for the Holy Spirit to engrave within us the heavenly icon of Christ." This "heavenly icon" is the restoration of the Image of God that was distorted by sin. Chrismation begins the process of Theosis?becoming like God.
The Royal Priesthood and the Temple of the Spirit
In the Old Testament, anointing was reserved for three offices: Prophets, Priests, and Kings. Through the Sacrament of Chrismation, every baptized Christian is anointed to share in the eternal life.
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood... that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).
Life as a Liturgy
St. John Chrysostom: "We are anointed as a king is anointed... his whole life from now on is a liturgy." A liturgy is a service or a public work offered to God. Chrismation turns our daily existence into worship.
The Indwelling Place
The priest's prayer, "Be a vessel of our Lord Jesus Christ," indicates that we are now the indwelling place of God. St. Paul: "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?" (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Visible Anointing, Secret Seal
"Christ and chrism are conjoined; the secret with the visible is mingled: the chrism anoints visibly ? Christ seals secretly."
St. Ephrem the Syrian
Living Christian Life
Synergy
"The Holy Spirit is given to us fully, but His fruit is borne through our cooperation (synergy) with His grace."
The 36 anointings cover our hands, feet, and senses, but we must choose to use those hands for charity, those feet to walk in righteousness, and those senses to perceive the truth.
We have been breathed upon with the breath of eternal life. We have been touched by the Apostolic hand. We have been sealed as the private property of the King of Kings. Chrismation is the power to live the Christian life. It is the fuel for the engine of our faith, ensuring that we are not just washed of sin, but filled with the power to become the sons and daughters of God.