Oil of catechumens
"The oil of catechumens tells us not only men looking for God. God himself has set for us. The fact that he himself has become man and has fallen to the depths of human existence, until the night of death, shows us how much God loves man, his creature. Driven by his love, God has set for us. "Finding you feel tired ... so much effort not in vain," we pray in the Dies Irae. God is looking for me. I want to acknowledge it? Do I want to know me, I find it? God loves men. Sale to meet the concerns of our heart, the concern of our questioning and search, with the concern of heart, which induces us to fulfill extreme gesture. Should not be put in us the concern in relation to God, to be on their way to Him, to know him better, to love better. In this sense, we should always remain catechumens. "Seek his face," says a Psalm (105.4). On this, Augustine says, God is so infinitely great that always exceeds our knowledge and our whole being. Knowing God is never finished. For all eternity we can, with increasing joy, continue to look to know more and love more and more. "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you," says Augustine at the beginning of his Confessions. Yes, man is restless, because everything is temporary is too little. But is it true our concern for him? "We have not resigned, perhaps, to their absence and try to be self-sufficient? Not allow such a reduction of our being human. Remain a continuous journey toward Him, in his longing, the host always new knowledge and love. "
Oil of the Sick " The cure is a primary charge that Jesus has entrusted to the Church, following the example He has given us, to go on the road to healing the sick. True, the main task of the Church is the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. But precisely this ad should be a healing process: "... to heal the brokenhearted," says today's first reading from Isaiah (61.1). The announcement of the Kingdom of God, the infinite goodness of God, must give rise to all this: to heal the wounded heart of man. The very essence of man is a being in relationship. But if it upsets the fundamental relationship, the relationship with God, so everything else goes haywire. If damaged our relationship with God, if the thrust of our being is wrong, we can not really heal or the body or in the soul. Therefore, the first and fundamental healing happens in the encounter with Christ that reconciles us with God and heal our broken hearts. But besides this central task, is also part of the essential mission of the Church concrete cure disease and suffering. The oil for the Anointing of the Sick is visible sacramental expression of that mission. Since the beginning matured in the Church called to heal, carefully matured love who is afflicted in body and soul. This is also an opportunity to thank at least once to the sisters and brothers who have this love healing to men around the world, without looking at his condition or confession religious. From Elizabeth of Thuringia, Vicente de Paul, Louise de Marillac, Camillus de Lellis to Mother Teresa, to recall just a few names-crosses the world a luminous trail of people whose origins lie in the love of Jesus for the suffering and ill. Give thanks that the Lord now. Thanks so to all those who, by faith and love, are set aside for those who suffer, thus, ultimately, a testament to the goodness of God. The oil for the Anointing of the sick is a sign of this oil painting of the goodness of heart that these people, along with their expertise, leading to the suffering. Without speaking of Christ, manifest ".
Holy chrism
"Thirdly, we finally have the noblest of church oils, chrism, a mixture of olive oil and vegetable perfumes. It is the anointing oil and royal priesthood, anointing refers to the great traditions of the anointing of the Old Testament. In the Church, this oil is used primarily for anointing in Confirmation and Holy Orders. Today's liturgy links with this oil the words of promise of the prophet Isaiah "You you shall be called 'priests of the Lord,' will tell you: 'Ministers of our God'" (61, 6). prophet returns with this great task word and promise that God had led Israel in Sinai: "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19, 6). In the world and all of it, which largely did not know God, Israel should be a sanctuary of God to all, should exercise a priestly function for the world. Should lead the world to God, San Pedro open to him in his baptismal catechesis has applied the privilege and task of Israel to the entire community of the baptized, proclaiming: "You, however, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God proclaim the deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Those who were formerly non-people, are now the people of God, which were formerly not pitied. are now the object of compassion. "(1 Pt 2, 9-10). Baptism and Confirmation constitute admission to the People of God, which embraces the whole world, the anointing in Baptism and Confirmation is the anointing that you enter in the priestly ministry to mankind. Christians are a priestly people for the world. Should make the world visible in the living God, bear witness and bring to Him when we talk about our common task, as baptized, there is no reason to brag. That's more a question we are happy and at the same time, we are concerned: Are we truly the temple of God in the world and the world? "We are open to men access to God or, conversely, I hide? We, the People of God, is it not we become a people of unbelief and separation from God? Is not it true that the West, that the core countries of Christianity are tired of their faith and, bored with their own history and culture, they do not want to know the faith in Jesus Christ? We have reason to shout at this time to God: "Do not let us become non-people. Make us aware again. Yes, we have anointed with your love, you have infused your Holy Spirit upon us. Make the strength of your Spirit becomes effective in us again, to bear witness to your message with joy. "
* Excerpts from the Pope's homily at the Chrism Mass
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