Encouragement

You Anointed Me

by Maria Franco
11/11/16
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"But you have an Anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth." 1 John 2:20

Anointing is a chief ritual of the Church where we ought to understand the meaning and purpose behind the anointing oils used on us.
The anointing at Baptism with the Cathechumen oil confers our leagl entry into God's own family.
The anointing of the Holy Spirit with the Chrism Oil at Confirmation endows us with the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The holy anointing Chrism oil also plays an important part at the time of Ordination of Priests. The anointing of the sick is administered to bring spiritual and physical healing during an illness and is also given to those as an unction.
Those who receive this Sacrament recover from their sickness and for those whom all is lost, this Sacrament helps them to look with glad expectancy to the glory of Heaven that awaits them.
We read in James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

As in Second Corinthians 1:21-22; “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Anointing also fills us with happy and godly feelings. It keeps us cheerful at all times as the Spirit imparts its joy whilst residing within us. As we see in Psalms 45:7; “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

All these sacraments apart from the outward physical anointing of oil on the forehead anoints us with the Holy Spirit from within. This grace of the Spirit is also strongly seen in the Sacrament of Reconcilation.
Grace is given in plenty at the time of each anointing and one can definitely feel the full force and effect of this grace flowing within and changing our lives. Though the Priest anoints us with his hands, it is in fact God anointing us directly with His mighty hand.

Anointing is also a heavy duty grace given by God when He sends us out to proclaim His word. He chooses us and pours out a mighty dose of the Holy Spirit which when it comes upon us becomes an anointing from heaven itself.

1 Corinthians 12 says that no one can confess "Jesus is Lord" unless he is guided by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit that gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. The Spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while to another person, a message full of knowledge, to one the power to work miracles, to another the ability to speak in strange tongues. But it is the one and same Spirit who does all this, as he wishes he gives a different gift to each person.
In 1 John 2:27; " Christ has poured out his Spirit on you. As long as his Spirit remains in you, you do not need anyone to teach you. For his Spirit teaches you about everything and what he teaches is true and not false, Obey the Spirit's teaching, then, and remain in union with Christ."

The prophet Amos says 9;13; "The time is coming says the Lord when the grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested. Then the terrace vineyards on the hills of Israel will drip with sweet wine." This verse literally means that blessings will pour in abundance and flowing like wine with the sweetness of the grace of God.
Similarly when God anoints us with his powerful anointing we are expected to bear fruit as we know the Word of God when sent out into the world does not return back empty handed without accomplishing its purpose which is the mission of Christ on earth.

When we are anointed we can also face any storm in life and happily sail through the stormy weather because in that moment Christ is steering the ship which will neither tilt nor sink but brave the rough times to lead us to an island of restful waters.
Let us remain true to every anointing and hold on to the abundant grace given to us to be a prophet in our own little way to break the Word to others. Just as Christ broke His body on the Cross for us, we not just share but as in the breaking of bread we hand out the precious words of the Gospel in an enriching meal to others.
May we always remain in a state of grace both in this life and yonder and preserve carefully the anointing we have received.

Maria Franco