Mystery – Page 2 – The Tao of Holy Orthodoxy

olive oil bottle

As you will personally participate in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ through Holy Baptism, you will also personally participate in Pentecost through the Mystery of Holy Chrismation. Immediately following your Baptism, you will be anointed with the Holy Chrism to give you the Gift and Seal of the Holy Spirit. Having been purified through Baptism, you are now consecrated as a living temple indwelled by the Holy Spirit. After the anointing, the Priest will wash away the Holy Chrism from your body with a natural sponge dipped in pure water. With this wiping away of the Chrism be reminded that your Chrismation is not just an external sign placed on your body, but the Divine Presence of the Holy Spirit implanted within your soul.

When you have received the Grace of Holy Baptism and Holy Chrismation, walk the Way daily so that the Grace within you may grow and bear fruit. Fulfill your calling to be a living temple, body and soul, in whom the Holy Spirit is pleased to dwell.

(Since our Antiochian churches in the United States are part of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, our Chrism has been consecrated by our chief bishop, the Patriarch of Antioch. The Chrism is kept by our Metropolitan of North America for distribution to the churches as necessary.)

Read: Exodus 30.22-33; Acts 2; 8.14-17; 1 Corinthians 3.16; 6.19-20; 2.1-12; Ephesians 1.1-23; Revelation 7.1-3; 22.4-5

stars-in-the-night-sky

On a clear night, look up at the starlit sky. Standing here on Earth, with your eyes looking out into the darkness of space, you could try to count the stars, one by one, but there are too many. You can’t count the stars any more than you can count the grains of sand on the beach, the drops of water in the ocean, or blades of grass in a broad field. The universe is so unimaginably vast, yet here you are, so small. (This planet alone seems incredibly huge when you are standing on such a little piece of it.) You could try to reach up to the stars, but that wouldn’t get you much closer.

The starry sky serve as an icon, a visual image that points us toward Mystery. The creation points toward the uncreated Creator. Your own human vision cannot penetrate into the depths of space from where you stand. When you encounter the Church and its Way, you encounter Mystery far beyond human reach and capacity to rationally understand. You cannot wrap your human mind around the Mystery. Wonder at the Mystery in silence. Bow before the Mystery in reverence. Keep in mind that whatever you see and you understand, there is far more that is unseen and transcends understanding. If you remember this truth, it will nurture humility in your soul.

Tag: Mystery

56. The Mystery of Holy Chrismation

27. Behold the Mystery