which saith the Apostle, 'We are the sweet savour of Christ in every place.' And in the Gospel, 'Let your light so shine before men,' etc. Besides this, the frequent use of incense is the continual mediation of Christ the Priest, and our High Priest, for us unto God the Father. 36. To describe a cross with the incense, is to exhibit His Passion to the Father and Him interceding for us. The burning incense plenteously in the middle and at the corners is to multiply prayers througħ. Jerusalem and in the Catholic Church. 37. Next to this the bishop confirmeth the altar with the sign of the cross, saying, 'Confirm this altar, O Lord,' etc. And this confirmation performed by the bishop with chrism on the front of the stone, signifieth the confirmation which is performed daily by the Holy Spirit, through charity, upon the altar of the heart, so that no tribulation should avail to separate our heart from the love of God: whence saith the Apostle, 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation?' etc.70 Then there is added the Gloria Patri in praise of the Trinity. 38. The last benediction of the altar signifieth that final benediction when it shall be said, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father,' etc."1 Afterwards the altar is wiped over with a white linen cloth, to notify that we ought to cleanse our heart by chastity of life. Then the vessels, vestments, and linen cloths, devoted to the divine worship are blessed. For Moses also during the forty days was instructed by the Lord to provide linen cloths and the ornaments necessary for the Temple. 39. Assuredly, thus to bless the utensils is to refer all our works unto the Lord. After this, the altar is covered with white and clean cloths: concerning which ceremony we have spoken under the head of the Altar. Lastly, the church is ornamented and the lamps are 70 Romans viii, 35. 00 2 Corinthians, ii, 15. lighted: for then shall the works of the just shine forth, 'Then shall the just shine, as sparks run swiftly among the stubble.' 72 And then upon the altar, consecrated after this order, the Mass is celebrated and the sacrifice offered unto the Most Highest: that sacrifice, namely, of which the Prophet speaketh, ' The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit ; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not desipse': 73 as shall be declared in the introduction to the fourth book." For consecration ought not to be performed without a Mass, according to Pope Gelasius,* because then there is revealed a sacrament, which hath been hidden from the angels even from the beginning. And observe, that in the aspersion of the church the bishop useth only the linen and inferior vestments: but at the Mass he is adorned with pontifical and precious vestments, because the high priest in the law used to expiate the sanctuary in a linen ephod, and afterwards used to offer the ram for the burnt offering being washed and arrayed in the high priest's vestments. But because he used to send forth the scapegoat after the expiation being clothed in the same linen ephod, on this account some, in the consecration of fonts and immersion of the catechumens where their sins are transferred, do use the simple linen vestments. 72 Wisdom iii, 7. 7 Psalm li (Miserere mei Deus), 17. 74 The blessed Bernard saith, My brethren, let us in sacrificing add the sacrifice of praise unto our words, let us add sense to sense, affection unto affection, exaltation unto exaltation, maturity unto maturity, and humility unto humility. Wherefore, he that is about to celebrate must offer unto the Highest that sacrifice of which the Psalmist speaketh, • The sacrifices of God are a troubled spirit.' And again, 'Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving.' And the Apostle, 'Present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service: mortifying upon the altar of your heart your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry'; in order to sacrifice yourselves with a pure heart and chaste body unto God.—Proem, Jib, iv, 17. * Quoted also in the Decretal De Consecrat, Distinct, I. CHAPTER VIII OF CONSECRATIONS AND UNCTIONS Of Chrism-Of the name Christ, and of Christians-The Heresy of the Arnaldista-The Anointing of Priests-Of BishopsOf Kings-Of the Consecration of Chalices and Patens-Of Extreme Unction-Of the Benediction of Church Ornaments. I. WE read that the Lord commanded Moses to make a chrism, with which unguent to anoint the tabernacle at the time of the dedication, and the ark of the testimony, and the table, together with the vessels; and with which also the priests and kings should be anointed. Yet Moses himself is not said to have been anointed, except with a spiritual unction, as also was Christ. 2. Christ hath willed that we should be anointed with a material unction in order that we may by it obtain the spiritual unction: and on this account our loving Mother, the Church, provideth different sorts of unction. which let us here touch lightly, saying I. What unctions of this sort signify. II. Of what they be made. III. Of the unction before baptism. Upon IV. Of the unction after baptism, which is performed by the bishop on the forehead. V. Of the unction in ordination. VI. Of the unction in consecrating bishops and princes. VII. Of the unction of a church, altar, chalice, and other ecclesiastical instruments. VIII. Of extreme unction. IX. Of the consecration and benediction of a cemetery, vestments, and other ecclesiastical ornaments. X. Of the consecration and benediction of virgins. Exodus xxx, 22. 3. Firstly; with respect to the first, then, it is to be noted that there be two kinds of unction: an external, which is material or corporeal, and visible; and an internal, which is spiritual and invisible. The body is anointed visibly with the external unction; the heart invisibly by the internal. Of the first, the Apostle S. James saith,' Is any sick among you? 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; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick.' 2 Of the second the Apostle S. John saith, 'But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but the same anointing teacheth you of all things.'" The external unction is a sign of the internal. But the internal is not only a sign, that is a thing signified, but a sacrament also; because if it be worltily received, it either effecteth, or without doubt increaseth, that which it doth signify-for instance, healing according to the saying, 'They shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall be healed.'* Secondly; with respect to the second point, you must know that in making use of the external and visible unction, two sorts of oil are consecrated: namely, holy oil, or the oil of the catechumens, with which catechumens are anointed; and the oil of the sick, with which the sick are anointed. Of which kind of unction the authority of S. James quoted above doth speak, 'Is any sick among you,' etc. But in what way the benediction of these two sorts of oil and of chrism is performed will be declared in the sixth book in the chapter upon the Fifth Day of the Holy Week.5 4. But is it asked why the sick and the catechumens are anointed with oil? I answer, in order that the invisible benefits may be more easily received through the *S. James v, 14. 1 S. John ii, 27. 4 See Acts xxviii, 8. It has not been thought necessary to translate the passages referred to. visible signs for as oil by expelling weakness refresheth the wearied limbs, and as it from its own natural qualities affordeth light, so it is to be believed that unction with consecrated oil, the which is a type of faith expelling sin, doth impart health to the soul and doth afford it light. Herein the visible oil is in the outward sign, the invisible oil in the inward sacrament; and the spiritual oil is within. For the oil of the sick we have received authority from the apostles; for the oil of the catechumens from apostolical men. 5. And although God can grant the spiritual oil without the material, yet because the apostles have used this rite in the case of the sick, and apostolical men in the case of catechumens, this practice which their authority hath consecrated cannot be omitted without sin (as hath been said in the chapter upon the Altar): just as anciently the just pleased God without circumcision; but after it had been enjoined them to be circumcised, such as omitted this rite were subjected to sin. Thirdly; we have to speak of the unction before baptism. And indeed in the New Testament not only kings and priests be anointed, as hath been already said, but also(because Christ by His Blood hath made us kings and priests, that is, royal priests, unto our God, as the Apostle S. Peter saith," Ye are a chosen generation,' that is, chosen out from the tribes of men, ' a royal priesthood,' that is, governing yourselves well)—also, I say, all Christians be anointed twice before their baptism with consecrated oil-first, on the breast; secondly, between the shoulders and twice after their baptism, with holy chrism-first, on the crown of the head ; and secondly, by the bishop on the forchead. 6. And, according to Augustine, the first three unctions have been introduced rather by use than by any written authority. The candidate for baptism is anointed with oil-first, on the breast, in which is the locality of the heart; first, in order that by the gift of the Holy Ghost I S. Peter ii, 9. |