|
|
|
Question 74.
Father Christopher, your blessing!
As you know, the holy myrrh was sanctified this year during holy week at
the Ecumenical Patriarchate. I discovered that this myrrh is used during
the mystery of chrismation, but I must ask: is this its only purpose? I
was under the impression that the pleasant fragrance that is sprinkled
on the congregation during major feast days, and on the epitaphios
during the evening service on holy Friday was called myrrh.
With all due respect,
Evangelos.
Answer to Question 74.
Dear Evangelos,
During the early years of Christianity, the gifts of the Holy Spirit
were imparted to the newly baptised through the laying on of hands by
the Apostles. As the Church grew and the number of those being baptised
greatly increased, it was impossible for the Apostles and their
successors - the Bishops to be present, so the use of the Holy Myron
(Holy Chrism) was introduced to transmit the gifts of the Holy Spirit to
the baptised. Since then this has been the practice of the Church till
the present day.
The Holy Myron is made and sanctified every ten years at the Ecumenical
Patriarchate. Beginning on Palm Sunday, five large copper vessels
similar to caldrons are filled with 57 various oils, scented plants and
other fragrances symbolising the variety of gifts from the Holy Spirit.
Everyday until Holy Thursday special services are said for the Myron
which is heated and stirred until the right consistency is reached. The
Myron is then poured into smaller containers and carried to the Church
where on Great Thursday the sanctification takes place.
The newly Sanctified Holy Myron is then distributed to other Churches
around the world for use in the Mystery of Chrismation following
Baptism, Chrismation of heterodox (non-Orthodox) joining the Church and
the re-Chrismation of those who have fallen away from the Church and now
return to the Orthodox Church. The Holy Myron is also used in the
consecration of Churches, Holy Altars and certain Holy vessels like the
Chalice. In the past it was also used to anoint Orthodox Kings during
their coronation. Apart from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Holy Myron is
also made by the Patriarchates of Moscow, Belgrade and Bucharest.
The sprinkling used during feast days and on the Epitaphios is something
completely different and it is not blessed. Basically it is rose water
or water mixed with cologne or perfume. The basic ingredient is water
which is why it can be sprinkled whereas Holy Myron is basically oil
which has a much thicker consistency and cannot be sprinkled
effectively. Some people might call these perfumed waters myron (myrrh)
but this just signified that they are aromatic. Myrrh is an aromatic
resin taken from trees and shrubs and used in perfumes. Justifiably all
perfumes can be called myrrh, but that does not make them holy.
In many places, especially villages in Orthodox countries like Cyprus,
there is the custom where the person who has observed a feast and made
an offering of the five loaves (Artoklasia) will stand next to the
Priest at the appointed time and as the people come to venerate the Icon
of the feast, he/she will cense the people with incense and sprinkle in
their hands rose water or cologne. I’m not sure if there is a proper
explanation and accepted symbolism behind this custom, but it was
something I was asked about by my group who attend the weekly talk that
I give and I gave them the following answer.
Incense is something we offer to God and in the usual prayer for the
blessing of the incense we ask God to receive the sweet smelling savour
of spiritual fragrance, and to accept it upon his heavenly altar; and in
exchange to send down upon us the grace of his most Holy Spirit. In this
case the prayer offered by the priest at the blessing of the incense is
different: it is a petition for the person: “Again we pray for mercy,
life, peace, health, salvation, visitation, forgiveness and remission of
the sins of the servants of God, - (and the names the person or persons
for whom the five loaves were offered). When we come and receive the
incense we wish them Xronia Polla (Many years) so with the priest's
prayer for them we also offer our prayers and good wishes for their good
health and salvation.
It could also symbolize that we are offered incense because we are
created in God’s image and just as we offer incense to God we offer it
to each other in recognition of God’s image in all of us. The rose water
or cologne could also be offered in recognition that we are all members
of the one body of Christ. During the Lamentation Service on Holy and
Great Friday Evening, the Priest sprinkles the Epitaphio, which is the
embroidered Icon of Christ’ burial, with rose water which symbolically
represents the myrrh with which Christ was embalmed. It can also
represent the very precious ointment that a certain woman poured on
Jesus’ head as he sat at meat in the house of Simon the Leper and to
which Christ said she did it in anticipation of his burial. If, as the
Gospels teach us, we should see Christ in each of us, then this last
interpretation is more than justifiable and we are all worthy to be
anointed with precious ointment. This is also supported by the custom of
the sprinkling. You will notice that when they receive the perfumed
water in the hands many immediately apply it to their hair as though
they were anointing their head.
With love in Christ
Fr. Christopher
|
|
|
