Chrismation

The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit — the moment when the newly baptized is filled with the life of God.

Chrismation is the Mystery in which we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the personal Pentecost of every Orthodox Christian. Just as the Spirit descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost, so the same Spirit is given to each newly baptized person through the anointing with Holy Chrism.

In the Orthodox Church, Chrismation is not separated from Baptism by years, as in some other traditions. It is given immediately after Baptism, while the person is still in the white garment of new life. The priest anoints the newly baptized with the Holy Chrism on the forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, chest, hands, and feet, saying each time: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

This anointing is not a mere blessing. It is the moment when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within the person. The same Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation, who spoke through the prophets, who descended upon Christ at the Jordan, and who filled the Apostles at Pentecost now makes His home in the heart of the newly illumined Christian.

Holy Chrism itself is prepared with great care. It is consecrated by the bishops of the Church, usually only once every several years, and then distributed to the parishes. It contains pure olive oil mixed with many fragrant spices — a sign of the richness and sweetness of the Spirit’s gifts.

Through Chrismation we are sealed. We are marked as belonging to Christ. We are given the power to live the Christian life — not by our own strength, but by the Spirit who lives within us. The fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) are not simply ideals we try to achieve. They are the natural life of the Spirit working in those who have been sealed.

This is why Chrismation is so closely bound to Baptism. Baptism washes us and unites us to Christ’s death and resurrection. Chrismation fills us with the Spirit so that the new life we have received can actually be lived. Together they form the full entrance into the life of the Church and into the life of the Holy Trinity.