Canon XLVIII.
They
who are baptized must after
Baptism be anointed with the heavenly chrism, and be partakers of the
Kingdom of Christ.
Notes.
Ancient
Epitome
of
Canon
XLVIII.
Those illuminated should after their baptism be
anointed.
Van Espen.
That this canon refers to the anointing with chrism on
the forehead of the baptized, that is to say of the sacrament of
confirmation, is the unanimous opinion of the Greek commentators, and
Balsamon notes that this anointing is not simply styled
“chrism” but “the heavenly chrism,” viz.:
“that which is sanctified by holy prayers and through the
invocation of the Holy Spirit; and those who are anointed therewith, it
sanctifies and makes partakers of the kingdom of heaven.”
Aubespine.
(
Lib
. i.,
Observat. cap
. xv.)
Formerly no one was esteemed worthy of the name
Christian or reckoned among the perfect who had not been confirmed and
endowed with the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The prayers for the consecration of the Holy Chrism
according to the rites of the East and of the West should be carefully
read by the student. Those of the East are found in the
Euchologion, and those of the West in the
Pontificale Romanum
,
De Officio in feria v. Cœna Domini.