Baptism review

Oil of Gladness

Chrism

2015-10-23

Dear ....:

Next week, I will baptize you. Michael will be there to be your sponsor. I do not know a finer man. Mike suggested your baptismal name would be Ambrose. If that is ok with you, that is the name I will use, but you may have a strong feeling about another name. Up till today, there has not been a Saint Billy, but I think you will change that! We have a custom of naming ourselves after the saints, to ask their prayers, and to honor and emulate them. They are the ones who "have fought the good fight and finished the course", and their "effective and fervent prayer" truly does "avail much". They are living proof that all that our Lord promised us is true. A man can become purified and holy and full of the knowledge of God and peace. You and I are still in the arena, but "I am confident of this very thing, that he Who began a good work in you will complete it".

It is an honor and privilege to baptize you, in obedience to your request, made at least twice, in print and in person, to be baptized. I must be like Philip, who obeyed the request of the Ethiopian eunuch. This man, by the way became a great evangelizer of his land. I trust you will also do your part where you are placed.

You will be barefoot, in your regular clothes. There will be a change of clothes available. I will bless the water, and then anoint your forehead, eyes, nostrils, ears, neck and back, and both side of your hands and the tops of your feet with blessed olive oil. We call it the "oil of gladness". It is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit. It is not this anointing of oil that conveys the gift of the Holy spirit, but rather, something we do many times a year, to ask the mercy and help of God, with prayer and the use of tangible things (like water or oil). God can bless us and help us any way He wished, and we, in obedience to His commands, use tangible things to ask His help, always of course, coupled with prayer. Without prayer, there is no grace in anything, since prayer is to communicate with the only source of life and grace.

Right after this, you will get into the font, sitting down, and I will immerse you three times in the water, Saying "The servant of God Ambrose is baptized in the name of the Father (immersion) and the son, (immersion) and the Holy spirit (third immersion). Then you will get dried off and change clothes.

I will then anoint you with "chrism" which is a special oil prepared with many spices and blessed by the Patriarch/(head bishop of our church). It conveys the gift of the Holy spirit, and is analogous to the laying on of handswhichapostles did. A bishop still lays on hands (for instance, at ordination - I am not sure if any would only lay on hands in a baptism), but priests are given chrism by the bishop to do this. Everything is done under the bishop's authority.

Last week, I received a man into the church and three more catechumens in prison this week. This has been a busy and fruitful time in prison ministry. It is getting hard for my little brain to remember everything. I go by the adage that 90% of life is just showing up. So I pray the Lord would cover my inadequacies by these two things: I pray for all of you, every day, and I drive down the highway every week. I would like to write more letters, and do more of the clerical work that this job demands (one prison or the other is always making me jump through hoops for something), but at least I do what I can do.

I will learn from your example, and make this letter short. The Irish in me wants to go on and on, but when I do, I only get a little done. I have many more letters to write. May God help you in all things.

In Christ, unworthy Priest Seraphim.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2015

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