"Generous use of chrism"

Professor Erickson provides us with incontestable historical proof of the generous use of chrism in Byzantium. The anointing with chrism required for the restoration to communion of apostates and schismatics did not place in doubt of the authenticity of their post-baptismal chrismation. Rather, it gave tangible expression to their reconciliation with and reentry into the Church. Generally speaking, one could say that anointing with chrism has traditionally taken place whenever reincorporation into the fellowship of the Church has followed a period of catechetical instruction.

- Professor Lewis J Patsavos, “Response to John Erickson’s Divergencies in Pastoral Practice in the Reception of Converts," in Orthodox Perspectives on Pastoral Praxis, Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1988.

 

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Now, as to the manner in which we receive those coming to us from the ecumenistic jurisdictions – as you know, Polychronios – we receive them by chrismation. Some see this as extreme and say that this means that we teach absolutely that there is no grace in the new calendarists and ecumenists. However, it seems to us that there is a misconception here. The use of re-chrismation is something which has been misunderstood in recent times. Chrismation may be repeated on varied occasions – but true baptism may be administered only once. If one apostatizes and returns, one is re-chrismated. There is historical evidence that in the early Church, in certain localities, re-chrismation was used at the end of a severe epitimion, which may have lasted many years and which was imposed because of grievous sins. Since the person involved had not received communion for ten, fifteen, or even more years, before being admitted to the holy Eucharist, the individual was re-chrismated to prepare him for the reception of the holy Mysteries. An echo of this usage still exists in the Greek Church. After a grievous sin, which in turn is followed by a lengthy epitimion, many of the older father confessors recommend the performance of an unction service before the person approaches the holy Eucharist.

In both of the instances mentioned above, this was seen as a healing process which enabled one to come to the awesome and holy Eucharist. Actually, as one of our priests recently pointed out, there is really only one holy Mystery, and that is the holy Eucharist (i.e., the divine Economy of the Incarnation, and our union with God in the holy Eucharist, wherein, according to the expression of the holy Apostle Peter, we become “partakers of the divine nature” – through which mankind’s theosis, “deification,” is effected by God’s uncreated and deifying grace). All the other holy Mysteries, if one thinks about it, are instituted in order to enable one to come to this Mystery of Mysteries. In short, they are linked to this one central Mystery.

So, it is with the understanding that it is unto healing that we re-chrismate those who come to us from the heresy of Ecumenism. It seems to us that if people understood the true significance of holy chrism, they would more fully appreciate the application of this holy mystery. In his Mystagogical Catecheses, St. Cyril of Jerusalem says that holy chrism has the power “to drive away every trace of hostile influence” and “to burn and cleanse away the traces of sins, but also to chase away all the invisible powers of the evil one” (Lecture II, 3). In his Ecclesiastical Hierarchies, St. Dionysius the Areopagite writes that holy chrism “imparts a sacred state of mind to those who have changed from the worse to a religious understanding, so that they should not be again enslaved by evil” (Eccl. Hier. IV, 3). St. Cyril of Alexandria says that the mystery of holy chrism “cleanses our conscience from dead works” (P.G. 74, 929 BC), and the Apostolic Constitutions affirm that it “is a confirmation of our confession [of the faith]” (III, 17, A).

There is no doubt that the heresy of Ecumenism is a grievous illness which has become established in the local churches to a greater or lesser degree — depending on the Church. Therefore, any individual who comes to us from an ecumenistic jurisdiction and understands the gravity of the sickness which afflicted his former church group will certainly not object to receiving the healing imparted by holy chrism, and this is precisely why we employ this particular usage of holy chrism.

- Letter of Monk Ephraim of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, to Polychronios, dated April 29/May 12, 1987.