Is 61:1-8 "1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. 5 Aliens shall stand and feed your flocks, foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; 6 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord, men shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory. 7 Instead of your shame you shall have a double portion, instead of dishonor you shall rejoice in your lot; therefore in your land you shall possess a double portion; yours shall be everlasting joy." (RSV)

Mark 1:9-10 "9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; 11and a voice came from heaven, 'Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.'" (Acts 10:38 interprets this as 'anointing.' [RSV])

Acts 8:14-17 "14Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; 16for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." (RSV)

Acts 19:5-7 Disciples Paul met in Ephesus who had received only the baptism of John. "On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve of them in all." (RSV)

Heb 6:1-2 "1Therefore, let us leave behind the basic teaching about Christ and advance to maturity, without laying the foundation all over again: repentance from dead works and faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms and laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment." (NAB)

2 Cor 1:21f "21But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God; 22 he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment." (NAB)

Eph 1:13 "In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit." (RSV)

Eph 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (RSV)

Tertullian, On Baptism 7-8 (c. 200)

"Then having gone up from the bath we are anointed with a blessed anointing of ancient discipline, by which people were accustomed to be anointed for priesthood, by oil from a horn from which Aaron was anointed by Moses [Ex 30:22-30]. For this reason we were called "christs" ("anointed ones") from "chrism," which is the ointment which lends its name to the Lord. It was made spiritual because the Lord was anointed with the Spirit by God the Father, as it says in Acts: 'For they were gathered together in that city against your holy Son whom you have anointed [Acts 4:27].' Thus also the anointing flows on us physically, but benefits spiritually, as the physical act of baptism (that we are immersed in water) has a spiritual effect (that we are free from transgressions). Next, calling and inviting the Holy Spirit, the hand is imposed for the blessing."

Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition 21-22 (c. 215)

"The neophytes are anointed by the presbyter from the oil consecrated by the bishop. He says, 'I anoint you with holy oil in the name of Jesus Christ.' And thus, drying themselves, the individuals are vested, and afterwards are brought in the church.

"But the bishop, imposing his hand on them, prays by saying, 'Lord God, who made them worthy to merit the forgiveness of sins by the bath of rebirth of the Holy Spirit, send your grace onto them, that they may serve you according to your will. For to you is the glory, to the Father and to the Son with the Holy Spirit in the Holy Church, both now and for ever. Amen.'

"Afterwards, pouring the consecrated oil from his hand and imposing it on the neophyte's head, let him say, 'I anoint you with holy oil in the Lord, the Father Almighty, and Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.'

"And consigning the neophyte on the forehead, let him offer the kiss and say, 'The Lord be with you.'"

Origen (d. 253), Homily on Leviticus 9

"And don't be surprised that this sanctuary is reserved for priests alone. For all whoever have been anointed with the oil of sacred chrism have become priests, as also Peter says to the whole Church: 'You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation' (1 Pet 2:9). Therefore you are a 'priestly people,' and on that account you approach holy things."

Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit 15, 35 (c. 375)

(Basil argues that some practices come to us from traditions, not from specific writings. He illustrates with the details of the baptismal ritual.)

"We also bless the water of baptism, the oil of anointing, and even the baptized themselves. By virtue of what writings? Is it not by virtue of the protected, secret, and hidden tradition? Indeed! Even the oil of anointing, what written word has taught about that? The triple immersion, from where does it come? And everything that surrounds baptism: the renunciation of Satan and his angels-from what Scripture does that come?

"Is it not from that teaching held private and secret, which our fathers kept in silence, protected from anxiety and curiosity, knowing well that in keeping quiet one safeguards the sacred character of the mysteries? For how would it be reasonable to divulge by writing the instruction, that which is not permitted to the uninitiated to contemplate?"

Augustine, Sermon 227, 1 (c. 420)

"Baptism and water have come. You have been penetrated, as it were, so that you may come to the form of bread. But it is not yet bread without fire. What therefore does fire represent? It is chrism. For the oil of our fire is the sacrament of the Holy Spirit."

St. Peter Chrysologus, bishop of Ravenna (ca. 450 AD). Sermo 108: PL 52, 499-500.

"Listen now to what the Apostle urges us to do. I appeal to you, he says, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. By this exhortation of his, Paul has raised all men to priestly status.

"How marvelous is the priesthood of the Christian, for he is both the victim that is offered on his own behalf, and the priest who makes the offering. He does not need to go beyond himself to seek what he is to immolate to God: with himself and in himself he brings the sacrifice he is to offer God for himself. The victim remains and the priest remains, always one and the same. Immolated, the victim still lives: the priest who immolates cannot kill. Truly it is an amazing sacrifice in which a body is offered without being slain and blood is offered without being shed.

"The Apostle says: I appeal to you by the mercy of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Brethren, this sacrifice follows the pattern of Christ's sacrifice by which he gave his body as a living immolation for the life of the world. He really made his body a living sacrifice, because, though slain, he continues to live. In such a victim death receives its ransom, but the victim remains alive. Death itself suffers the punishment. This is why death for the martyrs is actually a birth, and their end a beginning. Their execution is the door to life, and those who were thought to have been blotted out from the earth shine brilliantly in heaven.

"Paul says: 'I appeal to you by the mercy of God to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living and holy. The prophet said the same thing: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but you have prepared a body for me. Each of us is called to be both a sacrifice to God and his priest. Do not forfeit what divine authority confers on you. Put on the garment of holiness, gird yourself with the belt of chastity. Let Christ be your helmet, let the cross on our forehead be your unfailing protection. Your breastplate should be the knowledge of God that he himself has given you. Keep burning continuously the sweet-smelling incense of prayer. Take up the sword of the Spirit. Let your heart be an altar. Then, with full confidence in God, present your body for sacrifice. God desires not death, but faith; God thirsts not for blood, but for self-surrender; God is appeased not by slaughter, but by the offering of your free will.'"

St. Leo the Great (d. 461), Sermon 4. (From Nov. 10, Office of Readings, Roman Breviary):

"In baptism the sign of the cross makes kings of all who are reborn in Christ, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit consecrates them priests. So, apart from the particular obligations of our ministry, any Christian who has the gifts of rational and of spiritual understanding knows he is a member of a kingly race and shares in the priestly office. For what could be more royal than a soul which by subjecting itself to God becomes ruler of its own body? Or what more priestly when it consecrates a pure conscience to God and offers on the altar of its heart the spotless sacrifice of its devotion?"

A Few Passages from the Summa, III

Q. 74, Art. 1. "Bread and wine are the proper matter of this sacrament. And the reasonableness of this is seen, first, in the use of this sacrament, which is eating: for, as water is used in the sacrament of Baptism for the purpose of spiritual cleansing, since bodily cleansing is commonly done with water; so bread and wine, wherewith men are commonly fed, are employed in this sacrament for the use of spiritual eating."

Q. 75, Art. 2, ad 3. "Christ's body is not in this sacrament in the same way as a body is in a place, which by its dimension is commensurate with the place; but in a special manner which is proper to this sacrament. Hence we say that Christ's body is upon many altars, not as in different places, but sacramentally: and thereby we do not understand that Christ is there only as in a sign, although a sacrament is a kind of sign; but that Christ's body is here after a fashion proper to this sacrament."

Q. 75, Art. 4. "Yet this change is not like natural changes, but is entirely supernatural, and effected by God's power alone. . . Hence this is not a formal, but a substantial conversion: nor is it a kind of natural movement: but, with a name of its own, it can be called transubstantiation."

Q. 75, Art. 5. "It is evident to sense that all the accidents of the bread and wine remain after the consecration. And this is reasonably done by Divine providence. First of all, because it is not customary, but horrible, for men to eat human flesh, and to drink blood. And therefore Christ's flesh and blood are set before us to be partaken of under the species of those things which are the more commonly used by men, namely, bread and wine."

Q. 76, Art. 1. (Whether the Whole Christ is Contained under This Sacrament?) Objection #2 says "Only the flesh and blood of Christ are contained in this sacrament. But there are many other parts of Christ's body, for instance, the nerves, bones, and such like." Thomas' response: "It is absolutely necessary to confess according to Catholic faith that the entire Christ is in this sacrament."

"Material food first changes into the one who eats it, and then, as a consequence, restores to him lost strength and increases his vitality. Spiritual food, on the other hand, changes the person who eats it into itself. Thus the effect proper to this Sacrament is the conversion of a man into Christ, so that he may no longer live, but Christ lives in him; consequently, it has the double effect of restoring the spiritual strength he had lost by his sins and defects, and of increasing the strength of his virtues." St. Thomas, Commentary on Book IV of the Sentences, d. 12, q. 2, a. 11.

This annotated bibliography is offered as a list of resources that may be of interest. The inclusion of a book on this list does not necessarily imply that I know it or endorse it. Call numbers listed are those of the University of Dallas Library. If your library does not have a book you want, try to obtain it through inter-library loan. For out-of-print titles (abbreviated opt), try Loome Theological Booksellers or Preserving Christian Publications. Many patristic writings and church documents can be viewed or downloaded free from a variety of web sites including www.ewtn.com

Roman Liturgical Texts, Instructions, and Commentaries Thereupon

Book of Blessings. ICEL translation of De Benedictionibus. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1989. Paperback edition of all the liturgical blessings of the Church for people, places, and objects (sacramentals). Contains official texts, commentary, and suggestions for celebration, 832pp. Available also from USCC & clothbound from Catholic Book Publishing Co. A smaller, shorter edition is available from the Catholic Book Publishing Company and is entitled Shorter Book of Blessings (576pp.!). It contains only the blessings done outside of Mass, so is ideal for Christian lay people to have at home. To compare with blessings of the Roman Ritual prior to 1962, see Practical Handbook of Rites: Blessings and Prayers, ed. Msgr. Richard T. Doherty (St. Paul: North Central Publishing Co, 1961) BQT 4273 P7 and BQT 4460 C2

Bouley, Allan, ed. Catholic Rites Today. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1992. 1 volume abridged version of the texts for the most important celebrations Roman Rite including the Eucharist and all the sacraments. No commentary but General Instruction of the Roman Missal & other introductions included. Affordably priced.

Bouyer, Louis. The Liturgy Revived: A Doctrinal Commentary on the Conciliar Constitution on the Liturgy. Notre Dame: Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1964. BX 830 A45 C62 1945. 107 pp. opt.

Canon Law Society of America. The Code of Canon Law: Text and Commentary. Ed. by James A. Coriden et al. NY: Paulist, 1985. Book IV is on sacraments & liturgy. Braniff Reference KBG .C62 1985.

Catechism of the Catholic Church. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Boston Pauline, 1994. Part Two, "The Celebration of the Christian Mystery," is on liturgy & sacraments. BXJ 959.3.E5 C38.

Flannery, Austin, ed. Vatican Council II: Conciliar and Post- Conciliar Documents. The Vatican Collection, vol. 1. Revised ed. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1992. Besides Sacrosanctum Concilium, this volume contains a number of post-conciliar documents on the revision of all the liturgical rites of the Western Church as mandated by the Council including the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

Flannery, Austin, ed. Vatican Council II: More Post-Conciliar Documents. The Vatican Collection, vol. 2. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1982. Contains post-conciliar documents on the new rites of Penance, Baptism, and the Anointing of the Sick as well as on the worship of the Eucharist. Blakely Reference BQX1134.F6.