ASK FATHER: Blessing of olive oil and incense

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

Hello Father, I would like to start occasionally using incense at home for my private devotions as well as lighting a couple oil vigil lamps by icons hanging on my walls. Do you have any blessings for these two items (incense and olive oil) that I can print off and bring to my Priest to use to bless these items for me?

We Catholics bless all sorts of things for our daily use.

Or we used to.

You can check out the traditional Rituale Romanum for many blessings of even quite ordinary things.  The nice folks at St. John Cantius put the Rituale on line so you can (and you could have) look things up on your own.

That said, I do like the prayers for the blessing of oil.   As in the case of water and salt… such basic elements… the priest first addressed the oil personally, with the “you” form in the second person.  He exorcises it, thus tearing it away from the foul clutches of the prince of this world and his evil cohorts, if they’ve gotten their clutches on it – the agents of the Devil are known even to curse foods in the production, transport and sales stages … yes… it’s true – say your prayers before eating.  Then he blesses it, transferring it to the King of all things.

Let’s have a look.  This, friends, is a super Catholic prayer!

8. BLESSING OF OIL

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

God’s creature, oil, I cast out the demon from you by God the Father almighty, who made heaven and earth and sea, and all that they contain. Let the adversary’s power, the devil’s legions, and all Satan’s attacks and machinations be dispelled and driven afar from this creature, oil. Let it bring health in body and mind to all who use it, in the name of God the Father almighty, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, as well as in the love of the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who is coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire.

All: Amen.

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Lord God almighty, before whom the hosts of angels stand in awe, and whose heavenly service we acknowledge; may it please you to regard favorably and to bless and hallow this creature, oil, which by your power has been pressed from the juice of olives. You have ordained it for anointing the sick, so that, when they are made well, they may give thanks to you, the living and true God. Grant, we pray, that those who will use this oil, which we are blessing in your name, may be delivered from all suffering, all infirmity, and all wiles of the enemy. Let it be a means of averting any kind of adversity from man, made in your image and redeemed by the precious blood of your Son, so that he may never again suffer the sting of the ancient serpent; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water.

I almost always use Latin when I bless things, because the Devil hates it.  Also, I always use only the older Rituale Romanum.

For incense, there is the one on Epiphany for Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, but the priest can always use the

29. BLESSING OF ANYTHING

This form may be used by any priest for the blessing of anything that does not have its own special blessing in the Roman Ritual.

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

God, whose word suffices to make all things holy, pour out your blessing on this object (these objects); and grant that anyone who uses it (them) with grateful heart and in keeping with your law and will, may receive from you, its (their) Maker, health in body and protection of soul by calling on your holy name; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

It (they) is (are) sprinkled with holy water.

Click

Pastors of parishes (and lay people too) would do well to get a calendar for a year or more and write down dates which have special blessings for things.  For example, wine on the Feast of St. John the Apostle, candles on St. Blaise along with bread, wine, water and fruit,  bonfires on the Vigil of the Nativity of John the Baptist, herbs on Assumption, seeds and seedlings on Nativity of Mary.  We have blessings for places and machines and people, especially in important moments such as when women are pregnant or after they have had a baby (alive or stillborn).   There are special blessings for infants and small children, when alone or in groups, when healthy or ill. Pilgrims can receive a special blessing before they set out.   There are even deprecatory prayers against things such as pests (rats and bugs, not liberals) and storms and diseases and floods.

On the flood point, I once mentioned here that a bishop go to bless a river about to break dikes in a flood stage and to use older Rituale.  I was later told that he did and the river subsided.  I myself once was watching TV coverage of a terrible storm with tornadoes tracking directly at my house.  I got out the Ritual and went through the Litany with the prayers against a storm and then watched on the TV at the storm split and went around north and south of where I lived as the weather man said how strange it was.

Holy Church gives us these things so that they will be used when we need them.

We should have a greater awareness of sacramentals and blessings and priests should talk about them more.  You all can help be asking for things to be blessed.  It may be that Father doesn’t know how to do things like this, so make it easy for him.  Get him books, for example.

NB: ORDINATION SEASON is upon us.

Are you looking for a gift for a new priest (or an older priest)?

Get him a set of Weller’s translation (with the Latin) of the traditional Roman Ritual.

US HERE  UK HERE

If you want your priests to do things, make sure they have the tools, such as books or fine vestments, etc.

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