Oil Dedicated to The Holy Family

Description

Oil Dedicated to The Holy Family is in honour of Jesus, Mary and Joseph of Nazareth.

The Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph comprise The Holy Family. Veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval. He was the first bishop of New France, who founded a Confraternity.

The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the Catholic Church. The primary purpose of this feast is to present the Holy Family as a model for Christian families.

The Feast is held on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s Day; If both are Sundays, the feast is celebrated on December 30th.

In scripture

The Gospels speak little of the life of the Holy Family in the years before Jesus’ public ministry.

Matthew and Luke narrate the episodes from this period of Christ’s life. These are his circumcision and later Presentation, the flight to Egypt. Also, the return to Nazareth, and the Finding in the Temple. Joseph and Mary were observant Jews. Luke narrates that they brought Jesus with them on the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem with other Jewish families.

Since the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar, the feast is celebrated on the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas[ The Sunday between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day (both exclusive). If both Christmas Day and the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God are Sundays, on 30 December. It is a holy day of obligation only if it falls on a Sunday.

Christian art

The Holy Family is a popular theme in Christian art. An oil painting by the Dutch Joos van Cleve, dated to about 1512, is on display at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Michelangelo’s tempera rendition (c. 1506) hangs in the Uffizi in Florence, Italy. A Holy Family by Giulio Romano is on view at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California.

A pious practice among Catholics is to write “J.M.J.” at the top of letters and personal notes as a reference to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the Holy Family.

Tradition of oils

The tradition of anointing with sacred oil is very old indeed. It is used in sacraments and also as a devotional practice. The sick person is invited to bless themselves on the part of their body they want to be healed. As they do so, they are asked to pray to whomever the water oil is dedicated to. The Irish blessings oils do not have miraculous power. It is God who has the power to heal. Applying the oil while praying are important ways for us to express our faith in God’s power. Moreover, by doing so we place our trust in God.

The Irish Blessings oils are dedicated to the Holy Spirit, Our Lady, and the saints. The oils come through prayer. They are placed on their designated altars for a period of prayer before being sent out. Each oil has its own designated essential oil added. The essential oils are of therapeutic quality.

The oils going out are accompanied with a prayer card. In addition, they are personalized for the saint to whom the oil is dedicated to.