Chrismation is the seal of the gift that we received in Baptism. It manifests that every baptized person receives the coming of the Holy Spirit, as did the apostles at Pentecost. This anointing by the Holy Spirit indicates that every Christian is born to new life in Christ and becomes a child of the Father in order to take part in the royal, priestly, and prophetic ministry of Christ for the salvation of the world. (Christ – Our Pascha, 424)
Through Chrismation the gift of the Holy Spirit is sealed so that the Christian can “become Christ our God’s courageous and victorious competitor,” ready “to suffer and die out of love for him.” Through “growth in virtue” he or she can attain full maturity “to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Eph 4:13). This is accomplished in the Christian “through the power, action, grace, and descent of the Most Holy Spirit.” (Christ – Our Pascha, 426)
Just as after Christ’s baptism in the Jordan the Holy Spirit led Christ in his salvific mission, and just as the Spirit leads the Church community since the descent on the apostles at Pentecost, so also in the Mystery of Chrismation the Holy Spirit grants to every Christian the capacity to discern and realize the foundational calling (vocation) of his or her life for the salvation and transfiguration of the world. (Christ – Our Pascha, 427)
Holy Chrism, a fragrant mixture of oils and other aromatic components, symbolizes the richness and diversity of the spiritual gifts which the Holy Spirit grants to the newborn in Christ. “Beware of supposing that this oil [i.e., Chrism] is mere ointment. Just as after the invocation of the Holy Spirit the Eucharistic bread is no longer ordinary bread but the Body of Christ, so this holy oil, in conjunction with the invocation, is no longer simple or common oil but becomes the gracious gift of Christ and the Holy Spirit, producing the advent of his divinity.” (Christ – Our Pascha, 428)
During the Rite of Chrismation, the priest anoints the newly baptized on the forehead, eyes, nostrils, lips, ears, breast, hands, and feet. He proclaims: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Thus, “in every word and deed” the newly baptized is to please God and become “a son (or daughter) and heir” of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit transfigures the thoughts, feelings, and deeds of those who are members of the kingdom. (Christ – Our Pascha, 429)