On May 6th, the current King of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Realms, Charles III, will be crowned. In the ceremony, he will be consecrated with an oil presented in Jerusalem, Israel.
What is happening:
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year, Prince Charles III assumed the throne of the royal family. Now, the coronation will take place, which involves a spiritual tradition in which the king is anointed with oil extracted from the Mount of Olives. The process for obtaining the element involves the press, located in the region of Belém, and the addition of spices that promote an aroma (among them: rose, jasmine, cinnamon and orange blossom).
The symbol of the ceremony also associates King Charles’ relationship with the Holy Land. It is worth remembering that Princess Alice, the monarch’s grandmother, was buried in Jerusalem. During World War II, with the persecution of the Jews, she took care of a Jewish family in Greece.
Likewise, other kings and queens were consecrated with oils extracted from the Mount of Olives. This was the case with Queen Elizabeth II, for example.
Holy Oil in the Bible:
In Scripture, oil represents the presence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, this sacred element appears in several biblical episodes. For example, when the prophet Samuel anointed David king (1 Samuel 16), when the priests were sanctified to serve in the Tabernacle by anointing their heads with oil (Exodus 19:7), when God instructed the creation of the lampstand in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-40) or when the Apostle James instructed that the sick be anointed with consecrated oil to be healed (James 5:14).
It is also interesting to remember that the Lord Jesus spent the last moments before the crucifixion on the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39). The Bible explains that He became a curse in our place (Galatians 3:13) and bruise Him (Isaiah 53:10), just as olives are pressed in the process of making oil (it was a symbol of what happened to Him in that place: the beginning of His sacrifice for our sins).
Thus, the act of anointing with consecrated oil is very important in the Christian life. As it is written: “Let your garments always be white,
And let your head lack no oil.“. (Ecclesiastes 9:8). In other words: remain in obedience to God and seek communion with the Holy Spirit so that He is always present in you.
It is worth remembering that, annually, the holy oil of Israel is distributed at Universal. Stay tuned, because soon this distribution will happen.
