Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints is a blessing and a hindrance to knowledge. Growing up I take so many things for granted and don't stop to question why. Of course some of the truths I know were acquired through others searching and teaching and some through actual searching of my own.
Tonight, sick and thoughtful in the dark, I gained some insight when Jeffrey gave me a blessing of healing. As he put the drop of Extra virgin olive oil on my head and gave me a blessing, he said, ".... this is a representation of the atonement of Jesus Christ.....". As my mind wandered around looking for the meaning behind the symbolism, the words of a hymn stuck in my mind. "He shed a thousand drops for you, a thousand drops of precious blood..." Olive oil in blessings is used because of the symbol of great agony in the redemptive process. In order to get the purest oil, olives are pressed with a great weight or stone to crush them and the oil comes out the bottom of the press and is extracted. The weight of sins of the world pressed down on Christ as he shed blood from every pour. When the men with the priesthood authority of God use the olive oil that has been consecrated for that use, they are calling on the power of the physical (and sometimes spiritual) redemptive blood that Christ shed for us, just a drop of his power to heal in this instance. Awesome.
