Agnus Dei, Blessing of the

AGNUS DEI, BENEDICTION of the. — The a. D. currently in use are white-wax medallions, oval in shape and of varying size, blessed by the Supreme Pontiff on particular occasions. On one side they bear the image of the Paschal Lamb with the cross and around it the inscription Ecce Agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi, and on the other that of a saint or of some special event.

Scholars do not agree in determining their origin. It seems unlikely that it goes back to the custom among the faithful of preserving fragments of the Paschal candle, to which special protection was attributed. What can be affirmed with certainty is the Christian, probably Roman, origin of the a. D.; and that one should not go beyond the ninth century: indeed, an Ordo Romanus of the period speaks of them clearly, and Amalarius and the pseudo-Alcuin allude to them. In ancient times the blessing of the a. D. took place at the Lateran, performed by the archdeacon, on Holy Saturday. In the presence of the Pope, the archdeacon, dressed in a dalmatic, received from the Pontiff the sacred chrism in a silver ampulla, which he poured into a cauldron of liquefied wax. The a. D. were made from this wax and distributed to the faithful on Low Sunday after the Agnus Dei of the papal Mass. The oldest known ones date back to the time of Giovanni XXII (1316–34) and Gregorio IX (1227–41). Subsequently, the Supreme Pontiffs reserved the blessing of the a. D. to themselves and granted the Cistercian monks of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme the privilege of preparing them.

In the present rite, which dates back to the sixteenth century, holy water, chrism, and balsam are used for the blessing. In the first year of his pontificate, during the octave of Easter, the Supreme Pontiff performs the solemn blessing of the a. D., and renews it every seven years. The ceremony consists of three prayers addressed to—

…distinctly to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, by which the Agnus Dei and the water into which the chrism and balsam are poured are blessed; then they are immersed in this blessed water. When they are removed, the Easter hymn Ad regias Agni dapes is sung. At other times as well, the solemn blessing of the Agnus Dei is performed, namely when the supply has been exhausted, or on the occasion of special solemnities or anniversaries. The Agnus Dei consecrated in this manner are sacramentals and objects of devotion for the faithful. The leaflet that customarily accompanies their distribution enumerates the benefits conferred upon them by the prayers of the Church, such as: freeing the faithful from every evil, every danger, and every snare of the devil; awakening remembrance of our Redemption and contrition for sins; and obtaining from divine goodness the remission of the faults committed. Every element that contributes to the making of the Agnus Dei is filled with mystical significance; and the prayers of the blessing themselves allude to this symbolism.