The Orthodox Catechism gives the following definition of this sacrament: consecration of oil there is a sacrament in which, when anointing the body with oil, the grace of God is invoked on the sick person, healing mental and physical infirmities.

Another name for the sacrament of consecration of oil is unction, because according to ancient custom it is performed by a council of seven priests, whom the Apostle James commanded to gather to perform the sacrament. But if necessary, the sacrament can be performed by one priest. The sacrament of consecration of oil is also called “Holy oil”, “anointing with oil” () and “prayer oil”, as well as “unction of oil” - after the meeting, “council” of the elders who perform it.

If, as a result of all the sacred rites of the sacrament, a person does not receive visible healing, this does not mean that the unction had no results. In the words of St. Ephraim the Syrian, “In every possible way, God shows that He is a merciful Giver of blessings. He bestows His love on us and shows us His mercy. Therefore, he does not answer any incorrect prayer, the fulfillment of which would bring us death and destruction. However, even in this case, refusing what we asked for (for example, indispensable healing from bodily illnesses through the sacrament of consecration of oil), does not leave us without a very useful gift (through illness and the sacrament, purely cleansing the human soul). And by the very same thing that removes harmful things from us, He already opens for us the door of His bounties.”

Highlights visible side of the sacrament anointings are:

1) sevenfold anointing of parts of the patient’s body with consecrated oil (forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, chest and hands). Each of the seven anointings is preceded by the reading of the Apostle, the Gospel, a short litany and a prayer for the healing of the sick and the forgiveness of his sins;

2) the prayer of faith said by the priest when anointing the sick person;

3) placing the Gospel on the head of the sick person with the letters facing down;

4) prayer for absolution from sins.

Invisible Action God's grace, served in the sacrament of consecration of oil, is that

1) the patient receives healing and reinforcement to endure illness;

2) forgotten and unconscious sins are forgiven.

Establishment of the Sacrament of Anointing

Like all the sacraments of the Orthodox Church, the Blessing of Anointing has a divinely ordained character. The holy evangelist Matthew testifies to this, speaking about how Christ sent the apostles to do the work of grace: “And having called His twelve disciples, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every infirmity” (Matthew 10; 1). At the same time, the apostles were given direct instructions: “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers” (Matthew 10: 8). A little later, the rite of the sacrament of consecration of oil began to take shape, a more or less detailed initial outline of which is given by the Apostle James in his letter: “Is any of you sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5; 14, 15).

Mental and physical illnesses are provoked by human sinful nature. The source of disease, according to the teachings of the Church, lies in sin. The dependence of bodily illnesses on sin is clearly visible in the Gospel story about the paralytic: “And they came to Him with a paralytic, whom four were carrying... Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic: child! Your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2: 3-5). And only after the forgiveness of his sins did the paralytic receive healing: “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic: I say to you, get up, take up your bed and go to your house” (Mark 2:10, eleven). That is why the apostles sent by the Savior “went and preached repentance; They cast out many demons and anointed and healed many sick people” (Mark 6: 12-13).

Of course, not all illnesses are a direct consequence of sin. But illnesses and sorrows sent for the purpose of improving the soul are the lot (and then in rare cases) of people of high spiritual life. The Holy Scriptures give the following examples: first of all, this is the illness of the Old Testament sufferer Job, as well as the fate of the Gospel blind man, about whom the Savior, before healing him, said: “Neither he nor his parents sinned, but this was so that in him the works of God appeared” (John 9:3). And yet, the vast majority of diseases, especially in the modern world, are recognized as a consequence of sin, and this is clearly visible in the rite of the Blessing of Anointing.

The healing of a person performed in this sacrament is not limited to the restoration of his physical health, but also helps to change his worldview and attitude towards illness and suffering. The purpose and content of unction is not only to gain health, but also to join in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (See: Rom. 14; 17).

When resorting to unction, it is necessary to remember that a person is still mortal, and the moment will come when he will have to leave this world. And often in the sacrament of consecration of oil the will of God for the sick person is revealed: “As a result, a person is either healed and returns to participation in the life of the Church, or resigns himself to the permission of death to destroy the corruptible body, no longer unnecessary for the earthly Church and the hidden ways of God” (A. S. Khomyakov ). But even in this case, the person on whom the sacrament is performed is given a great gift: his soul appears before its Creator, cleansed of sins that are hidden even to itself.

Superstitions associated with the sacrament of anointing

Unfortunately, persistent prejudices are associated with the sacrament of consecration of oil, which repel the faint-hearted from the very possibility of resorting to the saving influence of God's grace. Such superstitions are afraid of Unction, believing that this is the “last sacrament” and it will hasten the death of themselves or the relatives who receive it. But the life span of any person depends only on the will of the Heavenly Father who loves him, Who often sends him bodily illness to admonish him and change his life. And the Lord can prolong the life of a dying person for the purpose of allowing him to adequately prepare for the transition to eternity.

The practice of administering unction only to the dying, almost universally established in the 18th-19th centuries, is fundamentally incorrect and does not correspond to the understanding of the sacrament in the ancient Church. Therefore, everyone (from the age of seven) can resort to Unction in any illness. The 19th-century Orthodox writer E. Poselyanin wrote about who else can and should receive unction: “It is not at all said that the disease must be fatal, or that the person should be in a helpless state. We must not forget that in Christianity, mental suffering is also recognized as a disease... So, if I suffer in spirit from the death of loved ones, from grief, if I need some kind of gracious push to gather my strength and remove the shackles of despair, I can resort to Unction."

Superstitions associated with the consecration of oil also include fantasies, which, according to the words of the Apostle Paul, should not be accepted under any circumstances: “Stop worthless women’s fables” (1 Tim. 4:7). These are “opinions” that a person who has recovered after the Blessing of Anointing can never again eat meat; that one must fast, in addition to Wednesday and Friday, also on Monday; that he cannot have marital relations, should not go to the bathhouse, etc. These fables undermine faith in the gracious power of the sacrament and destroy the spiritual life of the person who accepts these fabrications. In addition, they introduce temptation into the minds of “outsiders”, those who do not belong to the Church, but who sympathize with it.

It should also be noted that consecration of oil, as spiritual healing, does not eliminate the forces and laws of physical nature. It, while providing grace-filled help to the person who resorts to it, does not at all cancel the use of medicines given by the Lord for the healing of diseases. Therefore, the “pious” advice “not to take medicine” after the sacrament has been performed on a sick person should not be heeded.

In some places there is a practice of washing (that is, washing away) the holy oil that was applied to the members of the sick person during the sacrament of anointing. Such actions also have no canonical basis.

Among the customs that are not confirmed in the practice of the ancient Church is the one when consecrated oil is poured onto the body of a person who died shortly after the Unction. But it is not the dead who need to be anointed with oil, but the living, so the relatives of the deceased must refuse such rituals ().

History of the formation of the rite of anointing

In the original Church, the rite of the Blessing of Anointing was simple. It consisted of two parts: a prayer of faith and anointing with oil in the name of the Lord. In addition to these key moments, the rite of the sacrament included several psalms and prayers during the consecration of the oil and during the anointing of the sick person with it.

The sick person himself called the clergy to perform the sacrament. But at the same time, the clergy of the Church were charged with the duty of “visiting everyone who needs to be visited,” and the deacons were charged with reporting to their bishop about everyone “who is in painful oppression of the spirit” (). After such a message, the bishop or the presbyter sent by him went to the sick person and performed the sacrament of consecration of oil on him.

Starting from the 6th century, the practice of healing the sick in private homes gave way to performing Unction in churches. The reason for this was two main factors.

1. First of all, this is the established organic connection between the sacrament of anointing and the subsequent liturgy, which by that time was performed almost exclusively in churches.

2. The construction of hospitals at churches further contributed to the rooting of the custom of consecrating oil within the walls of the church.

Since the 13th century, the practice of performing Unction has undergone significant changes. If before this time the order of the sacrament was strictly tied to the services of the daily circle (vespers, matins and liturgy), then starting from the period described it becomes “independent”. This means that the sacrament is performed after the above-mentioned services of the daily circle. This is evidenced by the 13th century manuscript of the Lavra of St. Athanasius on Athos: “On the same day when the Blessing of Anointing is prescribed, seven presbyters gather and perform vespers with a requiem and sing the canon. At the end of Matins, the seven presbyters liturgize [liturgisate – perform liturgy] in various churches, and then gather in one and here perform the holy oil.”

The oldest Russian lists of the rite of blessing of oil date back to the 14th century. This is what the sacrament of anointing looks like in them.

1. On the eve of the Blessing of Anointing, Vespers was sung, adapted for the celebration of the sacrament. In particular, the stichera on “Lord, I cried” and the stichera “on the poem” () contained a prayer for the sick; after “Now You Let Go” and “Our Father,” they sang a troparion to the unmercenaries, who were considered healers of bodily ailments. At the special litany, prayers were also said for the sick.

2. In the morning, on the day of the sacrament of the Blessing of Anointing, a number of services were performed: the so-called Agripnia (special service for the sick), Matins and Liturgy:

a) the main component of agrypnia were the canons, one of which was for unmercenaries. During the canons, after the 3rd, 6th and 9th cantos, small litanies were read and special prayers were read for the sick and for the consecration of oil;

b) at Matins, performed in the usual manner, several prayers for the sick were also added;

c) at the Liturgy, one of the three prosphoras used at the proskomedia was intended for the sick.

3. After the great litany, a table and a vessel were placed in the middle of the church; After censing, the primate pronounced the great litany with petitions for the sick and prayers over the oil, then poured part of the oil into the prepared vessel. The other 6 priests did the same.

4. The priests lit candles; 7 Apostles, 7 Gospels and 7 prayers were read. After the 7th prayer, the Gospel was placed on the patient’s head, and the priests placed their right hand.

5. Sevenfold (from each priest separately) anointing occurred at the end of the Liturgy, after the “Our Father.” Then the prayer was read seven times: “Holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies...”, and stichera were sung in the choir. In all likelihood, the patient received the Holy Mysteries at the same Liturgy.

Obviously, this practice of performing the sacrament of anointing had a number of practical inconveniences: these are significant distances to churches; and the physical impossibility for a seriously ill person to endure hours-long services (one of which was held the night before) preceding the sacrament itself. Moreover, seven priests could not always and not everywhere gather for a whole day to anoint one sick person. In view of all this, the blessing of oil was sometimes separated from public worship and performed separately either in a church or in a private home. One of the Serbian sources indicates exactly how the anointing was performed during the period described: “by the head and by the heart, and by all the joints that hurt.”

Lists of various editions date back to the 15th – 16th centuries, containing some now unknown details of the sacrament. In particular, there was a special short edition for the case of Anointing in mortal danger, in which even the usual septenary was not preserved either in the readings (in prayers, in the Apostles, in the Gospels) or in the number of anointings. There were lists in which special Apostles and Gospels were relied upon for the Anointing of Women (about the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (See: Matt. 8; 14, 15), about the healing of a bleeding woman (See: Mark 5: 25-34), about the resurrection of her daughter Jairus (See: Luke 8; 40-56)).

In some lists you can see a description of the following custom: “after the priest’s hands are released, they will anoint each other (and) all those who require this blessing; The anointings say: “The blessing of the Lord God our Savior for the healing of the soul and body of Your servant (name), always, now...”

And in one of the lists of the 16th century there is the following remarkable detail: “if the consecration of oil takes place on Maundy Thursday or on Holy Saturday, then in the middle of the prayer “Master of Merciful...” they kiss the Holy Gospel, and after kissing the saint or abbot anoints the brethren with holy oil, and, Having made the petition, thanking God, we go to our homes for all who have been anointed. All the priests will rise up, taking up their clubs, even if there are lists, and they will go through all the cells and anoint them over the doors and inside on all the walls, writing a cross, saying: the blessing of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ on this house, always, now...” The custom of anointing the doors and walls of houses with oil, noted in this list, undoubtedly had its significance: the cross depicted with oil was perceived as a shield against illnesses and temptations, which were attributed to the action of an evil spirit. It can be assumed that this custom is a reflection of the Old Testament event: the anointing of the doors, which the Jews performed on the night before the exodus from Egypt to protect their firstborn from the Angel of Death.

The final rite of blessing of oil took shape in the 17th century. During the long period of its existence, it shared a common fate with all other rites of the sacraments, sometimes becoming more complex and expanding in its composition, sometimes shrinking.

Performers of the Sacrament of Anointing

As already noted, the sacrament of anointing must be performed by a council of priests, which is composed of seven people. The number seven in this case, according to Blessed Simeon of Thessalonica, is determined by the following biblical transformations.

1. The sevenfold number of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, mentioned by the prophet Isaiah.

2. The Jewish priests walked around Jericho seven times, after which the walls of the besieged city collapsed.

3. The sevenfold number of prayers and worship of the prophet Elisha at the resurrection of the youth of the Somanite widow.

4. The sevenfold number of prayers of the prophet Elijah, after which the sky opened and rain fell.

5. The sevenfold number of immersions of Naaman the Syrian in the water of the Jordan, after which he was purified.

In addition, the historical basis of the number seven can be believed in the custom of ancient Christians, in particular clergy, to visit the sick to pray for them for seven days in a row.

But the Church allows the sacrament of anointing to be performed by three or two priests, and in extreme cases, even one. At the same time, the one performing the sacrament must do this on behalf of the council of priests, saying all the prayers, as many as there are. The New Tablet says this: “In extreme need, one priest who performs the sacrament of consecration of oil does it with the power of the entire Church, of which he is a servant and of which he represents himself: for all the power of the Church is contained in one priest.”

About the supplies for performing the sacrament of anointing

Both when performing the sacrament in the temple, and when performing it at home, the following items and accessories are used.

1. A table covered with a clean tablecloth.

2. A dish with wheat grains (if you don’t have them, you can use other grains: rye, millet, rice, etc.).

3. A lamp-shaped vessel (or just a clean glass) for blessing the oil.

4. Seven pods (sticks wrapped in cotton wool).

5. Seven candles.

6. Pure oil (olive oil), and in its absence, Vaseline, sunflower or other vegetable oils in a separate vessel.

7. A small amount of red wine, which after consecration is poured into the oil.

On the mentioned table, the priest from among those performing the sacrament places the Holy Gospel and the required cross with the Crucifixion. The attire of the clergy consists of an epitrachelion, armbands and a light-colored phelonion. During the ceremony of the sacrament of anointing, censer, incense and coals are used to incense the temple and those ahead. The sacrament is performed according to the order set forth in the Trebnik.

After the sacrament has been performed, it is usually recommended that the remaining oil be used to anoint the sick parts of the body directly affected by the disease. This must be done with faith and reverence. In addition, the oil remaining after the sacrament can simply be burned in a lamp.

If the oil thickens over time, it should be placed in clean paper or a new linen or cotton rag and burned; the resulting ashes must be buried in an “untrampled place,” that is, where the ground is not trampled by people or animals. Nowadays, many churches have special ovens for burning “dilapidated”, that is, those that are no longer suitable for natural use, shrines. Parishioners of such churches can give the oil that has become unusable “to be burned” in the church furnace.

The pods should also be burned either in a church oven, or in the same house where the Blessing of Anointing was performed. They must be burned after the service. They do the same with the ashes, that is, they bury them in an “untrampled place.”

About those approaching the sacrament of anointing

Under certain conditions, all Christians of the Orthodox confession who have reached the age of seven can begin the sacrament of anointing. However, they do not necessarily have to be susceptible to physical or mental illness. After all, such a spiritual state as despondency, sorrow or despair can become a consequence of unrepentant sins that are not realized by the person himself. Therefore, Unction can also be performed on physically healthy people who are susceptible to such conditions. There are traditions of performing general unction on both sick and healthy people on the Worship of the Cross () or on Holy (Holy) Week on the eve of Maundy Thursday or Great Saturday.

Thus, under certain circumstances, all Christians are recommended to begin the sacrament of anointing.

1. Those who are sick. The letter of the Apostle James mentioned above - the first call to resort to the sacrament of consecration of oil - is addressed to the one who “hurts within you.” This is natural, because the purpose of performing the sacrament is healing from physical and mental illnesses. We find evidence of this in Victor, presbyter of Antioch (5th century), who writes: “Anointing oil signifies the mercy of God and the healing of illness and enlightenment of the heart. And prayer does all this, and oil is a symbol of this.” And in the confession of Mitrofan Kritopoulo there are the following lines: “This Prayer Oil is not called the last anointing; for we do not expect the death of the sick person and do not come for this, but having good hopes for his recovery, we take advantage of this sacrament and mysterious sacred rite, asking God to heal him and for the sake of speedy driving away the disease. And therefore, not once, but often in life we ​​have to use it: and no matter how often we get sick, we use it so often.”

2. Physically healthy. The performance of the sacrament of anointing on healthy people has been attested to in liturgical monuments since the 10th century. They say that along with the sick person on whom the oil was performed, his household members were also anointed with oil. In addition to the “accompanying” anointing of the healthy, in the Greek Church the sacrament was performed deliberately over them. The Jerusalem Charter prescribed the Rite of Anointing to be performed equally by “the healthy and the sick.” In addition to the fact that Unction was performed on individuals, general anointing with oil was performed on certain days of the year. Since the 17th century in Rus', general blessing of oil was performed on the healthy in all cathedrals and monasteries. But by the end of the 18th century it was performed only in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and some other monasteries and cities. Nowadays such general Unction is performed on the Worship of the Cross or Holy Week and on the eve of Holy Thursday or Holy Saturday. To perform the Blessing of Anointing on physically healthy people on other days, one should receive the blessing of the diocesan bishop. The sacrament is performed over healthy people in the temple.

The sacrament is not performed

1) over patients who are unconscious;

2) over violent mental patients;

3) the priest is prohibited from performing the Blessing of Anointing on himself.

The sacrament can be repeated over the same person, but not during the same continuously ongoing illness. Nowadays, it is widely practiced to perform the Blessing of Anointing simultaneously on several sick people with one rite and one oil.

The sacrament for sick people is usually performed in church, but if it is impossible to deliver a seriously ill person, it can also be given at home. When unction is combined with confession and Communion of the sick person, then first the sequence of confession is performed, then the consecration of oil and, finally, the Communion of the Holy Mysteries.

In case of mortal danger, immediately after confession, a shortened rite of Communion is performed, and if the patient has not yet lost consciousness, the sacrament of anointing is performed over him. It is considered perfect if the priest, after consecrating the oil, manages to read the secret prayer over the sick person at least once and anoint the parts of the body indicated in the sequence. In the absence of mortal danger for the patient, the sacrament of the Blessing of Anointing is not combined with the Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, although preliminary confession is desirable.

About the place and time of the sacrament

The sacrament of consecration of oil is performed in Orthodox churches, and, if necessary, in the home of a patient or in a hospital. The time of its celebration can be any day of the church year and any time of the day or night. In case of mortal danger to the patient, the sacrament must be performed by the priest immediately.

About the substance of consecration of oil and its use in the rites of the sacrament

The substance of the sacrament is oil (oil), which for the ancients was a special substance that had exceptional significance in their lives. Oil has already been discussed before, in the chapter “Consecration of Oil” in the sacrament of baptism. Here we can only add that its unique natural properties, such as fluidity, flammability, softening and preservative qualities, immiscibility with water, determined its widest use in various areas of ancient man’s life - from cooking to medicine.

As can be seen from the writings of Galen and Celsus, the ancient Greeks and Romans attached great importance to rubbing with various oils for healing from many diseases. In ancient Israel, the healing properties of the oil were used as one of the means of cleansing lepers (See: Lev. 14; 15-18).

In addition to oil, several other components are used in the sacrament of consecration of oil, which are worth special mention. These are wine, water and wheat. For the first time, manuscripts from the 12th century speak of the use of water and wine in the sacrament of holy oil. According to them, when performing prayer oil in the Sinai Monastery, Epiphany water and wine were poured into the lamp. In Slavic handwritten Trebniks, the use of wine is noted along with oil. In a 15th-century source belonging to the Sofia Library, we read about the performance of the sacrament: “We place a table in the middle, it is covered clean, on it is a dish with wheat, in it is a candilo with wine, and if there is no wine, then there is water.”

Thus, both wine and water had, according to the compilers of the rite of the sacrament, the same healing properties. Now water is practically not used in the sacrament of consecration of oil. This happens only in those places of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church where wine is rare or where the tradition of drinking water has been preserved since ancient times.

Wheat used in the sacrament has its own symbolism: renewal of physical and spiritual life and hope for a future resurrection.

Rite of the Sacrament of Anointing

“The service of the holy oil, sung from seven priests assembled in a church or in a house.”

Scheme of the rite of consecration of oil

“Following the Holy Oil” is conventionally divided into three parts.

1. Prayer singing

The initial cry: “Blessed is our God...”.

Choir: Amen.

“Ordinary beginning”: Trisagion after “Our Father...” ()

Psalm 142.

Small Litany.

Alleluia.

Repentant troparia.

Psalm 50.

Canon with irmos: “The sea of ​​​​the red abyss...”.

Trisagion according to “Our Father...”.

Troparion: “Swift in intercession...”

2. Blessing of the oil

Peaceful (great) litany.

Prayer for the blessing of oil.

Troparions to the Lord, the Mother of God, and the saints.

3. Anointing the sick person with oil

Prokeimenon, Apostle, Gospel.

A special litany.

Prayer of one of the seven priests.

Anointing the sick person while reading the prayer “Holy Father...”.

Placing the Gospel on the head of the sick person while reading the prayer “Holy King...”.

A special litany.

Asking the sick for forgiveness from the priests.

Prayer singing

Prayer singing - the first part of the rite - is a shortening of Matins, performed during the days of fasting. The priests (or priest) performing the sacrament stand in front of the table facing the icons, holding unlit candles in their hands. One of the clergy burns the icons, the table on which the Holy Gospel and all the accessories lie, as well as the sick person.

The service begins with the exclamation of the priest: “Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

Chorus: "Amen."

Then the “usual beginning” is read: the Trisagion according to “Our Father”, the composition of the prayers in which is described above.

“Lord, have mercy” – 12 times;

"Glory, even now";

“Come, let us worship...” (three times).

Psalm 142: “Lord, hear my prayer...” helps a person to realize his current situation and the state in which he resorts to this saving sacrament: “Lord! Hear my prayer... The enemy pursues my soul, trampled my life into the ground, forced me to live in darkness, like those long dead, and my spirit became sad within me, my heart became numb within me.”

The ritual of the sacrament continues with the theme of repentance and awareness of one’s weakness. Hallelujah sounds, its repentant verses: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak” and immediately the repentant troparia (“Have mercy on us, O Lord”) and Psalm 50 are sung – the pinnacle of the penitential psalms of King David.

After the repentant troparions and the 50th psalm, the canon about oil is sung. In it, the priests ask the Lord to “with the oil of compassion comfort the souls ... and human bodies” and “to give grace from above to the afflicted.” In the “prayer of oil” there are petitions: “With ineffable love, Most Gracious Lord, show mercy to Thy servant, with the cover of Thy glory grant him health and relief from ailments.”

Next follow the stichera, in which the same thought is expressed: “By the anointing of Thy oil and the priests, O Lover of mankind, by the touch of Thy servant sanctify from above, free the ailments of freedom, cleanse spiritual filth..., deliver from temptations, the situation of marriage [The situation of marriage - drive away trouble], consume sorrows [ Consume - destroy]...".

The prayer service ends with prayers: the Trisagion according to “Our Father” and the singing of the troparion “Swift in intercession...”.

Blessing of anointing oil

The litany is proclaimed: “Let us pray to the Lord in peace,” in which the petition sounds: “To be blessed with this oil, with the power and effect and influx of the Holy Spirit.”

The oil for consecration is poured into an empty vessel (qandilo) standing in the wheat; wine is added there and mixed with a spoon. The wine added to the oil symbolizes the Blood of Christ shed by Him on the Cross. Then seven candles located around the oil and all those candles held by those present are lit.

The leading priest begins to read the “prayer of oil,” and the concelebrating priests echo him in a low voice, reading the same prayer. In prayer they ask that the Lord Himself consecrate this oil for the healing of the anointed one and for the cleansing of all passion and defilement of the flesh and spirit, and all evil. After the prayer, troparia are sung - to Christ the Savior, the holy Apostle James, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Demetrius the Myrrh-Streamer, the healer Panteleimon, the holy unmercenaries, St. John the Theologian and the Most Holy Theotokos.

Anointing the sick with oil

The third part of the rite of the sacrament of consecration of oil includes the sevenfold anointing of parts of the sick body with consecrated oil (forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, chest and hands). Moreover, each of these seven anointings is preceded by the reading of the Apostle, the Gospel, a short litany and a prayer for the healing of the sick and the forgiveness of his sins.

First reading. The deacon, reader or priest himself, after the proclamation of the prokemna, begins the first reading from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle James on the establishment of the sacrament of consecration of oil (James 5; 10-16). Then the chief presbyter reads the First Gospel (Luke 10; 25-37) about the Samaritan, facing the sick man. Following this, the same presbyter in prayer asks the Lord to make him a worthy servant of the New Testament and to create the oil prepared for the sick, the oil of gladness, the robe of royalty, the armor of strength, to drive away all the devil’s actions, an innocuous seal, eternal joy.

After this, a special litany is said, and then the priest reads the first prayer. The first anointing of the sick person with consecrated oil is performed. This is done by the priest who read the first Gospel. Taking the pod in his hand, he dips it in the oil and anoints his forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, chest and arms (on the inside and back) in a cross shape. At the same time, the secret prayer is read: “Holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies, having sent Your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who heals every ailment and delivers from death, heal also Your servant (Thy servant, named) from the bodily harm that is holding him (her) and spiritual infirmities and revive it (s) with the grace of Thy Christ, the prayers of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, the intercession of the Honest Heavenly Powers disembodied, the power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross, the honorable glorious prophet, the Baptist and Baptist John, the holy glorious and all-praised apostles, holy s glorious and victorious martyrs, our reverend and God-bearing fathers, saints and healers of the unmercenary Cosmas and Damian, Cyrus and John, Panteleimon and Ermolai, Sampson and Diomedes, Photius and Anicetas, saints and righteous Godfather Joachim and Anna and all the saints.

For You are the Source of healing, our God, and we send up glory to You with Your Only Begotten Son and Your Consubstantial Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".

This prayer is repeated by each of the seven priests after the next reading of the Apostle and the Gospel. If the sacrament is performed by one priest, then he alone reads it at each anointing. Once the anointing is completed, one of the candles on the platter is extinguished.

Second reading. The following conception is read from the Apostle, and then the Gospels. The Apostolic reading (Rom. 15; 1-7) contains a command to the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak and, following the example of Christ, to please not themselves, but their neighbors.

The second Gospel (Luke 19; 1-10) tells about the publican Zacchaeus, who turned to faith after Jesus Christ visited his home. This is followed by the prayer “Holy Father...” and the second anointing of the sick person.

The third reading (1 Cor. 12; 27-13; 8) contains a list of the various ministries of the members of the Church of Christ, and also speaks of love as the main goal of Christian life.

The Third Gospel (Matthew 10; 1, 5-8) talks about how the Lord sent disciples to preach in Judea and gave them the power to cast out unclean spirits, heal every illness and raise the dead. This is followed by the prayer “Holy Father...” and the third anointing of the sick person.

The fourth reading (2 Cor. 6; 16-7; 1) says that true believers are temples of the Living God, and calls on them to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.

And in the fourth Gospel reading (Matthew 8: 14-23) it is spoken of the Savior’s healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, who was lying in a fever, and of many demoniacs. This is followed by the prayer “Holy Father...” and the fourth anointing of the sick person.

The fifth reading (2 Cor. 1; 8-11) says that deliverance from sorrows and persecution is from the Lord, so let us “trust not in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.”

In the fifth Gospel reading (Matthew 25; 1-13) the Lord’s parable is given about the five wise and five foolish virgins who, through foolishness, remained outside the wedding feast, symbolizing the Kingdom of Heaven. The parable ends with the exhortation: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man will come. This is followed by the prayer “Holy Father...” and the fifth anointing of the sick person.”

The sixth reading (Gal. 5; 22-6; 2) calls on Christians: “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way fulfill the law of Christ.”

The sixth Gospel (Matthew 15; 21-28) tells of the great faith of the Canaanite wife, through which the Lord granted healing to her daughter. This is followed by the prayer “Holy Father...” and the sixth anointing of the sick person.

The seventh and final reading (1 Thess. 5; 6-18) contains the call of the Apostle Paul to console the faint-hearted, support the weak, and forgive evil. It ends with the words: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

The seventh Gospel (Matthew 9; 9-13) tells how Matthew was called from the tax collectors by the Lord and became an apostle. It also leads the words of Jesus Christ to the Pharisees who grumbled against Him: “Go, learn what it means: I want mercy, and not sacrifice? For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

After completing the last, seventh, anointing, the clergy stand in the center and the believers who received the sacrament surround them, and the primate, having opened the Holy Gospel, places it in writing on their heads and says a prayer to the Lord Jesus:

“... I do not lay my hand on the head of him who came to You in sins and asks You for forgiveness of sins, but Your hand, strong and strong, as in this Holy Gospel, my fellow servants hold (or: I hold) on the head of the slave Thy (Thy servants, name) and I pray (with them) and ask Thy merciful and unforgettable love for mankind, O God, our Savior, Thy prophet Nathan granted forgiveness to David, who repented of his sins, and received Manasseh’s prayer for repentance. Accept Thy servant (Thy servant, named), who repents (repents) for his sins with Your usual love for mankind, despising all his (her) sins...”

Then the priest, having removed the Gospel, gives it to everyone who has received the sacrament of unction. Then follows a short litany about mercy, life, health and salvation and forgiveness of future sins. Stichera are sung to the holy unmercenary healers and the Mother of God, and there is a dismissal. After this, those who have received the sacrament must bow to its performers three times with the words:

“Bless, holy fathers (or: holy father) and forgive me, a sinner (sinner)” (three times) and receive a priestly blessing.

During Great Lent, in many churches, including ours, the Sacrament of Unction is celebrated. What does it mean? In what cases is it necessary to take unction and how often? Is it possible, after receiving unction, to forget about all illnesses?

– What is Unction?

– Unction, or as it is also called Blessing of Anointing, is a church Sacrament in which, when anointing the body with specially consecrated oil (oil), the grace of God is invoked on a person, healing mental and physical infirmities. The establishment of the Sacrament dates back to apostolic times. The letter of the Apostle James says: “If any of you is sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15)

In addition to physical healing, the Sacrament also asks for remission of sins - for most diseases are the result of sin, while sin itself is a spiritual disease. According to the explanation of the teachers of the Church, during the Blessing of Anointing, sins that are forgotten (but not deliberately hidden in confession!) are forgiven, for example, because of their insignificance for a person. However, the totality of these sins can place a heavy burden on the soul and cause not only a disorder of spiritual health, but also, as a consequence, physical illnesses.

The Blessing of Anointing is called Unction because, according to the charter of the Church, it is supposed to be performed by seven priests (a council of clergy). The number seven is a symbolic sign of the Church and its fullness; That is why the very following of the Sacrament consists of reading, after certain prayers, seven different passages from the Apostle and the Gospel, telling about repentance, healing, the need for faith and trust in God, compassion and mercy. After each such reading and prayer appeal to God for the remission of the sick person’s sins, he is anointed with consecrated oil (oil) mixed with wine - that is, anointing is also performed seven times. However, the Church allows the Sacrament to be performed by three, two, or even one priest - so that he performs it on behalf of the council of priests, says all the prayers, performs the readings, and anoints the sick person seven times.

- In what cases does a person need to receive unction? There is still a fairly widespread opinion that Unction is performed only before death.

The Blessing of Anointing is performed on Orthodox believers over seven years of age who suffer from physical and mental illness. The latter can also be understood as a difficult spiritual state (despondency, sorrow, despair) - for its cause can be (and, as a rule, there are) unrepentant sins, perhaps not even realized by a person. Consequently, the Sacrament can be performed not only on those suffering from severe bodily ailments or dying. In addition, few of those living in our time can consider themselves absolutely physically healthy, even in the absence of serious illnesses... The Blessing of Unction is not performed on patients who are in an unconscious state, as well as on violent mental patients.

The sacrament can take place both in the temple and in other conditions. According to established tradition, general Unction in many churches is performed during the days of Great Lent, primarily on the Worship of the Cross or Holy Week in the evening before Maundy Thursday or Great Saturday.

- How should you prepare for the Unction?

There is no need for special preparation before the Sacrament, but it will be useful and reasonable to combine it with confession and with the acceptance of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, because according to the faith of the Church, Unction also provides forgiveness for our forgotten sins, and naturally, the person who confessed has sincerely cleansed his soul with repentance , he will receive unction with greater benefit for himself. As a special case, we can say that, in addition to very special situations, women during periods of regular weakness do not proceed to Unction, as well as to any other Sacrament. The Blessing of Anointing, unless there is a particularly serious illness or difficult circumstances, should be undertaken no more than once a year.

Do the words of the Apostle James: “If anyone falls ill, let him call the elders...” mean that Orthodox Christians do not need medical help at all? Is healing only possible through spiritual means such as Unction?

No, of course, the Blessing of Anointing as a spiritual healing does not eliminate the laws and forces of physical nature. It spiritually supports a person, provides him with gracious help to the extent that, according to God’s vision, is necessary for the salvation of the soul of the patient. Therefore, Unction does not cancel the use of medicines.

– How to properly use the oil taken from the temple after the Unction, and what should be done with the wheat grains?

Oil can either be added to the prepared food, or, in case of certain ailments, after praying, you can independently apply it to yourself in a cross shape. Wheat grains, which are still used at Unction for sticking candles into them on the central table, can be used absolutely at your own discretion. If you want, sprout them, if you want, bake them into a pie, if there are enough of them, there are no instructions from the church charter here.

– Unction (Blessing of Unction) is often confused with Confirmation and with anointing during the All-Night Vigil. What are their differences?

Confirmation and Blessing of Anointing are two completely different Sacraments. Confirmation takes place, as a rule, immediately after Baptism. And in it the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given, which help us grow and strengthen in that new spiritual life into which we have just been born in Baptism. In some special cases Confirmation is performed separately; Suppose we accept into Orthodoxy a person from a non-Orthodox denomination (for example, from traditional Protestants or from the majority of Old Believer movements), the validity of whose Baptism we recognize, but do not consider other sacraments to be valid.

Of course, one should distinguish from both Sacraments the anointing with consecrated oil, which is performed during the All-Night Vigil, and which people who are just approaching the church fence or who have recently entered it sometimes mistake for some kind of sacred rite. This is only anointing with holy oil, which was blessed at the previous All-Night Vigil, when the lithium was celebrated - part of the service during which the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and bread is performed. It is with this very consecrated oil that anointing is performed at the All-Night Vigil. Let us repeat, this is not a church Sacrament.

Archpriest Maxim Kozlov answered questions

Based on materials Tatyana's Day

During Great Lent, the Sacrament of Unction is celebrated in many churches. What does it mean? In what cases is it necessary to take unction and how often? How to prepare for it? And is it possible to perform this Sacrament at home?

“Is any of you sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15).

Unction is not performed on infants, because a baby cannot consciously commit sins.

No other sacrament is associated with so many superstitions and prejudices as with unction. They say that after unction you cannot marry, you cannot wash, you cannot eat meat, you must fast on Mondays; and most importantly, that only dying people can receive this sacrament. All this is not true!

This is not a parting word for the next world, but healing for this life is in repentance. It originates from the apostles, who, having received power from Jesus Christ, “anointed many sick people with oil and healed them” (Mark VI, 13).

Sacrament of Anointing, one of the seven sacraments of the Church, which consists of helping the sick who expect recovery from physical and mental ailments, and grants the sick forgiveness of forgotten, unconfessed sins (but not deliberately hidden). Due to the imperfection of memory, a person may not confess all his sins, so there is no need to say how great the value of Unction is. The Sacrament of Anointing exists in the Church for this reason, so that when a person begins to heal the body, he does not forget about the soul and the cause of illness - sin.

The 19th-century Orthodox writer Evgeniy Poselyanin wrote: “It is not at all said that the disease must be fatal or that the person should be in a helpless state. We must not forget that in Christianity, mental suffering is also recognized as a disease... So, if I suffer in spirit from the death of loved ones, from grief, if I need some kind of gracious push to gather my strength and remove the shackles of despair, I can resort to to the unction."

Confirmation is often confused with unction. Anointing with consecrated oil, which is performed during the All-Night Vigil, is not a Church Sacrament..

In addition, Unction, as spiritual healing, does not eliminate the forces and laws of physical nature. It supports a person spiritually, providing him with grace-filled help, to the extent that, according to God’s vision, this is necessary for the salvation of the sick person. That's why Unction does not cancel the use of medications, given by the Lord to heal our illnesses.

PRACTICAL TIPS: how to prepare for unction?

But before you take part in this Sacrament, you need come early and prepare. The performance of this Sacrament is paid. But it is necessary not only to pay, but also to HAVE ENTERED YOUR NAME to the list of congregants. Then the priest will read these names several times during the celebration of the Unction. Therefore, you must first approach the church bench.

It is also necessary buy a candle, which you will hold in your hands during the entire Sacrament of Unction. It lasts about 1 - 1.5 hours.

Also before take either 2 large handkerchiefs or 2 pieces of absorbent fabric (gauze)- one will be needed to wipe off excess oil from hands and face, the other to secure it on the neck so that oil did not drip onto clothes.

Women also need to take headscarf(considering that your face will be oily and it will be very difficult to straighten your hair).

They also usually bring with them a bottle of oil(at your discretion, large and small, homemade oil or from the store). And place it on the table for unction (in the center).

You need to dress like this so that the neck is well open and you can unbutton the blouse on the chest - they will anoint you with oil. There should be no droops or fringes hanging from the sleeves - the backs of the hands will also be anointed. The forehead must be open for the same thing.

Don't wear gold on the neck and fingers, the bracelets will also get dirty and get in the way.

After the unction, do not forget to pick up your bottle of oil.

This oil can be added little by little to food. You can also anoint sick parts of the body (crosswise) with consecrated oil. This oil, like cereal, is used little by little throughout the year - until the next post.

A used oil bottle should be burned. Do the same with handkerchiefs and rags, with which you wiped excess oil on your face during Unction.

Unction usually performed in a temple, but if it is impossible to deliver a seriously ill person, can also be taught at home.

When the sacrament is performed at home, it is necessary to do next preparations: in the patient’s room, in front of the icons, place a table covered with a clean tablecloth. A dish with wheat grains is placed on the table (if it is not available, it can be replaced with other grains: rye, millet, rice, etc.).

In the middle of the dish, a vessel in the shape of a lamp (or just a clean glass) is placed on the wheat to consecrate the oil. Seven candles are placed in the wheat. In separate vessels (bowls or glasses), pure oil and a little red wine are placed on the table.

How does unction take place?

A lectern with the Gospel is placed in the center of the temple. Nearby there is a table on which there is a vessel with oil on a dish with wheat. Seven lighted candles and seven anointing tassels are placed in the wheat - according to the number of passages from the Holy Scriptures read.

All the congregation hold lit candles in their hands. This is our testimony that Christ is the light of our lives.

With the exclamation “Blessed is our God now, and ever, and unto ages of ages,” the prayer begins, listing the names of those gathered. Then the priest pours wine into the vessel with oil and prays for the consecration of the oil, for the sake of healing and cleansing the flesh and spirit of those who will be anointed with it.

Wine is poured into oil in memory of the Merciful Samaritan, about whom the Lord spoke in His parable: how a certain Samaritan took pity on a man beaten and robbed by robbers, and “bandaged his wounds, pouring in oil and wine” (Luke 10:34), and wine added to it in a small amount symbolizes the Redeeming Blood of the Savior. The combination of oil and wine is done in imitation of the medicine that the Samaritan used for the sick.

In addition to wine and oil, when performing the Sacrament of the Gathering, grains of wheat or millet are used. These grains symbolize the germ of life, and after the death of the body - resurrection.

So, chants are heard, these are prayers addressed to the Lord and the saints who became famous for their miraculous healings. This is followed by reading an excerpt from the epistles of the apostles and the Gospel, which tells us about miraculous healings of illnesses. After which the priests anoint everyone’s forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, chest and hands on both sides in a cross pattern with consecrated oil. This is done as a sign of cleansing all our five senses, thoughts, hearts and works of our hands - everything that we could have sinned with.

What was said in the following: “Thou hast given unto the holy oil the image of Thy Cross” shows that the very illnesses of the believer are mysteriously united with Christ’s sufferings, serving as a painful but beneficial reminder of them, true compassion, and, during spiritual struggle and prayer, the communion of His sufferings.

Before each anointing, the priest pours out his soul in prayer before the Lord, feeling his unworthiness and the greatness of the sacrament, and the needs of the sick, like a mirror of his own infirmities, and recalls numerous examples of pardon for sinners and healings in the Old and New Testaments.

At each anointing, the prayer is read: “Holy Father, physician of souls and bodies, having sent your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who heals every ailment and delivers from death, heal also your servant (or your handmaid) from those who hold him (or her) bodily and mental infirmities and revive him (or her) with the grace of Thy Christ”... This is followed by a prayerful invocation of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Life-giving Cross, John the Baptist, the apostles and all the saints.

During the anointing of oil, the rector of the temple on his knees reads a prayer for the granting of health and lists the names of the people who are now participating in the Sacrament of Unction.

Then the priests return to their places. Prayers are read again, special chants are sung, and again excerpts (but different ones) from the Apostles and the Holy Gospel are read. Afterwards, the priests again anoint the forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, chest and hands on both sides with holy oil in a cross pattern.

And so only seven times. Each time other passages from the Apostles and the Holy Gospel are read. (Which passages from the Apostles and the Holy Gospel are read, what is the meaning of these readings - read below)

The Blessing of Anointing of the congregation ends with the placing of the Gospel on the heads, holding it with the letters downwards, as if the healing hand of the Savior Himself is on the head of the sick person and at the same time praying to the Lord for the forgiveness of all his sins: “Lord Jesus Christ, I do not place my sinful hand on the heads of those who have come to You to ask remission of sins; but Thy strong and strong hand, which is in this Holy Gospel, and I pray Thee with them, our Savior, Thyself accept Thy servants who repent and grant them forgiveness...”

An immediate recovery cannot be expected from Unction. Alas, sometimes in people’s minds this sacrament turns into something self-sufficient, external, almost magical. Some people perceive Unction as a medical procedure, there is no thought about its spiritual aspect... The consequences here can be very sad - without receiving the expected physical recovery, a person is offended: how is it possible, I defended a long service, did everything that was required, but there is no result !

In any case, grace acts through the consecrated oil, but this effect is revealed, according to God’s vision, differently: some are completely healed, others receive relief, and in others the strength is awakened to endure the illness complacently. Forgiveness of sins, forgotten or unconscious, is always granted to the one receiving the council.

Healing is a free gift from an All-Good loving God, and not the inevitable result of some external actions. All those approaching the sacrament of Unction should remember this. We must think about our life, about our sins, and strive to cleanse ourselves of them. The Sacrament of Unction is partly akin to the Sacrament of Repentance. As a special case, we can say that, in addition to very special situations, women during periods of regular weakness do not proceed to unction, as well as to any other sacrament.

READING OF THE APOSTLES AND THE HOLY GOSPEL AT THE COLLECTION

First reading— Epistles of the Holy Apostle James on the establishment of the Sacrament of Anointing (James 5: 10-16). The Gospel (Luke 10:25-37) is about a Samaritan who had mercy on his neighbor who was wounded by robbers. Following this, remembering the benefits of God to the human race, enlightened and redeemed by Him, and the grace of service given to the prophets and apostles.

Second reading- Rome. 15:1-7, where the Apostle Paul commands the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak and, following the example of Christ, to please not themselves, but their neighbors, for good, calling on God for patience and consolation. He instills that all members of the Body of Christ should praise God with one accord.

In the second Gospel (Luke 19:1-10) we are talking about the publican Zacchaeus, who turned to faith when Jesus Christ visited him.

Third reading— 1 Cor. 12, 27-13, 8, where the various ministries of the members of the Church of Christ are first counted, and then love is exalted above all else as the main goal and means of Christian life. The third Gospel (Matthew 10:1:5-8) tells of the sending of the disciples to preach in Judea, when the Lord gave them the power to cast out unclean spirits, heal every illness and raise the dead.

In the fourth reading— 2 Cor. 6, 16-7, 1 - the Apostle Paul calls believers temples of the Living God and calls on them to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, “performing holiness in the fear of God.”

The subsequent Gospel reading (Matthew 8:14-23) tells of the Savior Himself’s healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, who was lying in a fever, as well as many demon-possessed, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, who says: “He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses” ( Isaiah 53:4).

Fifth Apostolic reading - 2 Cor. 1, 8-11 - the Apostle Paul sets as an example his deliverance by the Lord in the midst of persecution, when he no longer hoped to remain alive, and commands to trust in God.

The corresponding Gospel (Matthew 25:1-13) contains the parable of the Lord about the five wise and five foolish virgins who did not prepare oil for the meeting of the Bridegroom and therefore remained outside the wedding feast - the Kingdom of Heaven. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man will come,” the Lord calls at the conclusion of this parable.

In the sixth reading of the Apostle - Gal. 5, 22-6, 2 - the Apostle Paul calculates the spiritual fruits, instructing shepherds to correct those who sin in the spirit of meekness. “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way fulfill the law of Christ,” he urges.

The Gospel of Matthew (15:21-28), read next, tells of the great faith of a Canaanite wife, who with a bold effort asked for the health of her daughter.

The series of readings from the Epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul ends with a passage from 1 Thess. 5, 6-19, containing the apostle’s call to the faithful to console the faint-hearted, support the weak, and forgive evil. “Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the spirit,” he appeals to our hearts.

Finally, Saint Matthew the Evangelist(9:9-13) tells how he was called from a publican by the Lord and became an apostle, and quotes the words of Jesus Christ to the Pharisees who grumbled against Him: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick; Go and learn what it means: I want mercy, not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

ABOUT THE COLLECTION IN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

- In what cases does a person need to receive unction? There is still a fairly widespread opinion that Unction is performed only before death.

The Blessing of Anointing is performed on Orthodox believers over seven years of age who suffer from physical and mental illness. The latter can also be understood as a difficult spiritual state (despondency, sorrow, despair), because its cause can be (and, as a rule, is) unrepentant sins, perhaps not even realized by a person. Consequently, the Sacrament can be performed not only on those suffering from severe bodily ailments or dying. In addition, few of those living in our time can consider themselves absolutely physically healthy, even in the absence of serious illnesses... The Blessing of Unction is not performed on patients who are in an unconscious state, as well as on violent mental patients.

The sacrament can take place both in the temple and in other conditions. According to established tradition, general Unction in many churches is performed during the days of Great Lent.

— How often can one resort to the Sacrament of Unction?

— Unless there is a particularly serious illness or difficult circumstances, the Blessing of Anointing should be attempted no more than once a year.

- How should you prepare for the Unction?

There is no need for special preparation before the Sacrament, but it will be useful and reasonable to combine it with confession and with the acceptance of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, because according to the faith of the Church, Unction also provides forgiveness of forgotten sins, and, naturally, the person who confessed has sincerely cleansed his soul repentance, he will receive unction with greater benefit for himself. As a special case, we can say that, in addition to very special situations, women during periods of regular weakness do not proceed to Unction, as well as to any other Sacrament.

Do the words of the Apostle James you quoted: “If anyone falls ill, let him call the elders...” mean that Orthodox Christians do not need medical help at all? Is healing only possible through spiritual means such as Unction?

No, of course, the Blessing of Anointing as a spiritual healing does not eliminate the laws and forces of physical nature. It spiritually supports a person, provides him with gracious help to the extent that, according to God’s vision, is necessary for the salvation of the soul of the patient. Therefore, Unction does not cancel the use of medicines.

– How to properly use the oil taken from the temple after the Unction, and what should be done with the wheat grains?

Oil can either be added to the prepared food, or, in case of certain ailments, after praying, you can independently apply it to yourself in a cross shape. It can also be used by those who have not taken unction (there is no indication in the statute that this is prohibited), but this alone does not replace participation in the Sacrament. But it happens that people forget about it, and then people ask what to do with the rancid oil. So next time, don’t be embarrassed if everyone takes it, but you don’t have such a need - this is not necessary. A used oil bottle should be burned. Do the same with the handkerchiefs and rags that you used to wipe off excess oil on your face during Unction.

Wheat grains, which are still used at Unction for sticking candles into them on the central table, can be used absolutely at your own discretion. If you want, sprout them, if you want, bake them into a pie, if there are enough of them, there are no instructions from the church charter here.

– Unction (Blessing of Unction) is often confused with Confirmation and with anointing during the all-night vigil. What are their differences?

Confirmation and Blessing of Anointing are two completely different Sacraments. Confirmation takes place, as a rule, immediately after Baptism. And it contains the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which help us grow and strengthen in that new spiritual life into which we have just been born. In some special cases Confirmation is performed separately; Suppose we accept into Orthodoxy a person from a non-Orthodox denomination (for example, from traditional Protestants or from the majority of Old Believer movements), the validity of whose Baptism we recognize, but do not consider other sacraments to be valid.

Of course, one should distinguish from both Sacraments the anointing with consecrated oil, which is performed during the all-night vigil and which people who are just approaching the church fence or who have recently entered it sometimes mistake for some kind of sacred rite. This is only anointing with holy oil, which was blessed at the previous all-night vigil, when the lithium was celebrated - part of the service during which the blessing of wheat, wine, oil and bread is performed. It is with this very consecrated oil that anointing is performed at the all-night vigil. Let us repeat, this is not a church Sacrament.

In addition to physical healing, the Sacrament of Anointing asks for the remission of the sick person’s sins - for most illnesses are the result of sin, while sin itself is a spiritual illness. According to the teachers of the Church, in the Sacrament of Anointing, forgotten sins are forgiven (but not deliberately concealed in confession!), for example, because of their insignificance, however, the totality of these sins, which are not forgiven to a person in the Sacrament of Repentance, can lay a heavy burden on the soul and become the cause not only of spiritual health disorders, but also, as a consequence, of physical diseases.

So, Blessing of Anointing is the Sacrament of Healing. The 19th-century Orthodox writer E. Poselyanin wrote: “It is not at all said that the disease must be fatal, or that the person should be in a helpless state. We must not forget that in Christianity, mental suffering is also recognized as a disease... So, if I suffer in spirit from death of loved ones, from grief, if I need some kind of gracious push to gather strength and remove the shackles of despair, I can resort to unction.”

The Sacrament of the Blessing of Anointing is called unction because, according to the charter of the Church, it is supposed to be performed by seven priests (a council of clergy). The number seven is a symbolic sign of the Church and its fullness; That is why the very following of the Sacrament consists of reading, after certain prayers, seven different passages from the Apostle and the Gospel, telling about repentance, healing, the need for faith and trust in God, compassion and mercy. After each such reading and prayer appeal to God for the remission of the sick person’s sins, he is anointed with consecrated oil (oil) mixed with wine - that is, anointing is also performed seven times. However, the Church allows the Sacrament to be performed by three, two, or even one priest - so that he performs it on behalf of the council of priests, says all the prayers, performs the readings, and anoints the sick person seven times.

Over whom and under what conditions is the Sacrament performed?

The Blessing of Anointing is performed on Orthodox believers over seven years of age who suffer from physical and mental illness. The latter can also be understood as a difficult spiritual state (despondency, sorrow, despair) - for its cause can be (and, as a rule, is) unrepentant sins, perhaps not even realized by the person himself. Consequently, the Sacrament can be performed not only on those suffering from severe bodily ailments or dying. In addition, few of those living in our time can consider themselves absolutely physically healthy, even in the absence of serious illnesses... The Blessing of Unction is not performed on patients who are in an unconscious state, as well as on violent mental patients.

The Sacrament of Anointing can take place both in church and in other settings (in a hospital or at home). It is allowed to perform unction simultaneously on several people following one rite and using one oil. According to established tradition, general unction in many churches is performed during the days of Great Lent, primarily on the Worship of the Cross or Holy Week in the evening before Maundy Thursday or Great Saturday. There is no doubt that unction should begin in close connection with confession and communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. If Unction is performed at home on a sick or dying person, combined with confession and communion, then confession is performed first, then unction, and after it communion. To give the opportunity for such parting words to an Orthodox Christian before his death is the direct Christian duty of his family and friends. The sacrament can be repeated over the same person, but not during the same continuously ongoing illness.

A very common view among the people is that the Blessing of Anointing is a sacrament performed only before death. This is where some senseless superstitions come from, which directly contradict the teachings of the Orthodox Church: for example, that a person who has recovered after the Blessing of Anointing should not eat meat, should observe a weekly fast except Wednesday and Friday, also on Monday, should not live a married life, go to the bathhouse, etc. These fictions undermine faith in the gracious power of the Sacrament and cause great harm to spiritual life.

It should also be realized that the Blessing of Anointing, as a spiritual healing, does not eliminate the laws and forces of physical nature. It spiritually supports a person, provides him with gracious help to the extent that, according to God’s vision, is necessary for the salvation of the soul of the patient. Therefore, unction does not cancel the use of medicines.

Consequence of the Sacrament of Anointing

(In relation to its commission by one clergyman, as is usually the case in practice).

In the temple (or in the patient’s room in front of the icons) a table is placed, covered with a clean tablecloth. A dish with wheat grains is placed on the table (if it is not available, it can be replaced with other grains: rye, millet, rice, etc.). In the middle of the dish, a vessel (or just a clean glass) is placed on the wheat to consecrate the oil. Seven sticks, wrapped at the ends with cotton wool (pods), and seven candles are vertically fixed in wheat. In separate vessels, clean oil (olive, vegetable, vaseline or similar oil) and a little red wine are placed on the table. The Gospel and the cross are placed on the table.

After censing, the exclamation of the clergyman, the reading of the opening prayers, Psalm 142, penitential troparions and the 50th psalm, the “canon of oil” is read, revealing in its troparions the spiritual significance and power of the Sacrament. Then the oil is prepared: the priest pours oil and wine into an empty vessel and mixes it; wine symbolizes the Blood of Christ, shed on the Cross for the salvation of people, and mixing oil and wine reminds us of the Gospel story about the Samaritan, who was merciful to his neighbor, wounded by robbers (Luke 10: 25-37). After this, seven candles set in wheat are lit; In addition, lighted candles are given to everyone present and to the one over whom the Sacrament is being performed. The priest, reading a prayer, consecrates the oil.

After the priest reads the first Apostolic reading from the Council Epistle of the Holy Apostle James on the establishment of the Sacrament of Anointing (James 5:10-16) and the first Gospel Conception about the Samaritan, the priest reads a prayer. After this, he performs a short litany with prayers for the sick person and, taking the pod in his hands, anoints the forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, chest and hands of the person being cathedral with oil in a cross shape. At the same time, the priest reads the secret prayer: “Holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies...”. After this, one of the seven candles burning in the vessel with wheat is extinguished.

Further, such a sequence (Apostle, Gospel, prayer, litany and anointing) is performed six more times, after each of which one of the candles in the wheat is extinguished.

After the completion of the seventh unction, the priest places the opened Gospel on the head of the congregation and says a prayer to the Lord: “... I do not lay my hand on the head of him who came to You in sins and asks You for forgiveness of sins, but Your strong and strong hand, even in the holy This Gospel..." At the same time, the anointed one should continuously but quietly repeat: “Lord, have mercy.” Then the one on whom the Sacrament was performed kisses the Gospel. After a short litany with two stichera, the priest performs the dismissal; the unctioned one applies himself to the cross and, having reverently bowed three times to the performers (or performer) of the Sacrament, says: “Bless, holy fathers (or holy father), and forgive me, a sinner (sinner).”

The oil remaining after the Sacrament of Anointing can be burned in the temple in a special brazier, used to light lamps in front of icons, or taken with him by the one on whom the Sacrament was performed. In the latter case, priests often advise doing this: if the sick person recovers after unction, the oil is poured into a lamp in the temple or at home and thus burned. If, after unction, the patient dies, a bottle of oil is placed in his coffin and, after the priest has committed the body of the deceased to the earth (before closing the coffin), it is poured crosswise on the deceased. However, there is no clear opinion in church practice regarding the latter (this sometimes depends on local traditions), therefore, when burying a deceased person who has previously received the Sacrament of Anointing, one should consult with a priest about the use of oil.

Used materials

• Charitable Foundation of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
• Fundamentals of Orthodoxy

The prayer of faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up

Orthodox Christians who are overcome by mental or physical illness need the sacrament of unction or consecration of oil. According to the priests, illness is the boundary between humanity and death.

An illness can also be sent down as a test. Unction is a ritual that strengthens the spiritual state, a request for help and mercy. Blessing of oil takes its name from the word “oil” - olive oil, which is used to anoint the sick. Unction comes from the word cathedral, since previously it was necessary for the service to be conducted by 7 clergy.

Since when did the consecration of oil become a sacrament?

Wine and olive oil have been used for healing since ancient times. The apostles healed the sick by anointing with oil through receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the early Church, the service was conducted by three apostles - as a symbol of the Divine Trinity.

The service was short - 5-6 prayers were read. Initially, the sacrament of anointing was performed outside the church; after the 14th century, the ritual began to be performed in the church.

Previously, the service was held for seven days.

How is the Sacrament of Anointing performed?

The ritual can be performed by clergy for one patient or for a large number of people. Most often, people gather in church for healing in the second and sixth weeks of Great Lent; in large churches, the Sacrament of Anointing is celebrated every week.

It begins with reading prayers and the Gospel. Psalm 142 and 50 are read. During the reading of a special prayer - litany, the names of all the sick are listed.

After this, the oil is blessed and all those present are anointed. The oil is applied in a cross pattern to the face, hands and lips of those present. All actions are repeated seven times.

The service ends with the worshipers lowering their heads as a sign of repentance, and the Holy Father raising the revealed Gospel above everyone. The holy book is held with the text facing down. Another uses prayer to ask God for mercy for those gathered.

If necessary, the service can be conducted by one person. The process is lengthy, lasting about two hours. For healthy people, it is advisable not to undergo unction regularly and preferably.

If necessary, a priest can come to perform unction at home or in a hospital or other institution. In this case, the priest first talks with the patient, confesses him, and prays with him.

To perform the ritual, seven candles are lit, placed in a bowl of wheat, symbolizing eternal life. A vessel with oil is placed in the center of the bowl, to which red wine is added.

It is a symbol of the blood of Christ. During the sacrament of anointing, the sick person is also anointed 7 times. All household members usually participate in the unction, since the illness affects everyone around. After unction, an Orthodox Christian needs to take communion.

Rules of the Sacrament of Anointing

Children are allowed to attend unction only after 7 years of age; usually teenagers come to unction. Little ones are not given unction because their souls are pure. Women also cannot take part in the service during certain periods.

You can also receive unction if you have illnesses of the soul - depression, despondency, but in a state of insanity and unconsciousness, patients are not allowed to the Sacrament of Anointing.

The clergyman makes the decision on admission to the consecration of oil.

Many Orthodox Christians have a biased attitude towards unction. It is believed that it is performed only for the dying. Because of this, the priest is not invited to the house of the sick person.

Participation in the ritual can alleviate the condition of the infirm, facilitate the transition to another world, relieving them of torment. Pre-death repentance facilitates the ordeal of the soul after death. All those taking part in the Sacrament of Anointing note a clear change in their state of mind for the better.

In the process of the sacrament of consecration of oil, in contrast to repentance, the Orthodox are absolved of those sins that he does not remember or thinks that his actions do not contain sin. Many people expect a miracle, but there is no mysticism in the Orthodox Church. All is in God's hands.

There is no need to prepare for it in any special way. But there is no point in formally participating in the service. Everyone experiences relief after the service, but healing requires awareness of the sinful cause of the disease and sincere repentance.