SACRAMENTS

What Is Holy Unction?

Holy Unction is the Mystery in which the Church prays for the healing of those who are sick. The priest anoints the body of the sick person with olive oil that has been blessed through specific prayers, asking God to grant healing of soul and body and the forgiveness of sins.

The Mystery has its roots in the New Testament. The Epistle of James gives the practice directly: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14-15). The Church has done exactly this from the apostolic age forward.

Why Do We Anoint the Sick?

Christ's earthly ministry was filled with healings. The Gospels record more accounts of Christ healing the sick than of any other category of His miracles. He healed by touch, by word, by the hem of His garment. He sent His apostles out with the same charge: "As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Heal the sick" (Matthew 10:7-8). The Mystery of Unction continues that apostolic ministry in the life of the Church today.

The Orthodox understanding of healing is broader than the medical. Sin, sickness, and death are linked in the Church's theology. This is not cause-and-effect (we do not believe that the sick are being punished for their sins) but fellow consequences of the brokenness that entered the world with the Fall. 

Unction addresses the whole person. The prayer of the rite asks for physical healing where God wills it, but also for the forgiveness of sins, the strengthening of the soul, and the sanctification of any suffering that remains. The Orthodox Church does not understand Unction as "last rites," or a sacrament only for the dying. It is for anyone who is sick, in body, mind, or spirit, at any stage of illness or struggle. A person recovering from surgery, a person facing a difficult diagnosis, a person carrying chronic pain, a person fighting addiction or depression: all may come for Unction.

The Mystery does not guarantee physical healing. Sometimes God heals; sometimes He allows the illness to continue for reasons beyond our understanding; sometimes He brings a person through death into the fullness of His Kingdom. What Unction promises is His presence in the sickness, the joining of the person's suffering to Christ's own, and the Church's prayer that nothing, not pain, nor fear, nor death itself, should have the final word.

How Is Holy Unction Celebrated at Holy Apostles?

At Holy Apostles, Unction is celebrated in two forms.

The Service of Holy Unction is served each year on Holy Wednesday evening of Holy Week, in preparation for Pascha. The entire parish is invited. The full traditional rite calls for seven priests, seven Epistle readings, seven Gospel readings, and seven prayers. In most parishes, including Holy Apostles, the service is celebrated by fewer clergy depending on local circumstances. After the readings and prayers, the faithful come forward to be anointed on the forehead, cheeks, and hands. All members of the community who wish may receive the anointing.

Private Unction is served for those who are sick, at any time of year. The service may take place in the church, in a home, in a hospital room, or wherever the sick person is. The form is simpler than the corporate service but the Mystery is the same. There is no minimum threshold of suffering. If something is heavy enough to bring to God, it is heavy enough to bring to Unction.

If you or someone you love is ill, contact Fr. Tom and he will arrange Holy Unction.

Learn More

For further reading we recommend: 

• Fr. Thomas Hopko's The Orthodox Faith, Volume 2: Worship