What is the rite of unction in Orthodoxy. What is unction, why is it needed and how is it carried out

The Sacrament of Unction is not well known to many. That is why the strangest prejudices and delusions are connected with it.

Sometimes it is believed that only the hopelessly sick should be unctioned, that after the Unction a person either certainly dies, or is certainly healed ... What does the Church really understand by this sacrament? Archpriest Valentin ASMUS tells.

Forgiveness of forgotten sins

The Sacrament of the Unction is more often called the Unction (since it is usually performed by several priests, that is, conciliarly). What is its essence? First, the prayers of this sacrament can heal the sick, if it is God's will. Secondly, and no less important, in the sacrament of Unction, a person receives the forgiveness of sins.

But what sins? Not those that need to be confessed in the sacrament of Penance, which we are aware of and are trying to overcome. But each of us has a lot of sins that pass by our consciousness, due to our spiritual weakness, coarseness of feelings. Either we, having sinned, immediately forget it, or we don’t consider it a sin at all, we don’t notice it. However, unconscious sins are still sins, they burden the soul, and it is necessary to cleanse them of them - which is what happens in the sacrament of the Unction. In addition, if we talk about seriously ill people, it happens that, due to their general morbid condition, they simply cannot notice in themselves those sins that they would otherwise have repented of at confession. So, if we bring sincere repentance, then in the sacrament of Unction we receive forgiveness of such unmentioned (against our will) sins at confession.

As for bodily recovery, it can happen, we pray about this when performing the sacrament, and such miraculous healings indeed often occur after the Unction. However, one cannot count on this, one cannot perceive the sacrament as a kind of magical procedure that guarantees healing from all diseases.

From the depths of centuries

The Sacrament of the Unction, like the other sacraments, has an evangelical origin; it was established by Christ Himself. As we learn from the Gospel of Mark (chapter 6), “having called the twelve, Christ began to send them out two by two, giving them power over the unclean spirits. They went and preached repentance, cast out many demons, and anointed many sick people with oil and healed.” According to this testimony, even before the Savior's sufferings on Golgotha, such a sacred rite existed, it gave help to the sick both bodily and spiritually. Then we find information about the Mystery of the Unction in the epistle of the holy Apostle James (Chapter 5, verses 14-15). “Is any of 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. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

The liturgical rite of the sacrament of Unction has been known in its present form only since the 15th century. The rite (that is, the order in which the sacrament is performed) has changed over the centuries, becoming more extensive, more fixed.

The Sacrament of Unction has two variants of its fulfillment. Sometimes it is performed at home over one sick person, and sometimes in the church, over everyone who wants to begin this sacrament and who, for health reasons, can come to the temple. In this case, it is usually timed to coincide with some special events of the church year. In Russian Orthodox Church this is most often the period of Great Lent, less often - Christmas.

How often should you get together? As a rule, the sacrament of Unction is used once a year, but, of course, a person himself must come to the realization that he needs healing. Not only in bodily healing (even a physically healthy person can take unction), but above all in spiritual healing, he needs to cleanse his unconscious sins. I note that after a person has taken unction in the church, it is highly desirable for him to confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ in the near future.

How does this sacrament take place? According to the order, it should be performed by seven priests, although in reality there may be fewer priests - it is not always possible to collect so many even in the capital's churches. But even with a smaller number of priests (even with one), the sacrament will still be valid.

The modern rite of Unction is lengthy and complex. First, preparatory prayers, the canon, are read, and then the rite itself is performed. Excerpts are read from the apostolic letters included in the New Testament, from the Gospel, then the litany (a prayerful appeal to God, pronounced by the deacon on behalf of those who pray) is pronounced, with the names of those who receive the sacrament. Then a prayer is read for the consecration of the oil and the anointing itself is performed. When anointing, the priest reads the already mentioned prayer “Holy Father, physician of souls and bodies…”. Then the second priest begins to participate in the sacrament, and again a similar cycle follows. This is repeated seven times. At the end of the rite, the gospel is placed on the heads of those who have begun the sacrament, with the reading of a special concluding prayer. After the service, believers can take home the oil left after the sacrament and use it for anointing. The same oil is also used for the burial of a Christian - it is poured into the coffin before being closed with a lid. So this ordinance reminds us of eternal life and prepares us for it.

How not to.

Sometimes people have rather strange ideas about Unction. For example, that only seriously ill people who are on the verge of death should resort to it. This is a relic of the non-Orthodox perception of the sacrament as the "last anointing" - which is completely inconsistent with Holy Scripture. After all, the apostles performed the anointing with oil precisely for the sake of healing.

But one cannot also expect an immediate recovery after the Unction. Alas, sometimes in the minds of people this sacrament turns into something self-sufficient, external, almost magical. When I see crowds of people coming to church for Unction, I wonder: do they all go to confession, take communion? Some of them perceive Unction as a medical procedure, there is no thought about its spiritual aspect ... The consequences here can be very sad - not having received the expected bodily recovery, a person is offended: how is it, I defended a long service, did everything that was supposed to, but the result No! As a result, people can grow cold towards faith, towards the Church.

Healing is a free gift from an all-good loving God, not the inevitable result of some external action. This must be remembered by all who approach the sacrament of Unction. You need to think about your life, about your sins, strive to be cleansed of them. The Sacrament of Unction is partly akin to the Sacrament of Repentance.

I think that it is necessary to say separately about the unction of people who are near death. Sometimes such people are afraid of this sacrament, believing that it will lead to an early death. But the terms of human life depend only on the will of a loving God, and the Lord often prolongs the life of a dying person precisely for the purpose that he can adequately prepare for the transition to Eternity - confession, communion and unction. Not infrequently, a priest called to a dying person performs these three sacraments at once, in succession. Unction for a dying person is absolutely necessary, because he often simply cannot physically confess - but the sacrament of the Unction will free him from the burden of those sins in which he would like, but did not have time, could not repent in the sacrament of Repentance.

And at the end - practical advice readers. In our time, it often happens that a person comes to the Unction late, when the service already underway. And the person is confused. Can he still take part in the sacrament? Yes maybe. Even if he managed to receive at least one anointing, the sacrament will be valid. However, there are situations when a person is late due to circumstances beyond his control, and there are situations when he is late due to his own fault. In any case, if there is such an opportunity, I would still recommend taking unction another time - in the same temple or in any other church.

priest Alexander Bogdan

Meeting by the rules

During Lent, in many churches, according to tradition, unction is performed, or in another way it is also called the Sacrament of the Unction. Many pamphlets and articles have already been written about the Sacrament itself, about its meaning and significance. I would like to talk about the practical side of the Sacrament.

And why do you really need to get together?

The archpriest expressed himself very well on this topic: “But we know,” he writes, “that every sacrament is always a transition and transformation ... Christ was asked for healing, and He forgave sins. They sought “help” from Him for our earthly life, and He transformed it, put it into communion with God. Yes, He healed the sick and raised the dead, but those healed and resurrected by him remained subject to the inexorable law of dying and death... The true healing of a person does not consist in restoration - for a while! - his physical health, but in changing, truly transforming his perception of illness, suffering and death itself ... The purpose of the sacrament is to change the very understanding, the very acceptance of suffering and illness, to accept them as a gift of the sufferings of Christ, translated by Him into victory. In other words, unction is necessary in order to strengthen a person in illness, to support him spiritually.

Are forgotten sins forgiven in the Mystery of the Unction?

For some reason, this opinion is now very common. It turns out that if a person forgets to name some sin at confession, then he will be forgiven him during another Sacrament. Some people generally began to think that it was even possible to hide during confession, that is, to hide their sins: “Anyway, I’ll go and get ready later, and everything will be forgiven.” Those who think so are very much mistaken.

Isn't it only the sins mentioned above that are forgiven us at confession?

Think for yourself, can we list all our sins (usually called from the last confession)? Sometimes it's hard to keep everything in your memory. In this case, you can write everything down on a piece of paper and read it out at confession. However, when we make a list of our sins, we still won’t remember everything. Even if we keep a diary and write down everything in detail, in any case there are sins that we may not pay attention to or consider them to be sin. It turns out that no matter how hard you try, you cannot name all the sins at confession.

Then what happens to unnamed sins?

The current metropolitan said that during a lecture at the Moscow Theological Seminary, he expressed the idea that all sins are forgiven at confession to the penitent. One student objected and said that he would raise the creations of the holy fathers and prove the opposite. After six months of working in the library, this student approached Vladyka Hilarion and said: “You were right, all sins are forgiven.” If a person sincerely repents, then he receives forgiveness for all his sins. If some unnamed forgotten sin is of great concern, then people usually name it at the next confession.

For greater certainty, let us quote the words of the permissive prayer, which the priest reads after confession. “The Lord and our God Jesus Christ, by the grace and bounty of His philanthropy, may forgive you [you] child (name) all your sins. And I am [I] an unworthy priest, by His power given to me, I forgive and allow you [you] from all your sins."

What happens to the sins that we hide out of our own shame?

Before confession begins, the priest usually reads special prayers. One of them sounds like this: “Brothers and sisters, Christ is invisibly present, accepting your confession. Don't be shy and don't be afraid and don't hide nothing in confession. The priest is only a witness, testifying to everything you say. If you hide something double sin stays on you….»

So is it necessary then, before the unction, to confess?

It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. Traditionally, people usually go to confession, although no one forbids unction without having confessed the day before. If you are a church person, then you will regularly confess, and you will succeed by itself. If you are not yet completely churched, then you can confess before or immediately after the unction. The same is true with Communion.

Should you come on an empty stomach?

Not at all necessary. Quite often the Sacrament of the Unction is performed in the evening. Therefore, see that you do not faint from exhaustion. On an empty stomach, it is customary to proceed only to the Sacrament of Communion. You can even go to confession after having breakfast. Only after such a confession do not go to receive communion.

What to take with you?

You need to take patience with you, because the ceremony itself lasts at least an hour, or even two whole hours. You can, for example, take with you the text of the rites and follow in order to be more deeply imbued with the meaning of the Sacrament. There are translations into Russian on the Internet, for example, on the website in the section you can find all the sequence. Some people bring vessels with vegetable oil(oil). Preferably with an olive, because during the Flood the dove brought Noah an olive branch, and the oil symbolizes reconciliation with God. But since olive oil ours is not cheap, then you can use any other, for example, sunflower. The priest pours wine into the consecrated oil. In memory of the fact that the merciful Samaritan poured oil and wine to the wounded (). Therefore, do not bring bottles with blinds. At the end, you can take your oil home and anoint sore spots with it.

To not be left greasy spots on clothes, may come in handy paper napkins or you can rub the oil into the skin.

A candle, which is held in the hand during the Sacrament, can be purchased at the temple. Therefore, it is necessary not only not to be late, but to come early. It is also necessary to sign up, since during the prayer all those who gather are commemorated by name.

What to wear?

You need to dress in comfortable clothes. The forehead, nostrils, cheeks, mouth are anointed with oil, top part chest and palms on both sides. Of course, it would be unwise to wear a turtleneck sweater. I repeat once again that the upper part of the chest is anointed, so women do not need to come with a deep neckline. In addition, the handkerchief should be tied in such a way that it also does not interfere with the anointing.

Can children get together?

If the child is already at a conscious age, ready to listen to explanations and understand why it is necessary to take unction, then why not. Just see for yourself that you do not have to constantly be distracted from prayer, and make a remark to your baby that he is misbehaving. Not all children have enough endurance to stand exactly one and a half to two hours.

And the unbaptized can take unction?

Only those who belong to the Orthodox Church can participate in all the Sacraments and rites of the Orthodox Church. An unbaptized person does not fall under this category, nor does a Catholic or a member of any other faith.

What is the most important thing in unction?

It is impossible in the Sacrament to single out something major, and something secondary. Those who think that the main thing is to "anoint" with oil argue incorrectly. Oil by itself has no magic power. If a person does not have faith, if during the unction he does not pray, and everything he reads goes past his ears, then for him the Sacrament becomes meaningless. Unction, like any Sacrament, should be approached with the fear of God and faith.

You ask: What is Unction and why is it necessary to be unction? How is the Assembly going? When should you get together? How often? How to prepare for the Unction? To all these questions Responsible priest Valentin Asmus.

Unction is a sacrament in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, but not as well known to everyone as, for example, Baptism, Wedding or Communion. Therefore, many mistakenly think that only seriously ill people are unctioned.

So, what is Unction? Unction is a sacrament that is performed on both sick and healthy believers. The sacrament is called unction because it is performed by several priests - together, by a cathedral. Priests at the Unction anoint the faithful with consecrated oil crosswise 7 times.

What is the Unction for? For the healing of bodily and spiritual ailments (which are often the cause of bodily ailments). It is important to know what is bestowed in Unction forgiveness of forgotten sins. We often do something thoughtlessly and quickly forget about it or do not consider it a sin at all (after all, everyone does it). Therefore, in many of our sins, we do not repent at confession. So, in Unction, we are left with just such - forgotten or unconscious - sins.

When is the Assembly held?

Unction takes place throughout the year for those who are seriously ill. And for all believers - most often in great post. Less often - on Christmas. How not to miss the Unction in Great Lent? You need to find out in the Temple where you would like to have the Unction, on what day the Unction will take place. In large Temples, Unction is held several times during Great Lent. Most often this sacrament is performed in the middle of the week after the morning service, but sometimes on Sundays. In any case, the schedule of the Councils must be found out in advance at the Temple.

How is the Assembly going?

Unction is held by several priests. There are usually a lot of those gathering at the sacrament, so they are lined up in rows or in a large circle, so that it would be more convenient for the priests to approach each one for anointing with oil.

On the sacrament Gospel is read 7 times. And to each participant of the Assembly anointed sevenfold anointed with oil on the forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, neck and hands. The Sacrament of the Unction lasts for several hours, often its duration is related to the number of those gathered.

How to prepare for the Unction?

What is unction in the church and how to prepare for it? Before the Unction, you need to confess and take communion. And in preparation for communion, you need to pray and fast more diligently. This is the preparation for the Unction. But priests often say that it is possible to confess and take communion even after the Unction. In more detail on the question of preparing for the Unction Priest Konstantin Ostrovsky answers:

How often do you need to get together?

Ideally, you need to take unction once a year during Great Lent. But it must be a conscious action. If during the year you do not confess and do not take communion in the hope that all sins are forgiven in the Unction, then, it is clear that this sacrament will not bring any benefit, either bodily or spiritual.

When was the sacrament of Unction instituted?

The sacrament has been known since apostolic times. In the epistle of the holy Apostle James (Chapter 5, verses 14-15) we find the first information about the sacrament of the Unction (Anointing of the Unction):

In that documentary"Unction" (25 minutes), you can see how the Unction takes place in the church. And you can also learn more about this sacrament.

I hope the article “What is unction and why is unction necessary?” was useful for you and now you will be able to more consciously relate to this sacrament that saves and heals the body.

I wish you all joy from every moment of life!

ABOUT THE MYSTERY OF ANNOUNCIATION (Unction)

17.1. What is a Sobor?

ABOUT THE MYSTERY OF ANNOUNCIATION (Unction)

17.1. What is a Sobor?

– Unction (or Unction) is the Sacrament in which, through the sevenfold anointing with oil, consecrated by priestly prayer, God's help to heal mental and physical ailments. The Sacrament of the Unction is called the Unction, because several priests gather to perform it - a council.

17.2. Why is it necessary to congregate?

—According to the teaching of the Church, the source of disease lies in sin, and the first prediction about disease in the human race appeared after the fall of the first people. When a paralytic was brought to the Savior to be healed of an illness, He directly draws attention to the source of the illness and says: "Child, your sins are forgiven you"(Mark 2:3-11). The apostle James put sin and bodily weakness in the same exact ratio, who, having said about the healing of the sick through anointing with oil and prayer, notices that at the same time his sins are forgiven for the healed (James 5:15). It cannot be argued that all diseases, without exception, are a direct consequence of sin, but nevertheless, most of the diseases are recognized in Christianity as a consequence of sin, and the prayers of the Sacrament of Unction are imbued with this thought.

For the forgiveness of sins there is the Sacrament of Confession, but the moral causes of illness are not always visible to a person, on the contrary, many of them are hidden from the judgment of his conscience. The patient, due to his weakness, cannot fulfill all the conditions of true repentance. During the Mystery of the Unction of the Unction for the ailing patient, a whole assembly of His servants will stand before the Lord and, by the prayer of faith, on behalf of the whole Church, implores God to grant remission of sins to a person along with bodily health. For the sake of the prayers of the Church in the Sacrament of Unction, the sick person is forgiven special sins, the resolution of which he could not receive in the Sacrament of Penance: sins of old, forgotten and unconfessed, provided, however, a general repentant attitude; sins committed in ignorance; sins, former cause diseases, but about which the patient did not know; sins that the sick person, due to his severe weakness, is not able to this moment tell the confessor or can't make amends now good deeds. All these and similar sins are forgiven by the grace of God to the sick through the Mystery of the Unction.

17.3. Who can congregate?

- Any baptized person can assemble Orthodox Christian having the priest's blessing for it. Children under 7 years old are not unified.

There is a misunderstanding of the essence of the Sacrament of Unction, expressed in the fact that it is allegedly required only by the dying and only for the remission of sins. This sacrament was established by the Holy Church according to the words of the holy Apostle James: “Is any of 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. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven"(James 5:14, 15). The prayers of the rite of Unction speak not of death, but of a return to life, but a life renewed, cleansed of sins.

17.4. How to prepare for the Unction?

– You need to get the blessing of the priest for the Unction. Find out when it is held, come to a certain time, sign up in a candle shop, buy a candle. If possible, before the Unction it is desirable to confess what is recognized as a sin.

17.5. Is it necessary to fast before the Unction?

– There is no special post before the Unction. But since Unction in churches is usually performed during Great Lent, its observance is the duty of any Orthodox Christian.

17.6. Is it necessary to confess before the Unction?

– If possible, it is desirable to confess before the Unction.

17.7. When is the Unction?

– Unction takes place several times during Great Lent. If necessary, it can be done at any other time.

Unction is usually performed at home at the bedside of the sick, but during Great Lent it takes place in churches.

17.8. What to do after the Sobor?

– After the Unction, it is necessary to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

17.9. If after the Unction a sin is remembered, is it necessary to say about it at Confession?

– Unction does not cancel or replace the Sacrament of Penance. If after the Unction a sin is remembered, then it must be confessed.

17.10. What to do with the oil left over from last year's Unction?

- You can anoint yourself with the oil left after the Unction - apply it crosswise on sore spots, you can add it to food. If you use it with reverence and faith, then any use of "cathedral" oil will serve as a blessing from God.

If the oil has deteriorated, then it can be burned.

17.11. Is it possible to smear sick unseemly places with holy oil?

- God created man and there is nothing bad in him, therefore it is allowed to smear any places when they are sick.

17.12. Is it possible to unify babies?

- Over babies who have not reached the age of seven, the Sacrament of the Unction is not performed on the basis of the words of the Apostle James: "Let him call for elders... and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him"(James 5:14, 15), assuming in the sick the power of faith, the presence of the spirit and the consciousness of one's sins.

17.13. Is it possible to unction a patient when he is unconscious?

– Participation in all Sacraments must be conscious and voluntary. In the unconscious state of the patient, the Sacrament will consist of only one rite in the absence of participation and psychic ability face to the perception of grace. Grace is assimilated only if it is perceived by the human soul. This grace cannot be received by one who, during the sacred rite over him, has ceased to have understanding, volitional desire is absent, consciousness and self-consciousness has froze.

17.14. What to do if the patient cannot be delivered to the Unction in the temple?

- We need to invite the priest to the house.

The Sacrament of the Unction is more often called Unction. Unction is the sacrament of the sick and the healthy. You can learn more about this from our article!

What is a Sobor?

The Sacrament of Unction is not well known to many. That is why the strangest prejudices and delusions are connected with it. Sometimes it is believed that only the hopelessly sick should be unctioned, that after the Unction a person either certainly dies, or is certainly healed ... What does the Church really understand by this sacrament? Archpriest Valentin ASMUS tells.

Forgiveness of forgotten sins

As for bodily recovery, it can happen, we pray for this when performing the sacrament, and such miraculous healings do indeed often occur after the Unction. However, one cannot count on this, one cannot perceive the sacrament as a kind of magical procedure that guarantees healing from all diseases.

From the depths of centuries

What were the stages? I must say right away that we know far from everything. We know very little about the first centuries. In the earliest monuments that are related to this rite (III-IV centuries), there are such rites as “thanksgiving of water and oil” and a prayer for bringing oil. The prayer for oil included asking God to bless this oil for anointing the sick and for them to eat it. In the 4th century, the consecration of the oil was sometimes performed by the bishop - however, at that time other sacraments were performed mainly by bishops.

Then, in the Byzantine liturgical books of the 8th century, we see a more detailed sequence of prayers, the first of which is the one that begins with the words: “Holy Father, doctor of souls and bodies ...” This ancient prayer is still said at the celebration of the Unction, and moreover, it is, speaking theologically, a sacramental formula.

Sometimes people ask - when did they begin to perceive the Unction precisely as a sacrament, when was it included among the seven sacraments of the Church? By the way, the notion that there are exactly seven sacraments is not dogmatized in Orthodoxy; it is a Western theological tradition that has also entered our textbooks. But some holy fathers considered other sacraments as sacraments, for example, the Great Blessing of Water on the feast of the Epiphany, monastic tonsure ... Be that as it may, the Consecration of the Unction was perceived quite early as a sacrament both in the East and in the West.

However, in Catholicism, the understanding of this sacrament, until recently, differed from the Orthodox. In the medieval Western tradition, the Consecration of the Unction was customary to perform only on dying people, hence its Catholic name, “extrema unctio” - “the last anointing”. It must be said that such a name for the sacrament, along with the corresponding understanding, penetrated into our Church in the 17th-18th centuries, and was established in official church documents. And only in the 19th century, St. Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow insisted that this name of the sacrament, as inconsistent with the Orthodox understanding, be withdrawn from use - which happened in the Russian Church. But even in the West, the medieval understanding of this sacrament has not been preserved. In recent decades, after the Second Vatican Council, Catholics have changed their attitude towards the Unction, and now they call it something else - for example, "the sacrament of the sick."

Unction: two options, one essence

The Sacrament of Unction has two variants of its fulfillment. Sometimes it is performed at home over one sick person, and sometimes in the church, over everyone who wants to begin this sacrament and who, for health reasons, can come to the temple. In this case, it is usually timed to coincide with some special events of the church year. In the Russian Orthodox Church, this is most often the period of Great Lent, less often - Christmas.