Unction: For the Healing of Soul and Body

One of the unique aspects of Holy Week is the administration of the Sacrament of Holy Unction, the anointing with oil, to all those present during a special service on Wednesday evening. This particular service is nearly identical to that which is performed upon the sick, and is done so that we may prepare ourselves for Christ’s death and burial.

In the Epistle of St. James we read: is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders (priests) of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him (5:14-15). This sacred act entered into the Tradition of the Church through the sacrament of Unction, in which the priests, through prayers and anointment, intercede for the restoration of physical and spiritual wholeness to the afflicted. The sacramental oil used in the Greek Tradition is pure olive oil, symbolic of mercy (the Greek words for ‘olive oil’ and ‘mercy’ have the same root), while the Russian Church uses oil mingled with wine, the inclusion of which is reminiscent of the blood of Christ shed upon the cross for the salvation of men. The Russian practice also reflects the influence of the parable of the Good Samaritan, who used both oil and wine in treating the wounds of the man that lay beaten in the roadway. Ideally, seven priests celebrate the service, but in practice there are fewer, and on most occasions only a single priest administers the rite.

Every year, on Holy Wednesday evening, many people gather in church because they are seeking to be healed of their physical ailments. Many may stay away because they are healthy, or at least they think they are, but there is a deeper aspect which is often overlooked. We are material and spiritual beings, composed of body and soul, both of which are inseparable until the moment of death, and both of which participate in the activities of the other. We are sick, regardless of how we feel physically, because our souls are infected with the sickness of sin.

While physical illness is a result of our sinful nature, it is in fact beneficial to us if used properly. God, in His great mercy, permits our illnesses so that we may always remember our human frailty, and so that we should not trust in ourselves but in God, who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust will still deliver us (II Cor. 1:9,10). When St. Paul wrote these words, he was speaking about the trials and illnesses which he encountered during his ministry. He knows that God will raise the dead on the Last Day, but in fact the Resurrection occurs every day. When God brings us out of the gates of Hell, out of the spiritual death of sin through our repentance, when He delivers us from the despair of grievous illness or unbearable personal trials, He has in fact raised the dead.

Those who come with faith to receive Holy Unction will be healed according to that faith. This healing may or may not be immediately evident. It may come in the form of the relief of physical symptoms, or in the form of the peaceful acceptance of God’s will. It may have many other spiritual fruits, which we will realize over time. In any case, if we believe, a healing will take place, and it is a healing that all of us need, especially as we prepare ourselves to greet the Risen Christ.