The Orthodox Church
has always viewed body and soul as inseparable thus stressing the necessity
for preserving both in good health, following Jesus Christ's exhortation
to his disciples to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,
cast out demons" (Matthew 10:10).
This follows Christ's ministry to "heal the brokenhearted, and to proclaim
liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind" (Luke
4:18; see Is
61:1), and to heal "all kinds of sickness
and all kinds of disease (Matt. 4:23).
In healing,
the Church follows the procedure prescribed by the Apostle James: "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. And
the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.
And if he has committed sin, he will be forgiven" (James
5:14-15).
James here
speaks of a priestly anointing with oil that leads to the physical and
spiritual healing of a person, through the prayer of faith. This sacred
action has become a sacrament of the Orthodox Church and is known as Holy
Unction (Gr. efchelaion, meaning prayer oil). The Holy Unction
is given to all who are sick, and not restricted to the dying. The dying
are usually given, as a preparation for death, Holy Communion.
Sacrament
(Mystery) of Unction Holy Unction
begins with the chanting of hymns known as 'troparia',
and the priest pleas:
"O Lord
Almighty, Healer of our souls and bodies, who puts down and raises up,
who chastises and heals also, visit now in Your mercy our brother or sister,
(Name),
who
is ill. Stretch forth Your arm that is full of healing and heath, and raise
(Name)
up
from this bed and cure this illness. Put away the spirit of disease and
every malady and pain and fever".
During the
sacrament, the grace of God is entreated upon a person to heal their infirmities
of body and soul while the body is anointed with oil. It is done by a gathering
of priests, ideally seven in number, but can be performed by a lesser number
or even by a single priest. The efficacy of the sacrament depends upon
the promise and appointment of God; however it benefits only those who
receives it with a 'prayer of faith', and with due preparation and
disposition of mind. The final prayer is for remission of sins: "And
if (Name) has committed sins and transgressions, grant remission and forgiveness,
because You love mankind".
As Orthodox
Christians we pray, neither commanding God to heal nor doubting His ability
to heal, but pleading for His promised mercy upon all who are ill.
Healings
throughout history The gifts
of the Spirit or the miracles of Christ have always been active in the
ministry of the Orthodox Church. The Church has never regards the gift
as 'passed away'. St. Ireneaus during the end of the second century speaks
of the miracles in his day: "Some drive out devils ... some have foreknowledge
of the future ... others heal the sick through the laying of hands ...
and even the dead have been raised up before now and have remained with
us for many years". Later, in the fourth century, there are clear testimonies
of it in St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom who have given us
prayers for healing which are used by the Church in the Sacrament of Unction.
In the fifth
century, Pope Innocent I said that the Mystery of Unction should be performed
"upon believers who are sick", and it should not be performed "on
those undergoing ecclesiastical penance, because it is a Mystery. For how
should it be supposed that one kind of Mystery be granted to those who
are forbidden the other Mysteries". St. Cyril of Alexandria also made
reference to Holy Unction in "Worship and Adoration in Spirit and in
Truth". The writings of other Church Fathers speak often of miracles
of healing within the Church. A recent example of such miracles are those
which Christ performed through a Russian monk called St. Seraphim of Sarov
(1759-1833).
