Transcript The Unction of the Sick

The Unction of the Sick
What do you do when your sick?
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What is the first thing you do
when you get sick?
Mom usually takes you to go
see a doctor and he takes your
temperature and gives you
medication.
What is another thing you
SHOULD do when you get
sick?
Tell your father of confession
about your sickness.
God uses doctors and priests
in the healing process.
The Sacrament
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The Unction of the Sick is a sacrament in which
the priest prays seven prayers on the sick
people and then anoints them with the Holy Oil.
It is referred to in Arabic as “Kandeel” because
the priest used to use an oil lamp “Kandeel” with
7 “oil-lamps” each of which is lit at the beginning
of each prayer.
Now the priest just uses a dish with oil in it and 7
pieces of cotton, arranged in the shape of a
cross, which are lit at the beginning of each
prayer.
So why do we have 7 prayers?
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St. James said; “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 sins, he will
be forgiven Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for
one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer
of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like
ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not
rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed
again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”
(James 5:14 -18)
Elijah the prophet prayed 7 times before the rain came!
(1kings 18:44).
When was this Sacrament
established ?
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We do not know the exact time
or occasion when our Lord
instituted this Sacrament, which
is no surprise for there are many
things that the Lord did that were
not written one by one (Jn
21:25), but we know that the
Lord said:
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“Heal the sick, cleanse the
leper.” (Mt 10:8)
“Whatever city you enter,
and they received you …
heal the sick who are
there.” (Lk 10:8-9)
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The apostles carried out the
Sacrament
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The Apostles ministered this sacrament: “So
they went out and preached that people should
repent. And they cast out many demons, and
anointed with oil many who were sick, and
healed them” (Mark 6:12-13).
St. James stressed on the importance of this
sacrament: “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 sins, he will be forgiven” (James
5:14-15).
Confession before the Sacrament
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The purpose of this sacrament
is to heal the spirit. If the spirit
heals, they body may also
heal. How do we heal our
spirits?? St. James answers:
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“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 sins, he will be
forgiven Confess your trespasses
to one another, and pray for one
another, that you may be healed.”
The importance of a Priest’s visit
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There is no objection to seeking medicine and
the doctors, but equally important (or even more
important) is seeking the priest (church).
A sick person should ask the priest to come and
officiate the Sacrament of the Unction of the
Sick, so that he may be granted healing from
God. But he MUST have faith that God is able to
heal him “And the prayer of faith will save the
sick”.
A person cannot however rely completely on
medicine and deny the power of God.
The Priest’s visit to the sick person to
minister the Unction freely (Matthew
10:8), is a living proof of the “living
Body of Christ”.
 The best time for administering the
Sacrament is early morning when the
sick can be able to take communion.
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The rite of the Anointing
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On the forehead: this is the region of thoughts and
senses.
On the chest: where the heart is: “Keep your heart with
all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life”
(Proverbs 4:23).
On the hands: they are the tools of labor.
God is blessing the person’s thoughts, senses, heart,
and labor. He is anointed in the Name of the Holy Trinity,
who sanctifies everything.
Anyone not baptized cannot be anointed. “Whatever city
you enter, and they received you … heal the sick who
are there.” (Lk 10:8-9)
The sick person is to continue anointing himself/herself
for seven days in the same manner,and with faith that he
will be granted healing.
How should the sick person prepare and
do before, during, and after the
sacrament?
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Have faith in God’s healing power.
Have faith and trust in the priest who will minister the
Sacrament as he has faith in the physician that will
administer his treatment.
Confess before the Unction, and take Communion
afterwards.
He/ she (as well as all who will attend) must be fasting,
as much as he/ she can: 9 hours if possible, or less with
absolution of the father of confession.
Be physically clean.
Live with God and serve Him as did Peter’s mother-in-law
(Matthew 8:15) and Mary Magdalene (Mark 15:4) when
they were healed.
Thank God regardless of the outcome.
Why do people sometimes receive this
Sacrament and yet are not healed?
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Sometimes the person may not have enough faith or the
sickness may be for death, which is the “greatest”
healing of all bodily diseases.
The sickness may be for discipline, which God will
remove when He sees that it has performed its function,
as an example Job’s sickness for seven years and
Miriam, Moses’ sister’s leprosy for seven days (after
Moses prayed for her) (Numbers 12).
The sickness may be for edification; Lazarus the poor
who had skin sores. Also, St. Paul who prayed three
times to be healed but God said to him, “My strength is
made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).
We need to understand that in this Sacrament we do not
dictate to God what to do but rather ask for his mercies.
Why does the Church perform this Sacrament
to the whole congregation on the last Friday of
the Lent?
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During the Holy Week of Pascha, the
Church does not perform this Sacrament
and therefore performs it and anoints the
entire congregation on the last Friday of
the Lent. Moreover, many are weak from
fasting and this anointing helps them to
continue with the scheduled prayers and
food abstinence of the Pascha.
Conclusion
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The Lord is the True Physician of our
souls. He heals all our illnesses through
His Holy Sacrament of Unction of the Sick.
We must prepare ourselves with
repentance and a strong faith and we will
be healed.
Memory Verse
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“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 sins, he
will be forgiven”
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(James 5:14 -15)