The Holy Unction is one of the seven mysteries of our Church.
Unction, or Holy Oil, is the last mystery and is also divine, for there is a clear command in the Holy Scripture by the holy apostle James the Brother of God for it to be performed.
There are also testimonies in Holy Tradition that it has always been conducted as a mystery of the Church.
The command and recommendation of the Brother of God is as follows: “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)
From Holy Tradition, we have testimonies of Origen and St. John Chrysostom, who report that this mystery was performed and the anointing with holy oil of the sick specifically took place in conjunction with repentance and confession.
From these words it is clear what the sacred purpose of this mystery is. Firstly, the physical therapy and healing of the patient; “and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up,” says the divine James.
And secondly, the forgiveness of sins, provided that confession is made along with the anointing. It is necessary here for the sick person to confess, as well as for their loved ones who also perform the anointing for their healing and therapy, because it is possible that the patient has fallen into sins and these sins may be the cause of their illness.
Therefore, the cause of the illness must be eliminated in order for healing from the illness to occur through the grace of the Anointing. But confession is also necessary for the loved ones and relatives, because those who seek the healing of the sick person also need to repent and confess.
Then the words of the Apostle come into play, which say, “If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven,” again following the words of James. One of the prayers of the sacred mystery also says, “Holy Father, physician of souls and bodies, who sent your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to heal every disease and deliver from death, heal and revive your servant (this one) from the physical and mental sickness that afflicts him, and grant him life through your grace.”
In the Sacrament of Holy Unction, the visible elements are the oil, the prayer of the Church, and the anointing of the sick person with holy oil in the shape of a cross. The invisible element is the invisible divine Grace, which heals the patient if it is God’s will, and grants forgiveness of sins upon the conditions we mentioned earlier, of repentance and confession.
To clarify this, the Orthodox confession of Mogila also states that “it is good and always that the treatment of the body does not occur, but the forgiveness of sins of the soul always follows the repentant.”
The Latin tradition performs the Sacrament of Holy Unction only on those who are seriously ill and near death. We Orthodox perform it always, even in mild illnesses, and specifically on Great Wednesday afternoon for all believers, both sick and healthy. We are all anointed by our priests with holy oil for “the healing of soul and body.”
However, participation in this sacrament is optional and not obligatory. That is, anyone who wants and feels the need can part
Mysteries, like the anointing oil, must primarily be noted as not working magically. The necessary element that should distinguish people is faith in God and the Church. And when this faith exists, it generates hope that God saves, especially through His mysteries.
Many people are often drawn by magicians who encourage them to perform the anointing oil seven times in their homes. Many Old Calendarists emphasize the same. However, here we must say that it is not the quantity of the mysteries that saves as much as what we have noted above. And this is how we approach the sacred mysteries and what we expect from them.