Holy Unction/Annointing of the Sick

QuantaCura · Sep 21, 2006

James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord, 15 and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

This sacrament isn't discussed all that often. What chuches practice it? Do you really believe because of it, any sins committed will be forgiven, as St. James says?

kamikat · Sep 21, 2006

On Wednesday of Holy Week, we have a Holy Unction service. The entire congregation is annointed. It is a beautiful and moving service.
From http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8432.asp:

Great Holy Wednesday Evening
(The Mystirion of Unction)

The sacred ceremony of the Mysterion of the Holy Unction takes place on this Wednesday evening, following an old custom. It is the evening of repentance, confession and the remission of sins by the Lord, preparing the faithful to receive Holy Communion, usually the next day, Holy Thursday morning. Holy Unction is the Mysterion for cleansing sins and renewing the body and the spirit of the faithful. Holy Unction is one of the seven Sacraments of the Church, and it has its origin in the practice of the early Church as recorded in the Epistle of James (5:14-15). At the end of the service, the priest anoints the people with Holy Oil, the visible carrier of the Grace of God.

kamikat

PolycarpII · Sep 22, 2006

QuantaCura said:
James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord, 15 and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

This sacrament isn't discussed all that often. What chuches practice it? Do you really believe because of it, any sins committed will be forgiven, as St. James says?

Unction is practiced By Catholics, Orthodox, and Anglicans. However, this sacrament truly reaches its apex in Catholicism and Orthodoxy. Basically if you will read furthur Saint James will say, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5.16)." This sacrament is closely related to Confession, and a type of general absolution is granted. The grace in this sacrament is not just the forgiveness of sins, but a spiritual healing that is given to those in need of it. That is why it is no longer referred to as "Last Rites", this sacrament, after Vatican II, took on a new emphasis: that of healing of the sick, and not preparation for the dying.

Oblio · Sep 22, 2006

It should be noted that EO can and do hold general Holy Unction services at times other than Holy Week.

a_ntv · Sep 22, 2006

Oblio said:
It should be noted that EO can and do hold general Holy Unction services at times other than Holy Week.

That is very nice (well, probably Othorodxes are not so 'cacodox' as someone believes)

Can you give us the Rite of such sacrament in EO?

Oblio · Sep 22, 2006

Office of Holy Unction

One of our longer services

a_ntv · Sep 23, 2006

Oblio said:
Office of Holy Unction

One of our longer services

Here is the Catholic Rite http://www.carr.org/~meripper/faith/anoint.htm

Before the anointing, we use also the laying of hands.

Note: this is the rite used in churches, a comunitary service, so when the ill people is not dying. For dying ones there is a shorter version, but the core donot change

PolycarpII · Sep 23, 2006

Oblio said:
Office of Holy Unction

One of our longer services

Is the Orthodox Sacrament of Annointing of the Sick given along with the Belssed Sacrament?

Oblio · Sep 23, 2006

PolycarpII said:
Is the Orthodox Sacrament of Annointing of the Sick given along with the Belssed Sacrament?

Not the general service, my guess is that the reserved Gifts are given in the case of the sick unable to attend Liturgy.

Ave Maria · Oct 13, 2006

I know that Pentecostals annoint the sick but I don't think they consider it to be a sacrament or an ordinance.

kamikat · Oct 13, 2006

Oblio said:
Not the general service, my guess is that the reserved Gifts are given in the case of the sick unable to attend Liturgy.

At our church, we do the full Holy Unction service in the morning without communion, then the reserved oil is used for annointing those who couldn't attend the morning service during that evening's Presanctified Gifts liturgy.

kamikat

plmarquette · Dec 4, 2006

look at what is written in Luke 9.1 , 10.9 , Mark 16.16-20 ; James 5.15 [ same mentioned in Matthew ] , part of the believer's authority .

If some one is sick , pray for them and expect some thing to happen ( 1 John 5.14-18 ) .

Annointing with oil is a " point of contact " .. originally the oil was the " chrism " specified in the old covenant , set apart as " sacred " , only to be used in ministry ... now many places use " virgin olive oil as a substitute ".

It is not the oil , but the faith of the believer in God's promises ( Psalm 103 , 118.5 , Mark 11.23-4 ; Mt. 7.7-8 ) in God's word that heals ..

a_ntv · Dec 4, 2006

plmarquette said:
It is not the oil , but the faith of the believer in God's promises ( Psalm 103 , 118.5 , Mark 11.23-4 ; Mt. 7.7-8 ) in God's word that heals ..

If it is the faith of the believer that heals, the faith of the believer is a deed (something needed more than the Cross): catholics cannot accept that.

It is not the faith of the believer that heals, but Christ that heals.

And Christ can choose the way He prefers, even olive oil.

Mark 6:13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.

plmarquette · Dec 27, 2006

Hebrews speaks of not beating a dead horse about baptisms , laying on of hands ... not us , but the unction upon us , the light within us , and the ministry of the holy spirit and angels of God
Mark 16.16 , Luke 9.1, 10.9 ... lay hands on the sick , in my name ...
Mark 11.23-4 speak to the mountain ( situation circumstance)
1 John 5.14-18 ; James 4.17 speak , believe , resist

lmnop9876 · Dec 28, 2006

Office of Holy Unction

One of our longer services

that is a beautiful service (although i do not necessarily agree with it all theologically )

Macrina · Jan 2, 2007

In my denomination (Presbyterian USA), we do not consider it to be a sacrament (by our definition), but we do pray for the sick and even sometimes anoint with oil. The oil isn't a widely-used practice, but I have participated in services where we were anointed. We have a "Service of Healing and Wholeness" which is for the healing of body, mind, and/or spirit, and may use oil.

Most of our prayers for the sick do not use oil, however we are not opposed to its use and do employ it when it seems appropriate.

Koey · Feb 5, 2007

QuantaCura said:
James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord, 15 and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

This sacrament isn't discussed all that often. What chuches practice it? Do you really believe because of it, any sins committed will be forgiven, as St. James says?

I did some research on this in the Catholic Encyclopedia and was frankly quite shocked. In my Protestant context, I am used to people being anointed at their request, when they call for the elders. As a former elder myself, I have anointed people many times and witnessed God's indiscriminate intervention, without prejudice as to whether or not I was in the "right" church.

I am used to people being anointed for all sorts of reasons. At one time I was considering asking a Catholic priest friend of mine for anointing because I was sick, but instead a Presbyterian pastor friend stopped by and I asked him. He gladly did so, even though in his context, I was the first to ever ask him.

I was shocked when reading the Catholic Encyclopedia that perhaps my Catholic friend might not have anointed me because 1) I am not Catholic and 2) I am not on my death bed.

Everyone that Jesus healed was not of any particular Jewish denomination and not everyone was on their death bed. He healed those who had faith. That was the only criterion. If they had committed sins which had caused the sickness, they were forgiven too.

Does anyone know if Catholic practice has been updated since Vatican II? The online Catholic Encyclopedia is 100 years old. Pity we don't have a more updated one online, as I really value that resource.

Macrina · Feb 5, 2007

Koey said:
I did some research on this in the Catholic Encyclopedia and was frankly quite shocked. In my Protestant context, I am used to people being anointed at their request, when they call for the elders. As a former elder myself, I have anointed people many times and witnessed God's indiscriminate intervention, without prejudice as to whether or not I was in the "right" church.

I am used to people being anointed for all sorts of reasons. At one time I was considering asking a Catholic priest friend of mine for anointing because I was sick, but instead a Presbyterian pastor friend stopped by and I asked him. He gladly did so, even though in his context, I was the first to ever ask him.

I was shocked when reading the Catholic Encyclopedia that perhaps my Catholic friend might not have anointed me because 1) I am not Catholic and 2) I am not on my death bed.

Everyone that Jesus healed was not of any particular Jewish denomination and not everyone was on their death bed. He healed those who had faith. That was the only criterion. If they had committed sins which had caused the sickness, they were forgiven too.

Does anyone know if Catholic practice has been updated since Vatican II? The online Catholic Encyclopedia is 100 years old. Pity we don't have a more updated one online, as I really value that resource.

I don't know whether or not it's available for non-Catholics, but as to the other -- I worked with Catholic priests in hospital chaplaincy, and they referred to it as "the sacrament of the sick" and didn't require imminent death before they'd do it.

Oblio · Feb 5, 2007

The Orthodox practice is to annoint all who are of the faith, they need not be physically ill for we all are sick with the disease of sin.

a_ntv · Feb 6, 2007

Macrina said:
I don't know whether or not it's available for non-Catholics, but as to the other -- I worked with Catholic priests in hospital chaplaincy, and they referred to it as "the sacrament of the sick" and didn't require imminent death before they'd do it.

Holy Unction is reserved for who is ill: not on the death bed, but for any ill.
Many times it is celebrated in the parish church, so not only for dying people.

It can be repeated, so it is usual to repeat it very before the death, before the last Eucharist.

From the Cathechism (http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P4L.HTM):
1514 The Anointing of the Sick "is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived

Can a not-christian receive it? no, this sacrament shall anyway follow the baptism.

Can a not-catholic receive it?
the order in which this sacrament is given is: Confession -> Holy Unction -> Eucharist. Any Christian who likes to Confess into the Catholic Church is wellcomed.
Anyway in case of danger of life any prescription like not to partake the Communion with protestants is no more valid. The only important think is the salvation of the soul. So Confession, Eucharist, Holy Unction can be given to any Christian without questions (or Baptism to not-christian)

Who can celebrate it? only a priest or bishop (an elder) can celebate it. The oil shall be blessed by the diocesan bishop once a year as sign of union with the Church.

Holy Unction/Annointing of the Sick

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