The Sacrament of Anointing with Oil (in Russian, Таинство Елеосвящения or Соборование) is one of the seven sacraments of the Holy Orthodox Church. The others are Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, Holy Communion, Marriage, and Ordination. As such, only baptised Orthodox Christians may be anointed when this sacrament is served. Other forms of anointing are discussed below.
Olive oil, a staple in the ancient world as a food, cosmetic, and source of fuel, was also widely used for medicinal purposes. The New Testament bears witness to this; in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) it is said that the wounds of the man who fell among robbers were treated by the pouring on of oil and wine. This common practice was incorporated into the healing ministry of the apostles when they were sent out by Christ to “preach the kingdom of God and heal” (Luke 9:2). In Mark’s Gospel it is recorded that the apostles “cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them” (Mark 6:13).
The clearest New Testament account of the sacramental anointing of the sick is to be found in the Epistle of James. The apostle writes: "Is any 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 man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:14-15). Amongst the documents of the Early Church there are to be found many prayers for the blessing of oil for healing, together with instructions concerning anointing.
This sacrament is now usually served for individual Orthodox Christians who are seriously ill. Importantly, it is also customarily served during Great Lent for all Orthodox Christians. This practice recognises that we all suffer from the sickness of sin, and participation in it is an importance part of our Lenten journey of repentance.
In the Greek Orthodox tradition this sacrament is served in the evening on Wednesday of Holy Week. In the Russian Orthodox tradition, this practice is maintained at the Moscow Dormition Cathedral and at the Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra. For many years the Archbishop’s Chapel of All Saints of Russia in Croydon, NSW, also preserved this pious custom. In most parishes of our Diocese, however, it is served on a convenient evening towards the end of Great Lent.
When the sacrament is served in church, a dish of wheat or some other grain is placed on a table in the centre of the church before the service begins. A glass containing olive oil is placed on the wheat, and customarily seven candles are placed in the wheat, standing upright around the glass.
The service begins with psalms, troparia, a canon, and a selection of sung verses. This part of the service follows the structure of Matins and reflects the Byzantine tradition of serving All-night Vigil for the healing of the sick. The olive oil in the glass is then mixed with red wine as the Prayer of the Oil is read:
O Lord Who, through Thy mercies and compassions, healest the disorders of our souls and bodies: Do Thou Thyself, O Master, sanctify this Oil, that it may be effectual unto them that are anointed with it for healing, and for the relief of every passion, of defilement of flesh and spirit, and of every ill; and that thereby may be glorified Thy most-holy name: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
This prayer is one of the oldest parts of the service.
The second part of the service consists of seven sets of Scripture readings, one from the Apostol and one from the Gospel. This reflects the Byzantine tradition of serving Divine Liturgy for the healing of the sick on seven consecutive days.
Each set of readings is followed by a litany asking for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation and forgiveness of sins for those to be anointed, and by a prayer. The litany is always the same, but each prayer is different. Ideally seven priests participate, and each one presides in turn during each sequence of readings, litany and prayer. In contemporary parish practice, it is not uncommon for one priest to serve alone.
The sets of readings are:
First Apostol reading: James 5:10-16 (§57, Spiritual guidance)
First Gospel reading: Luke 10:25-37 (§53, The Story of the Good Samaritan)
Second Apostol reading: Romans 15:1-7 (§116, That through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures we might have hope)
Second Gospel reading: Luke 19:1-10 (§57, Zaccheus, the chief tax collector)
Third Apostol reading:1 Corinthians 12:27-13:8 (§153, The nature of Love)
Third Gospel reading: Matthew 10:1, 5-8 (§34 from the centre, The healing mission of the Twelve)
Fourth Apostol reading: 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 (§182, For we are the temple of the living God)
Fourth Gospel reading: Matthew 8:14-23 (§26, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law)
Fifth Apostol reading: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (§168, God will deliver us)
Fifth Gospel reading: Matthew 25:1-13 (§104, The Parable of the Ten Virgins)
Sixth Apostol reading: Galatians 5:22-6:2 (§213, The fruits of the Spirit)
Sixth Gospel reading: Matthew 15:21-28 (§62, A woman’s faith)
Seventh Apostol reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-23 (§273, Rejoice always, pray constantly)
Seventh Gospel reading: Matthew 9:9-13 (§30, Jesus calls Matthew)
One of the seven candles is extinguished after the completion of each sequence of readings, litany and prayer. When this service takes place during Great Lent, those present are customarily anointed at the end of the service by as many priests who are present. In some places it is the practice to anoint each person after each sequence. The approach taken generally reflects local custom and the number of priests present to help with anointing.
The prayer before anointing is another of the oldest parts of the service:
O Holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies, Who didst send Thine Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who health every infirmity and delivereth from death: Do Thou heal Thy servants, (names), of the bodily and spiritual infirmities with possess them, and enliven them through the grace of Thy Christ: Through the prayers of our Most-holy Sovereign Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary; by the protection of the honourable and bodiless powers of Heaven; by the power of the precious and lifegiving Cross; through the honourable and glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John; of the holy, glorious and all-praised Apostles; of the holy, glorious and right-victorious martyrs; of our venerable and God-bearing Fathers; of the holy and unmercenary Physicians, Cosmas and Damian, Cyrus and John, Panteleimon and Hermolaus, Sampson and Diomedes, Photius and Anicetus; of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, and of all the Saints. For Thou art the fountain of our healing, O our God, and unto the do we send up glory, together with Thine Only-begotten Son, and Thy Spirit, One in Essence, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Ideally, those wishing to be anointed will have confessed at some time previously during Great Lent. In this parish, there is not usually an opportunity to confess on the evening of the service, and confession is not strictly required on the understanding that those being anointed will make an effort to confess at some stage during Great Lent.
The faithful are anointed on the forehead, the nostrils, the cheeks, the lips, the chest, and both sides of the hands. Those attending should wear a shirt or blouse that can be easily unbuttoned at the top for the anointing of the chest.
In some parts of Russia, it is customary for the faithful to bring their own oil for blessing at this service, and to afterwards take it home. This is not the usual practice of our Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.
It is also the practice in some parts of Russia to serve this sacrament for all Orthodox Christians during the Nativity Fast, and at other times. Once again, this is not the usual practice of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.
The Holy Orthodox Church commonly practices some other forms of anointing. Of these, the most common is the anointing with oil blessed during the litia at All-night Vigil on Great Feasts and other major holy days. In this parish, this anointing also occurs during All-night Vigil or Matins on Saturday evenings. All who are present in church may be anointed, even if they are not Orthodox Christians.
Another common form of anointing is anointing with oil from the shrine-lamp that burns before miracle-working icons or the relics of saints. This generally occurs when the icon or relics are present in church, or on the day of commemoration of the icon or saint. As with the anointing that occurs on Great Feasts and Saturday evenings, all who are present in church may be anointed.
Meyendorff, Paul. The Anointing of the Sick. St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2009.
The Great Book of Needs, Volume I. St Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 1999.
