Faith or disbelief in the influence of the Sacrament of Anointing is a matter for each individual person. But this can be compared with a purely worldly perception of medical care - the proposed operation will help the patient or the person will die after it.
The unction has passed - and everyone who has joined it listens to himself: how am I? Has it gotten better or worse? And along the way, several more purely worldly and even everyday questions arise, often based on ignorance or insufficient knowledge of how to behave after Unction.
Oil and candles after unction: how to use, what to do with it
The final prayer was read... This was the end of the sacrament. Questions regarding the remaining oil, grain, candles are absolutely not relevant to its completion. It is rather a pious custom that may (or may not) exist in different specific areas and parishes. But since such questions arise, they must be answered.
So, if you brought a bottle of vegetable oil with you, then before leaving the temple after the Blessing of Anointing, the priest adds the remaining consecrated oil to it. How to use oil after unction?
- Don't forget to take your oil with you. You can anoint sore spots at home with this composition, doing it in a cross shape, but such oil does not have the character and power of the sacrament itself.
- It is appropriate to add oil to food.
- There is a recommendation, so to speak, for self-blessing: applying this oil to a cross on the forehead.
- It is also suitable for burning in a lamp in front of icons.
Using the oil consecrated in the temple with reverent awe and faith, a person can be sure that it “works” as a blessing from God.
In some churches, grains of wheat or other grains that “participated” in the celebration of Unction are also distributed. They, like butter, are consumed a little at a time and added to food until the next fast. If the oil has thickened before this time, it is better to burn it by soaking a piece of cloth with it. Temples often have special stoves where they burn relics that have fallen into disrepair and have become obsolete. You can also burn oil here.
As for the candles left after the Blessing of Anointing, it’s the same in the church: one rector believes that it is more logical to leave them on a candlestick in the church, the other blesses them to take them home to pray, lighting them.
How to prepare for unction?
Is it necessary to confess and receive communion after unction?
Maintain a prayerful attitude after the ceremony.
You should try to maintain a prayerful attitude within yourself at least during the next week. It could have happened that it was not possible to attend confession before the Unction. It is necessary to do this at the next service after it and certainly take communion after it. You should not believe those who claim that the sacrament performed on you has already cleansed you of your sins. This is true, but not the whole truth.
Always, always remember: the Sacrament of Anointing does not at all replace (nor does it cancel) the Sacrament of Repentance. Even if suddenly after the Unction you remember some sin, you must repent of it.
One of the spiritual roles of Unction is that it forgives sins that a person has simply forgotten. There is also such a category as unconscious sins: perhaps the believer did not attach any importance to such a moment - due to misunderstanding or thoughtlessness, and did not consider it a sin for which it is necessary to repent.
Repentance and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ also presupposes serious prayerful preparation for them. The night before, you should read the canons of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel. The next morning, before leaving for church, the Follow-up to Holy Communion is read, consisting of psalms, songs and ten prayers of various saints dedicated to this important event.
How much does unction cost?
Why can healthy people receive unction only during Lent?
Anyone who wishes can receive unction only during Great Lent. The rest of the time, the sacrament of Anointing (Unction) is available only to sick people. Under pain of defrocking, priests are forbidden to perform this rite on those who are healthy. Why is such an exception made during Lent?
This is explained by the fact that everyone is sick with something - there are no absolutely healthy people. But, most importantly, the Unction is credited with the grace of forgiveness of forgotten sins, and therefore it is during Lent, when on the way to Easter a person strives for the deep cleansing of his soul, it seems so natural to resort to this sacrament. There is another argument in favor of such a mass unction: people who, for various reasons, find it difficult to invite a priest to their home can receive unction.
About myths and prejudices: is it possible to wash and the like?
Not only is the Sacrament of Anointing itself surrounded by a mass of “misunderstandings,” but there are no less of them around how to behave after it. They can tell you in confidence that you cannot:
- wash and go to the bathhouse;
- eat meat products, and never;
- have a marital relationship;
- take medication;
- that you need to fast, except Wednesday and Friday, also on Monday.
On this occasion, I would like to give a short quote from the First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to Timothy: “Stop worthless women’s fables,” because all these prejudices cannot be called anything other than “worthless women’s fables.”
Evidence of healings and deaths after the sacrament
In every parish, perhaps, there is more than one evidence of the impact of the holy sacrament on the sick who were exposed to it. And if we were to write them all down - both about recovery and about deterioration of the condition - it would turn out to be a very entertaining volume.
Lyubov, 61 years old
The sacrament can help to recover from illness.
“In the fall, a disaster occurred in my family: my husband slipped while getting out of the bath, fell and broke his head.
He is a heavy man, and the blow came with all its might. In addition to the fractured skull, of course, there was also a severe concussion.
The saddest thing is that he once had a traumatic brain injury in the same place in his youth... Then everything was like in a nightmare: a complex multi-hour operation, a month in intensive care, feeding through a straw and a disappointing doctor’s verdict: he will be bedridden.
They were discharged home. A day later, the condition worsened, convulsions began, and the ambulance took me back to neurosurgery. The whole parish prayed for the seriously ill Leonid at every service.
When he was brought home again, our priest and I decided to offer unction to Lenya, even though he, who had been baptized, was far from the church. I thought like this: if I was destined to die, then at least I would receive the last Christian parting words. And if the Lord extends his years, then, you see, my good-for-nothing will be able to change his life.
Leonid spoke with great difficulty, but with the help of his father he repented of his sins. And then they performed the Sacrament of Anointing on him and gave him communion. And he literally fell asleep immediately...
I can’t say that my husband recovered instantly; we still lived with diapers for about a month and a half. Then he slowly began to get out of bed and walk to the toilet - first with my help, then on his own, along the wall.
I won’t describe all the stages, but now it’s spring, and he carefully goes outside with a stick. At home he tries to read, although he quickly gets tired from the tension. He lost a lot of weight, some say beyond recognition. But - alive!
Nadezhda, 42 years old
“ I will never forget how hard my aunt died!” She had cancer. She had her first operation many years ago, everything was quite successful, and then there were metastases in the lungs. I had to look after her. She lived alone. The only son is far away.
It was more comfortable for her to sit than to lie down—it seemed like she could breathe easier. And then it became so scary when she began to choke in front of her eyes, and then she stopped talking altogether - she just showed everything with signs. I suffered beyond words!
Her friends often called and asked how to help. How can you help here? And one of them, knowing that the aunt was a believer, recommended that she be given unction. I called the priest, explained the situation, and he came literally the next day and carried out everything as it should.
And right before Aunt Valya’s eyes, her breathing began to even out, and the anguish and panic disappeared from her eyes. She took communion, and literally an hour after that she took a deep, deep breath, smiled and walked away. It was as if the Unction helped her to end her torment, alleviate her suffering, and gave her the opportunity to move into eternity in peace.
Alexey, 56 years old
You can call the priest to a sick person’s home or hospital.
— My old mother has terrible polyarthritis - all her joints and joints hurt mercilessly. She tried everything! We bought all sorts of medicines! In short, not life, but torture.
We live not far from the church, and my mother’s friend goes to all the services. One day he comes and says that during Lent they will be serving unction in the church, maybe, they say, you, Masha, can somehow get there? She told me what to do.
Well, trying is not torture, and I took my mother there with two sticks - there was no other way - to church on the appointed day.
She was there for two hours. I thought she’d get home on her own after such and such. Nothing helped her. Just as she suffered pain, she still suffers. I would even say that after the unction it got worse. Maybe we did something wrong?
I would like to comment on the author’s last question. Everyone who begins the Sacrament of Anointing must really realize that recovery is a free gift from God, and not an indispensable result of even the most impressive sacred rites.
Many people expect a miracle from the ritual, forgetting that first of all, when embarking on such a sacrament, they should analyze their life, remember all the unseemly actions that fall into the category of sins, realize them and repent - cleanse themselves of them. When going to the Unction, they perceive it as something like a medical procedure, and the thought of the spiritual aspect of this sacrament does not even arise in them.
How to correctly ask for help from St. Luke
“VM” will tell you how to correctly ask St. Luke for help. Saints of Luke were delivered to the capital from Simferopol. Hundreds of pilgrims came to the Donskoy Monastery to turn to St. Luke for help. As the organizers noted, there is numerous evidence of miracles that occur after this.
WHO IS ST. LUKE
Valentin Feliksovich Voino-Yasenetsky was born in the Crimean city of Kerch in 1877. He decided to become a doctor and entered the medical faculty of Kyiv University. During his career, he wrote over 55 scientific papers on anatomy and surgery. He is one of the first doctors who began to perform complex operations on the intestines, heart and brain. In 1921, after the death of his wife, Valentin Voino-Yasenetsky became a monk. He simultaneously worked as a doctor and a professor, while continuing to serve in the cathedral on Sundays. Saint Luke is the author of almost 1300 sermons.
HOW TO ASK FOR HELP
The relics themselves are placed in a reliquary - an ark, which, as a rule, is made in the shape of a coffin. As soon as you approach her, cross yourself twice. The application of the cross can be accompanied by a bow. After this, touch them with your lips, then with your forehead. Place the cross again and step aside. Please note that there are a lot of pilgrims, and you most likely won’t be able to stand in front of the relics for a long time.
WHAT DOES THEY ASK ST. LUKE FOR?
Saint Luke is considered the patron saint of medical workers. Doctors believe that contacting him will help establish the correct diagnosis of the patient and successfully carry out treatment. Often, pilgrims ask the saint for blessings for their parents, strengthening moral strength and family relationships. People with serious illnesses also turn to Luke. The pilgrims said that after this, incredible things happened to them.
A monstrous incident happened to a student at the Moscow Theological Seminary, Evgeniy. One night, unknown assailants brutally beat him. He was taken to the hospital with multiple skull fractures and brain contusions. Fellow students and seminary teachers prayed to the Lord, the Mother of God and St. Luke. The most complex operations were ultimately successful, and after some time Evgeniy continued his studies. And in Lyubertsy, where he was from, they opened a church named St. Luke.
HOW CAN YOU GET TO THE RELICS
The doors of the Donskoy Monastery will be open until May 18 from 07:00 to 21:00. Once every two hours, prayer services will be held in front of the relics. Drinking water will be distributed to those who wish to venerate St. Luke, and volunteers will be in line to help at any time. Wheelchair users, pregnant women and parents with children under one year old will be able to enter the monastery without a queue.
HOW TO PRAY TO SAINT LUKE AT HOME
If you do not have the opportunity to get to the relics at the Danilovsky Monastery or the Holy Trinity Convent of Simferopol, where the relics are kept, you can pray to Luke at home.
■ You should have a small icon of him in the “red corner”. Along with the icon of Luke there should be an icon of the Lord.
■ Light a candle or lamp.
■ Before praying, a woman, as when entering a church, needs to put on a headscarf and stand directly in front of the face of St. Luke. Priests say that before starting a prayer you need to stand for a while and look at the candle fire. This way you can calm down a little and clear yourself of negative thoughts.
■ Say “Lord, have mercy” three times, while crossing yourself. Then read the prayer. After this, you can ask St. Luke for help in your own words.
PRAYER TO LUKE
“O all-blessed confessor, our holy saint Luke, great saint of Christ. With tenderness we bow the knee of our hearts, and falling before the race of your honest and multi-healing relics, like the children of our father, we pray to you with all earnestness: hear us, sinners, and bring our prayer to the merciful and man-loving God, to whom you now stand in the joy of the saints and from the face of an angel . We believe that you love us with the same love that you loved all your neighbors while you were on earth. Ask Christ our God to confirm His children in the spirit of right faith and piety: to the shepherds to give holy zeal and care for the salvation of the people entrusted to them: to observe the right of believers, to strengthen the weak and infirm in the faith, to instruct the ignorant, to reprove the contrary. Give us all a gift that is useful to everyone, and everything that is useful for temporary life and eternal salvation: the establishment of our cities, the fruitfulness of the land, deliverance from famine and destruction, consolation for the afflicted, healing for the sick, return to the path of truth for those who have gone astray, blessing for the parent, blessing for the child in distress. The Lord's upbringing and teaching, help and intercession for the orphaned and needy. Grant us all your Archpastoral blessing, so that if we have such prayerful intercession, we will get rid of the wiles of the evil one and avoid all enmity and disorder, heresies and schisms. Guide us on the path that leads to the villages of the righteous, and pray for us to the omnipotent God, in eternal life we will be worthy with you to constantly glorify the Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
Sergey Shakhidzhanyan, newspaper “Evening Moscow”
Source:
https://inpodolsk.ru/novosti/aktualno/kak-pravilno-prosit-pomoshchi-u-svyatitelya-luki
