There are seven sacraments in the Christian Orthodox tradition. These are special sacred acts necessary to invoke the grace of the Holy Spirit and to sanctify the human person. The main idea of human existence is the pursuit of holiness. Therefore, participation in the sacraments sanctifying the human personality is simply necessary.
What is unction
There are seven church ordinances, one of which is unction. In the theological literature, one can find another name for this sacred rite - blessing of oil. The history of the institution of unction takes us back to the days of the apostles. The Epistle of James says that if someone falls ill, he must call the elders of the Church to pray over him and anointing with holy oil (oil). This confirms faith and hope that the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will heal him. It turns out that unction is necessary for a person as a means of helping with diseases. Everyone has one or another serious and minor illness, and a person inherently strives to preserve his body.
Many people incorrectly believe that they gather only before death. This is a serious misconception. The mystery of the Church is not for death, but for life! Often the sick are gathered together precisely to relieve their torment and suffering.
It is necessary to realize that unction is good not only for the body. Thus, it is determined that in this sacrament forgotten sins are forgiven to a person. But not those that he forgot out of laziness, but those committed out of ignorance or completely disappeared from memory. There is a purification of the soul of the person approaching this shrine, and grace descends on a person, which strengthens and gives spiritual strength to the believer.
