If the majority of Russian people have heard about baptism and confession, then not even all believers have an accurate idea of what unction is. For many, this sacrament is associated with communion on the deathbed. Others think that unction is a kind of magic ritual, after which the patient will either heal or die. So what is it really?
Unction is a sacrament of cleansing and forgiveness of sins, usually conducted by several clergymen. It is from the conciliar holding that such a name came - unction. How does this sacrament differ from the usual confession, in which a person is also forgiven of sins? The fact is that confession is of a more conscious character and is designed to free the believer from those sins that he notices for himself and which he can confess to the priest and the Lord. During the unction, there is also a cleansing from those sins that a person can commit involuntarily and not even be aware of this.
The power of unction is very great, it is not by chance that it is used to alleviate the suffering of those who are seriously ill and dying. Of course, the sacrament does not guarantee complete healing, the will of the Lord for everything, but it often happens that after unction, the sick begin to feel much better or even recover. You should not take this sacrament as a panacea for all troubles, because any prayer reaches the Lord and will certainly be heard by him. The power of unction lies, first of all, in the faith of the person himself, and not in the rituals and chants performed in the temple.
Both the sick and the perfectly healthy can unleash, because a person can cleanse his soul and open himself before the Lord not only in a state of severe bodily illness or at death. They usually meet once a year, but if you feel the need to undergo this sacrament additionally, you should not stop yourself. There are no definite terms or canons for the performance of unction, therefore, if a person is ready for it and feels an urgent need, it is necessary to take an unction.
One of the obligatory attributes of the sacrament is the anointing with oil as a sign of cleansing the body from sin. The priest smears the congregation by reading prayers. The cycle of reading the scripture and the anointing is repeated seven times, after which the believers are applied to the gospel. The congregation can take the oil left over after the completion of the ceremony to be anointed as well. According to church tradition, the same oil is poured into the coffin of the deceased, which symbolizes eternal life.
Those who are seriously ill are not afraid of the sacrament of unction. There is a superstition that it is only necessary for the dying to receive unction, and only when the feeling of an imminent end is approaching. It is for this reason that many believe that after the unification of their days will be numbered. This view is completely unfounded and completely wrong. How much is released to a person in this world depends not on the performance of this or that ritual, but solely on the will of the Lord. If it pleases him, the sick person can be healed altogether or live long enough even after unction.
