On 7 March the Sacrament of Holy Unction was celebrated at Saint Alexius Cathedral, led by the rector of the church, Priest Igor Babakov.
He was assisted by a priest of the Church of St. George in Samarkand, Priest Oleg Dushenko.
More than 100 people received the Sacrament of Holy Unction.
Holy Unction is the Sacrament in which, through the anointing of the body with oil, the grace of God is called down upon the sick person, healing infirmities of soul and body. In Russian the Sacrament is called soborovanie because ideally it should be performed by a "sobor", an assembly of seven priests.
The history of the Sacrament goes back to the apostles, who, having received from Jesus Christ the power "to heal sicknesses", "anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them" (Mark 6:13).
During the Sacrament seven readings from the Apostolic Epistles and seven from the Gospel are read. After each reading the priest anoints the forehead, cheeks, chest and hands of the gravely ill person with consecrated oil. After the last reading from Holy Scripture he places the open Gospel on the head of the person receiving Unction and prays for the forgiveness of his sins.
The Anointing with Oil requires faith and repentance. Healing is a free gift of the All-Good and loving God, not the inevitable result of certain outward actions. Therefore the Sacrament of Holy Unction is not a magical ritual whose result will necessarily be physical healing.
Before or after Holy Unction, Orthodox Christians usually try to go to confession and receive Holy Communion.
We congratulate everyone who received this Sacrament and wish them God's help, and we remind them that after Holy Unction they should prepare for and receive Communion of the Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, if they did not do so the day before!
