Categories: orthodox-life, parish-life, feast-days
Date: 23 April 2008 08:09:25
Today is Holy Wednesday and tonight we participate in the Service of Holy Unction.
While we will not have the seven priests the service is written for [the idea being to gather as many as possible], we will have the seven Epistle readings [*] each followed by a Gospel readings [**] and a particular Prayers for the forgiveness of our sins as well as the healing of soul and body: seven Epistles, seven Gospels and seven Prayers -- seven being the number of completeness, wholeness, perfection.
At the end of the service each member of the congregation is anointed with oil [cf James 5:14-15] our body and our soul are linked in Orthodox thought, so actions that involve the body are important in Orthodox practice. And it is a vivid reminder that in our pain and suffering, be it spiritual, physical or mental, Christ is present with us, particularly through the Sacraments of the Church.
A number of Saints -- among them St James, Nicholas of Myra, Demetrios of Thessaloniki, Great-Martyr Panteleimon and Ss Cosmas and Damian, the Holy Unmercinaries -- are remembered in prayers, particularly for the miracles they performed and for their help of the sick and the poor.
It is one of my favourite services and I eagerly look forward to it tonight.
[*] James 5:10-16; Romans 15:1-7; 1 Corinthians 12:27-31;13:1-8; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, 7:1; 2 Corinthians 1:8-11; Galatians 5:22-6:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:14-23
[**] Luke 10:25-37; Luke 19:1-10; Matthew 10:1,5-8; Matthew 8:14-23; Matthew 25:1-13; Matthew 15:21-28; Matthew 9:9-13