Sfântul Maslu – Taina vindecării în Biserica Ortodoxă: aspecte liturgice, canonice şi pastorale

Abstract

Officiating of the Holy Unction in the Orthodox Church is based on demanding liturgical, canonical and pastoral prescriptions.
Firstly, the holy servant must take into account the specific order of the Holy Unction which is taken from religious books, as it was laid down by the Holy Church. Any shortening, lengthening or improvisation of the ritual leads to officiating priest receiving different spiritual sanctions.
Secondly, the Church has laid down canonical rules for the Sacrament of the Holy Unction, regarding the officiators and receivers of the sacrament, the officiating time, the officiating context/conditions, the repeatability of the sacrament, the material of the sacrament, and so on.
Thirdly, the priest must also take into account the pastoral aspects of officiating the Holy Sacrament. He must consider the social status of the family of the sick person, must know his psychology and, apart from officiating, he must kindly analyze the sick person and offer the best scriptural, patristic and aghiogragic basis to encourage him to fight the disease.
Respecting this triptych of rules leads to the validity of the sacrament and an increase in efficiency of its work in the life of the Christian tried by disease.