Book of Needs of the Holy Orthodox Church

by Russkaia pravoslavnaia tserkov

Priest, the prayer.

O thou that art unbeginning, eternal, and in the holy of holies, who didst send down thine only-begotten Son, who healeth every infirmity and every wound of our souls and bodies; do thou send down thy Holy Ghost, and sanctify this oil, and let it be unto thine anointed servant, name, for a perfect deliverance from his sins, and for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven.

Be it known that some say this prayer only thus far, with the exclamation,

For it is thine to have mercy.....

But others say even unto the end,

For thou art God great and wonderful, who keepest thy testament and thy mercy unto them that love thee, granting deliverance from sins through thy holy child, Jesus Christ, who regenerateth us from sin, enlighteneth the blind, setteth up them that are cast down, loveth the righteous, and is merciful to sinners, who hath called us out of darkness and the shadow of death, saying unto them that are in bonds, Come forth, and to them that are in darkness, Be ye unveiled. For he hath shined in our hearts the light of the knowledge of his countenance, in that for our sake he was made manifest upon earth, and dwelt among men; and to them that accepted thee gave he power to become the children of God; and hath bestowed upon us a sonship through the laver of regeneration, and made us to have no participation in the domination of the devil. For thou wast not pleased that we should be cleansed through blood, but hast given, through holy oil, an image of his cross, that we may be a flock of Christ, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, cleansing us by water, and sanctifying us by thy holy spirit. Do thou thyself, O Master Lord, give grace unto us in this thy service, as thou didst give unto Moses, thine accepted, and unto Samuel, thy beloved, and unto John, thine elect, and unto all who in every generation have been acceptable unto thee. And so make us to be ministers of thy new testament upon this oil, which thou hast made thine own through the precious blood of thy Christ, that, putting away worldly lusts, we may die unto sin and live unto righteousness, so that we may be led of the proposed oil to be invested in him with the anointing of sanctification. May this oil, O Lord, be an oil of gladness, an oil of sanctification, a royal investiture, a cuirass of power, an averting of every diabolical operation, an inviolable seal, a rejoicing of the heart, an eternal joy, that they that are anointed with this oil of regeneration may be terrible to adversaries, and may shine in the brightness of thy saints, having no spot or wrinkle; and may they attain unto thine eternal rest, and gain the prize of the calling from on high.

For it is thine to have mercy, and to save us, O our God, and to thee we ascribe glory, with thine only-begotten Son, and with thy most holy, and good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and to ages of ages, Amen.

And after the prayer; the priest taketh a twig, and, dipping it in the holy oil, anointeth the sick person in the form of a cross, on the forehead, on the nostrils, on the cheeks, on the lips, on the breast, on the hands on both sides, saying this prayer.