Ten Misconceptions About the Mystery of Holy Unction

There are quite a few common misconceptions about Holy Unction (Ευχέλαιο, literally Prayer Oil) in the Orthodox Church — some wrong but harmless, others spiritually misleading and serious. Most come from reducing a deep Mystery into something external or “automatic.” Here are the main ones, explained clearly:

1. “Holy Unction is mainly for physical healing”

Misconception:
People often think Unction exists primarily to cure illness or prevent disease.

Reality:
Physical healing can happen, but the primary purpose is healing of the soul — forgiveness of sins, spiritual strengthening, and restoration of the whole person.

👉 The Church prays for both body and soul — but always prioritizes the soul.

Two Examples, One to Imitate and the Other to Reject (Great Wednesday) - Fr. George Dorbarakis

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

“The harlot loosened the hair of her head for You, the Master. Judas stretched out his hands to the lawless. The one, in order to receive forgiveness of her sins; the other, in order to receive money” (Aposticha).

This evening (Holy Tuesday) our Church sets before us two examples: one positive and one negative. One to imitate, the other to reject. A harlot woman and a disciple of the Lord. And, obviously, one might say that the positive and good example would be the disciple of Christ, while the negative would be the harlot woman. But things, as we all surely know, are reversed: the harlot is presented as the one we must imitate — even throughout our whole life — while the disciple is presented as the one we must turn away from, lest we too be led, like him, to destruction.

And this is understandable: the harlot is the one who became the timeless model — not of her immorality, of course, but of the repentance she showed when she felt the grace and love of the Lord. The disciple Judas is the one who is rejected throughout the ages — not, of course, because of his enviable position of being beside the Lord as His disciple, but because of the betrayal he ultimately chose toward his Teacher.

Prologue in Sermons: April 8

A Great Reward Awaits the Person Who Saves his Neighbor from Bodily and Spiritual Death

April 8

(A story about a maiden who showed mercy to a debtor who was about to hang himself.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

You will certainly agree with me, brothers, that a great reward awaits the person who saves his neighbor from bodily death. But do you know that a double reward awaits the one who saves his neighbor from a double death — that is, from both bodily and spiritual death? If you do not know, we will now explain this to you.

In Alexandria of Egypt, after the death of her parents, a young maiden was left alone with great wealth. One day, while walking in her garden, she saw a man who had prepared a noose and was about to hang himself.

“What are you doing?” the maiden asked in horror.

The unfortunate man replied: “Leave me, maiden, for I am in great distress!”

The maiden said: “Tell me the cause of your distress, and I will help you as much as I can.”

He answered: “I am overwhelmed with debts, and my creditors give me no rest, demanding that I repay what I owe. No, better for me to die than to live such a miserable life!”

Homily One for Holy Tuesday (St. Innocent of Kherson)

Homily One for Holy Tuesday
 
By Saint Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride

“As the Lord was going toward His voluntary Passion, He said to the Apostles on the way: ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered up, as it is written of Him.' Come then, let us also go with Him, purified in mind, and be crucified with Him, and put to death for His sake the pleasures of this life, that we may also live with Him.” (Vespers, Sticheron 1)

When the Lord said to His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,” one of them cried out on behalf of all: “Let us also go, that we may die with him!” (John 11:11, 16). Now, brothers, the time has come not for the death of Lazarus, but for the death of our Lord Himself, who says that “after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified” (Matt. 26:2).

Will any of us hesitate to say: “Let us also go, that we may die with Him”? But it is not enough merely to say this — we must fulfill it in reality. With Lazarus, one could avoid dying; but with our Lord and Savior, we must certainly die.

The Troparion of Kassiani (Photios Kontoglou)

The Troparion of Kassiani 

By Photios Kontoglou

Kassiani — also called Kassia or Ikasia — lived during the reign of Emperor Theophilos in Constantinople, from 829 to 842 AD. She came from a noble family, and for this reason she was among the most beautiful and most educated young women who were gathered at the palace so that the emperor could choose the best one as his wife.

But she lost the crown because of her intelligence. As the emperor passed in front of her, he was struck by her beauty and modesty, and, wanting to tease her, he said: “From woman came evil,” meaning that Eve brought the curse upon humanity. Kassiani replied: “But from woman also came what is better,” meaning that the Most Holy Theotokos brought salvation into the world. Then Theophilos, judging that she was too intelligent to take as his wife, gave the apple to Theodora and married her.

Kassiani then became a nun and built a monastery, which survived until the later years of the Byzantine Empire and was called Ikasion. There she spent her life in fasting and deep devotion. Her favorite work was reading and writing. Among the hymns she composed, the hymn of the Sinful Woman is the most famous; it is known as “the Hymn of Kassiani” and is chanted on the evening of Great Tuesday.

Let Us Not Remain Outside the Bridal Chamber of Christ (Great Tuesday) - Fr. George Dorbarakis

Let Us Not Remain Outside the Bridal Chamber of Christ (Great Tuesday) 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

“Having understood the hour of the end, O soul, and having feared the cutting down of the fig tree, diligently work the talent given to you, O wretched one, keeping watch and crying out: Let us not remain outside the bridal chamber of Christ.”

1. The above kontakion of Holy Tuesday, in a few lines, sets before us the course of true life in Christ. “Let us not remain outside the bridal chamber of Christ”: the Hymnographer, that is, our Church, calls us not to remain outside the bridal chamber of Christ. What is the bridal chamber? It is Christ Himself and our relationship with Him. He is the Bridegroom and every believer is the bride-soul. Our aim is precisely to remain always united with Him, as happens in the relationship between bridegroom and bride. This constitutes both Paradise and the Kingdom of God. For this reason He came and became man: to receive us and incorporate us into His holy Body, the Church; to make us branches of the tree that is Himself. “I am the vine, you are the branches.” Each believer, after holy baptism — by which he has put on Christ — becomes an extension of Him, another manifestation of His presence in the world.

The Many Dresses of Kassiani (Photios Kontoglou)

The Many Dresses of Kassiani

By Photios Kontoglou

The troparion of Kassiani is greatly beloved by our Orthodox people; even people who do not go to church go to hear it. Contributing to this is the inspiration with which it is written and the passion of the sinful woman who repents, as well as the story of Kassiani who composed it. But above all, in my opinion, what moved the people was its music, which is slow and majestic; for the teachers of our ecclesiastical music emphasized it with special love and care. However, one could say this about former times; now, I cannot understand what people hear in most churches where it is chanted — or rather sung — in some improvised way, with a supposedly European music, which is fashioned by people without Christian compunction and without any musical feeling, but with that dead and false conception of music, which they think is the music suited to our age.

First of all, chanting is one thing, and singing is another. Even this these “maestros” have not understood, who take as their ideal in everything the scale of Milan. In this we ought to be proud of our cultivated race. For, as happens in everything, we have surpassed the Europeans. Because for them secular music is different from religious music, whereas among us the music of the Church is becoming more worldly even than opera and even operetta. May we not be bewitched! These disgusting and insipid concoctions, which from time to time one or another fairy-struck fellow presents in church, have completely disfigured the modest and profound character of our Church, so much so that anyone who still has within him genuine Greek sensibilities falls into despair.

Prologue in Sermons: April 7

 What Evil Does Drunkenness Cause to a Person?

April 7

(An exhortation to kings and princes, to bishops and priests, and to all Christians, that they should not become drunk.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Whoever gives himself over to the vice of drunkenness, for the most part forgets everything around him. He has only one thing on his mind — where he might drink; he watches only for opportunities to satisfy his vile passion wherever feasts are held (Prov. 23:30). And yet, if he were fully to realize what a terrible evil he is doing — to himself, to his family, and to society — he would surely be horrified. Indeed, the harm caused by drunkenness, both to drunkards themselves and through them to others, is scarcely imaginable. Ruin awaits drunkards, if they do not abandon their passion — inevitable ruin; their condition is dreadful.

Prayer Before Holy Week (Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Mani)

Prayer Before Great Week

By His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos III of Mani

Lord Jesus Christ, the only one who is Good and Lover of mankind, You who possess abundant mercy and incomprehensible compassion, hear us at this hour, Your sinful servants, whom You have deemed worthy to reach the threshold of Great Week, of Your own Holy and August Passion.

We thank You for this gift and earnestly entreat You: help us to live and to experience all that we shall hear in the Sacred Services of Your Church. Yes, Lord, we know that for our sake You were betrayed, You suffered, You were crucified on Golgotha, You died and were buried, and You rose again on the third day. All was for our redemption from sin, for our freedom from the captivity of the devil, whom You crushed.

Grant, O Lord, that we may never forget Your Holy Passion: the treacherous kiss, the blows, the mockery, the spittings, the sponge with vinegar, the scarlet robe, the nails, the Cross, the spear, and the saving death which You willingly accepted for our sake.