THE HEALING OF A BOY (Mark 9:17)

ANOINTING OF THE SICK.

Have you or a loved one ever been seriously ill? It can be a scary time. Yet, it is in the midst of fear and suffering that Jesus' followers are called to bring compassion and healing. 

In the Letter of James, the author talkes about how Christians are called to care for those who are sick by praying over them and anointing them with oil. As a result, the sick will be helped and strengthened by Christ and have their sins forgiven.

Caring for those who are ill, as expressed in the Letter of James, is still practiced in the Orthodox Church today through the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Through prayers and anointing with sacred oil, those who are seriously ill are entrusted to God's merciful love and the physical and spiritual struggles that their illness brings are addressed. Physically, the sick are strengthened by the sacrament and, if God wills, find healing. Spiritually, the sick receive special graces from the Holy Spirit. These graces help the sick unite their own sufferings with those of Christ, free them from their sins, and give them the courage they need to face the challenges and fear illness brings.

So, if you or a loved one is faced with a serious illness, remember that the Church is there to relieve your fears and suffering through the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

PRAYER FOR THE SICK.

We pray for the sick. Grant them health, and rise them up from their sickness and let them have perfect health of body and soul, for You are the Seviour and Benefactor, You are Lord and King of all (St. Serapion of Egypt, + 360)

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