A PRAYER FOR HEALING AND LAST RITES PRAYER

A Prayer for Healing and Last Rites Prayer

“Lord, gaze with eyes of compassion, during this, the Time of the Great Plague, upon thy servant [name], grant unto him/her the healing of the mind, the healing of the body, the healing of the spirit. Restore unto her/him [name] the fullness and the wholeness as it was when he/she was created.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord look upon you with kindness and beneficence, may the Lord grant you peace. As the Lord didst heal the sick by touch, so do I, the acolyte of the Lord, now lay hands upon you [name], anointing you with the oil of rejoicing for the healing of your mind, body, spirit, soul.

And if such healing is not to be, I anoint you [name] with the oil of rejoicing in a life now lived through, and with the oil of acceptance of the end of that life and the beginning of a new existence for [name], in that place where we all once were before coming into being, and whither we all must return. Amen.”

Note by U.R. Bowie

I discovered the basics of the text above from an article reprinted in the Gainesville Sun from the Palm Beach Post (April 27, 2020) about a priest, Father Gabriel Ghanoum, who has been visiting hospitals in Palm Beach County, Florida, to administer healing to those sick with coronavirus, and Last Rites to those dying of it. The text as printed was titled “Sacrament of the Sick, or The Last Rites prayer that Father Gabriel says to dying COVID-19 patients at JFK Medical Center.” Don’t have any idea where the text originates, but I suspect that Father Gabriel himself came up with it by improvising on certain other sacred text.

I have made considerable changes in that text printed in the newspaper. It seems to me that the text is of two minds as written: it combines a prayer of healing with a prayer for the dying. To make that more clear I have added the final paragraph, intended only for the dying. That final paragraph is almost completely my own invention. In addition, I have tried to make the prayer more broad, applicable to almost anyone dying who wishes to address any Deity, not necessarily a Christian deity. I offer this variant for what it’s worth, if anything.

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In checking the Internet for the exact words used in the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox rituals of Extreme Unction, I was unable to find such a text. Nor do I have any idea about how the dying are anointed with oil. What follows below are explanations on the Internet of what such a text should consist of.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Catholic priests perform the Sacrament of Extreme Unction based on the Bible.

Roman Catholics recognize seven sacraments, which serve as rites of Christian initiation and passage throughout a person’s life, however brief or long that life may endure. Extreme Unction, also called Last Rites and Anointing of the Sick, is the final sacrament for Catholic faithful. A gravely ill or injured Roman Catholic may receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. In her final moments, a Catholic receives strength and comfort with a last anointing in preparation for the next stage in the soul’s spiritual journey.

Scriptural Basis

As is true for all of the sacraments, the Sacrament of Extreme Unction has a scriptural basis. According to the Traditional Roman Catholicism website, the author of James 5:14-15 calls for priests to pray over the sick and to anoint them “in the name of the Lord.” This sacred action has the power to save the ill and dying and to forgive sins.

Conditions for Extreme Unction

Roman Catholic doctrine establishes criteria for the conditions of Extreme Unction. The person who is ill or injured must have achieved the age of reason, 7 years old, he must repent of his sins and be in a state of grace and he must accept that God may will him to be healed or die.

The Words in the Vernacular

Once the recipient receives the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist, in that order, a Roman Catholic priest performs the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. The priest makes the sign of the cross on various parts of the person’s body and speaks the words in the vernacular, “Through this Holy Unction or oil, and through the great goodness of His mercy, may God pardon thee whatever sins thou hast committed by evil use of sight (sight, hearing, smell, taste and speech, touch, ability to walk).” The last word varies according to the part of the body over which the priest is making the sign of the cross. In cases in which death threatens quickly, the priest may make the sign of the cross on the person’s forehead and say, “Through this holy unction may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins or faults thou hast committed,” according to the Fish Eaters website.

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Prayer of Commendation

As the time of death approaches, this prayer may be said.

Go forth, Christian soul, from this world
in the name of God the almighty Father,
who created you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
who suffered for you,
in the name of the Holy Spirit,
who was poured out upon you,
go forth, faithful Christian.

May you live in peace this day,
may your home be with God in Zion,
with Mary, the Virgin Mother of God,
with Joseph, and all the Angels and Saints.

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Prayers after Death

Prayer for the Dead

In your hands, O Lord,
we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters.
In this life you embraced them with your tender love;
deliver them now from every evil
and bid them eternal rest.

The old order has passed away:
welcome them into paradise,
where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain,
but fullness of peace and joy
with your Son and the Holy Spirit
forever and ever.
Amen.

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EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH

Holy Unction

When one is ill and in pain, this can very often be a time of life when one feels alone and isolated. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, or Holy Unction as it is also known, reminds us that when we are in pain, either physical, emotional, or spiritual, Christ is present with us through the ministry of His Church. He is among us to offer strength to meet the challenges of life, and even the approach of death.

As with Chrismation, oil is also used in this Sacrament as a sign of God's presence, strength, and forgiveness. After the reading of seven Epistle lessons, seven Gospel lessons and the offering of seven prayers, which are all devoted to healing, the priest anoints the body with the Holy Oil. Orthodoxy does not view this Sacrament as available only to those who are near death. It is offered to all who are sick in body, mind, or spirit.

Christ came to the world to "bear our infirmities." One of the signs of His divine Messiahship was to heal the sick. The power of healing remains in the Church since Christ himself remains in the Church through the Holy Spirit.

The Sacrament of the Unction of the sick is the Church's specific prayer for healing. If the faith of the believers is strong enough, and if it is the will of God, there is every reason to believe that the Lord can heal those who are diseased.

The biblical basis for the Sacrament is found in James 5:14-16:

Is any among you sick, let him call for the presbyters of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

S

The Orthodox Church is ever mindful of the spiritual state of the dying and has a number of prayers which assist the soul to pass from this world into God's care. First, and most important of all, is the necessity of ensuring that a priest is called to hear the last confession and administer Holy Communion to the dying. This singularly important moment, depends upon the family of the dying person making arrangements early enough for the priest to visit the person in question, whilst he/she is still able to communicate. If the dying person is beyond communicating, the priest will not be able to administer Holy Communion, but would generally read the Canon for the Departure of the Soul from the Body. If the person is already deceased when the priest arrives, then he will read the Canon After the Departure of the Soul from the Body. As it may not be possible for the family of the departed to be present at this time, it is important for the family to have a requiem (panikhida) sung in church, when the family is able to assemble. This service is referred to as the Panikhida of the First Day.