The Holy Mysteries or Sacraments in the Orthodox Church are vessels of the mystical participation in divine grace of mankind. In a general sense, the Orthodox Church considers everything which is in and of the Church as sacramental or mystical. The sacraments are personal and are the means whereby God’s grace is appropriated to each individual Christian.
One of the best-known prayers of the Orthodox Church speaks of the spirit of God being “present in all places and filling all things.” This profound affirmation is basic to Orthodoxy’s understanding of God and His relationship to the world. We believe that God is truly near to us. Although He cannot be seen, God is not detached from His creation. Through the persons of The Risen Christ and the Holy Spirit, God is present and active in our lives and in the creation about us. All our life and the creation of which we are an important part, points, to and reveals God.
There are special experiences in our corporate life as Orthodox Christians when the perception of God’s presence and actions is heightened and celebrated. We call these events of the Church Sacraments. Traditionally, the Sacraments have been known as Mysteries in the Orthodox Church. This description emphasises that in these special events of the Church, God discloses Himself through the prayers and actions of His people.
Not only do the Sacraments disclose and reveal God to us, but also they serve to make us receptive to God. All the Sacraments affect our personal relationship to God and to one another. The Holy Spirit works through the Sacraments. He leads us to Christ who unites us with the Father. By participating in the Sacraments, we grow closer to God and to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This process of deification, or theosis, as it is known by Orthodoxy, takes place not in isolation from others, but within the context of a believing community. Although the Sacraments are addressed to each of us by name, they are experiences which involve the entire Church.
The Sacraments of the Orthodox Church are composed of prayers, hymns, scripture lessons, gestures and processions. Many parts of the services date back to the time of the Apostles. The Orthodox Church has avoided reducing the Sacraments to a particular formula or action. Often, a whole series of sacred acts make up a Sacrament. Most of the Sacraments use a portion of the material of creation as an outward and visible sign of God’s revelation. Water, oil, bread and wine are but a few of the many elements which the Orthodox Church employs in her Worship. The frequent use of the material of creation reminds us that matter is good and can become a medium of the Spirit. Most importantly, it affirms the central truth of the Orthodox Christian faith: that God became flesh in Jesus Christ and entered into the midst of creation thereby redirecting the cosmos toward its vocation to glorify its Creator.
The Orthodox Church has never formally determined a particular number of Sacraments. In addition to the Eucharist, Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders and Holy Unction, there are many other Blessings and Special Services which complete the major Sacraments, and which reflect the Church’s presence throughout the lives of her people.
Find Out More About Sacraments, Blessings and other Special Services:
Eucharist
The Holy Eucharist, which is also known as the Divine Liturgy, is the central and most important worship experience of the entire Orthodox Church. Often referred to as the “Sacrament of Sacraments”.
Baptism & Chrismation
Baptism is the mystery of starting anew, of dying to an old way of life and being born again into a new way of life, in Christ. In the Orthodox Church, baptism is “for the remission of sins” and for entrance into the Church.
Marriage
Marriage serves to unite a woman and a man in eternal union before God with the purpose of following Christ and His Gospel and, when possible, raising up a faithful, holy family through their holy union.
Confession
The Mystery of Repentance or Confession is one of the holy mysteries (or sacraments) in the Orthodox Church. Through it, the penitent receives the divine forgiveness of Christ for any sins that are confessed.
Holy Unction
The mystery of holy unction (or Anointing of the Sick) provides both physical and spiritual healing with holy oil blessed by the Holy Spirit. It is traditionally celebrated by a sobor (assembly) of priests.
Funeral
The funeral service in the Orthodox Church, although not considered as specifically sacramental in and of itself, belongs among the most special liturgical rites of the People of God.