Prayers in Illness and for the Suffering
The Church has never treated illness as something to be prayed away in theory while ignored in practice. From the earliest centuries, Christians have brought the sick before God — in the sacrament of Holy Unction, in the daily litanies of the Liturgy, and in the ordinary prayers of family and friends. Suffering is not wasted when it is carried in prayer, even when healing doesn't come the way we hoped.
A Prayer for One Who Is Sick
(pray using their name — an original composition written for this page, in the spirit of the Church's traditional prayers for the sick found in the Book of Needs (Trebnik); it does not quote any specific published translation)
Lord our God, You discipline us but do not hand us over to death; You lift up the poor and raise the needy from the dust. Look with mercy on Your servant (name), weighed down by illness. Forgive all their sins, known and unknown. Heal the affliction that holds them, and by Your compassion raise them from this bed of sickness. Grant them, through the prayers of the Theotokos and all the saints, health and length of days, that they may glorify Your holy Name, now and always, unto ages of ages. Amen.
A Short Prayer for Anxious Moments
(yours or someone else's — also original to this page)
Lord Jesus Christ, Physician of souls and bodies, Who didst bear our infirmities and carry our sorrows: be near to (name) now. Give the doctors and nurses skill and compassion, give (name) patience and peace, and give me the faith to trust You with what I cannot fix. Thy will be done, O Lord, for Thou lovest mankind. Amen.
Reaching Out to the Parish
If you or a loved one is seriously ill, please don't wait to reach out. Two things the parish can offer that a private prayer at home cannot:
- The Sacrament of Holy Unction — anointing with oil for healing of soul and body, available not only in the annual Holy Week service but by request at any time for someone who is sick.
- A pastoral visit and Communion brought to the home or hospital, for anyone unable to attend the Liturgy.
Both prayers above are original compositions written for this page, offered in the spirit of the Church's traditional prayers for the sick found in the Book of Needs (Trebnik), rather than a quotation of any specific published translation.