You anoint yourself with it when you’re sick, troubled, or struggling spiritually. That’s the short answer.
The longer answer is that blessed oil is a means of grace the Church gives you to take home. It’s olive oil a priest has prayed over, usually during a service of Holy Unction or through a specific blessing prayer. When you use it, you’re inviting God’s healing into your body and soul. Not magic. Not superstition. A tangible way to receive what God wants to give you anyway.
What You’re Actually Doing
When you open that little vial your priest gave you and dab some oil on your forehead, you’re participating in something the Church has done since the apostles anointed the sick with oil in Christ’s name. The oil itself isn’t magic. It’s what happens through the oil that matters. God’s grace works through physical things because we’re physical beings. He made us that way.
You can use blessed oil when you’re physically sick, a bad cold, back pain from working a turnaround at the refinery, migraines, whatever. You can also use it when you’re struggling spiritually. Temptation pressing hard? Anxiety keeping you up at night? Anger you can’t shake? Anoint yourself. The oil is for healing of body, soul, and mind. We don’t separate those things the way modern medicine does.
How to Actually Use It
Make the sign of the cross. Then take a small amount of oil on your finger and make the sign of the cross on your forehead. Some people also anoint their hands, chest, or wherever they’re hurting. You don’t need much. A little goes a long way.
Say a prayer while you do it. The Jesus Prayer works well: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” You could also pray Psalm 51 if you know it, or just speak to God in your own words. Ask Him to heal you. Thank Him for His mercy. The point isn’t a formula. It’s turning to Christ as the healer.
Don’t overthink the mechanics. I’ve known people who get anxious about doing it “right.” There’s no secret technique. You’re not performing a ritual. You’re asking God to help you, using something the Church has blessed for exactly that purpose.
This Isn’t the Same as Holy Unction
Holy Unction is the full sacramental service, usually done during Lent or when someone is seriously ill. Multiple priests if possible, seven prayers, seven Gospel readings, the whole congregation receiving anointing. It’s powerful and beautiful. The oil you take home from that service is what most people use for personal anointing.
But your priest can also bless oil separately for you to keep at home. Either way, it carries God’s grace. The difference is the context, not the oil’s effectiveness.
Some people think Holy Unction is last rites, something you only do when someone’s dying. That’s not correct. We anoint the living. We anoint people who’ll walk out of church and go to work the next day. It’s for healing, not just preparation for death.
Where to Keep It
Put it somewhere you’ll remember it. Near your icons is good. Some people keep a small vial in their car or at work. Don’t let it sit in a drawer for years untouched. It’s meant to be used.
If you run out, ask your priest for more. Most parishes have blessed oil available, especially after a Unction service. There’s no shame in needing a refill. That means you’re actually using it.
A Word About Expectations
Using blessed oil doesn’t guarantee you’ll feel better immediately. Sometimes you will. Sometimes you won’t. God heals according to His wisdom, not our demands. What the oil does is connect you to the Church’s prayer, to the grace God offers through His Church, and to Christ Himself.
I know a woman at our parish who anoints herself every night before bed. Not because she’s sick, but because she finds it centers her, reminds her she belongs to God. That’s a perfectly good use of it. Another family anoints their kids when they’re scared or can’t sleep. The oil becomes part of how they pray together.
Keep a vial at home. Use it when you need it. And if you’re not sure whether you “should” use it for something, go ahead and use it. God’s mercy is bigger than your uncertainty.
