Anointing of the Sick 

Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders 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 (James 5:14-15).

Jesus has a preferential love for sick people and even identified himself with the suffering. “I was sick and you visited me” (Mt. 25:36). Jesus healed the whole person, body, mind and soul. He cured the paralytic’s physical disability as well as his moral one when he forgave him his sins. Jesus often touched people when he healed them. In the sacrament of Anointing, Jesus touches the sick to heal them—always from sin, but sometimes even from the physical ailment.

The Church believes and confesses that among the seven sacraments there is one especially intended to strengthen those who are being tried by illness, the Anointing of the Sick:

The sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament. It is alluded to indeed by Mark, but it recommended to the faithful and promulgated by James the apostle… (CCC §1511).

From ancient times in the liturgical tradition of both East and West, we have testimonies to the practice of anointing of the sick with blessed oil. Over the centuries the Anointing of the Sick was conferred more and more exclusively on those at the point of death. Because of this it received the name “Extreme Unction.” Notwithstanding this evolution the liturgy has never failed to beg the Lord that the sick person may recover his health if it would be conducive to his salvation (CCC §1512).

The special graces of the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:

• The uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church;
• The strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age;
• The forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation;
• The restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;
• The preparation for passing over to eternal life (CCC §1532).

WHO CAN RECEIVE ANOINTING OF THE SICK?

Any baptized Catholic who is enduring the effects of illness or old age may receive the sacrament. It is not a sacrament only for those who are at the point of death. The faithful are encouraged to seek the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick if they become seriously ill, will be undergoing a major medical procedure (surgery, chemotherapy, etc.) or have advanced in age. Anointing of the Sick can be received multiple times.

If you, or someone  you know, would like to receive the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, please contact the parish office:

(907) 474-9032