2-16 Anointing of the Sick

 

In the Week Ahead...

Our Questions

This sacrament strikes me as just being a Catholic form of faith healing --

and not even as dramatic as the TV versions.

What to read

Chapter 19 in US CATHOLIC CATECHISM FOR ADULTS pp. 249-259

In your Bible

    Luke 6:19

    Psalm 23

    Mark 1:41; 2:1-12; 3:10; 6:56

    James 5:14-15

Glossary

Stock = a portable metal container holding a holy oil, particularly the oil of the infirm.

Viaticum = communion given to the dying.  It comes from the Latin “with one on the way.”

Checking My Understanding

Check Quiz 19 at the end of this line and do the self-correcting on-line quiz  <Quiz 19>

Catholic Practice

Friends or family should notify the priest (in a Catholic hospital, the chaplain) indicating the gravity of the patient, the level of awareness and other details (such as ability to swallow, or avoidance of candles because of the use of oxygen.)  The family should prepare a table,  in the sickroom, covered with a white cloth on which ideally there should be a crucifix and two lighted candles. There should also be a little bowl of water. The priest will bring the Eucharist and the holy oil. When the priest enters, he asks a blessing on the house, by invoking the peace of Christ.

The  Confiteor ("I confess") is recited by all and absolution given by the priest. A passage from Sacred Scripture is read. Then a litany is recited which asks for God's blessing on the sick in general and the person receiving the sacrament in particular.  Our Lord said, "They will lay their hands on the sick who will recover" (Mark 16:18). In imitation of our Lord, the priest does just this, without saying anything. (If the sick person wishes to confess privately, he or she does so at this time.)

The sacrament of Anointing is administered by anointing the sick person on the forehead and hands with blessed olive oil (or vegetable oil if necessary) and saying once only these words: “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.  May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up. R/ Amen.”

The Rite ends with the recitation of the Lord's Prayer by all who are assembled. Then the priest gives Holy Communion, if it is then to be received. Finally the blessing is given: May God the Father bless you. May God the Son heal you. May God the Holy Spirit enlighten you. May God protect you from harm and grant you salvation. May he shine on your heart and lead you to eternal life. Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Amen. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up. Amen.

Going Deeper

What relationship do you see between sin and health? Do you subscribe to a holistic notion of healing which includes the body, mind and soul?

Are shame, guilt, embarrassment and remorse good qualities? bad? or indifferent?

What are your views of faith healing?

Branching Out

Reading

KCs (Hart) Anointing of the Sick

     CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH  #1499-1532

Videos

My Life (1993) My Life shows Michael Keaton making a video of his life to leave for his unborn child.  He is a high-powered, ambitious, angry man who is dying of cancer and who wants to leave a legacy, but has a lot of old business to take care of, too.  Making the video of his life forces him to come to terms with himself and his relationships.  Illustrates the stages of dying very well. 


Letters to God (2010) A young boy fighting cancer writes letters to God, touching lives in his neighborhood and community and inspiring hope among everyone he comes in contact.


The Song of Bernadette (1943) the story of Saint Bernadette Soubirous, who, from February to July 1858 in Lourdes, France, had 18 visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The spring that flowed from the Grotto had healing qualities that caused it to be a place of pilgrimage.


Music

    Precious Lord

    Come Unto Me

Supplementary

When should the anointing of the sick take place?

The proper time for receiving this holy anointing has certainly arrived when the believer begins to be in danger of death because of illness or old age.

Each time a Christian falls seriously ill, he may receive the Anointing of the Sick, and also when after he has received it, the illness worsens.  (1528-1529)

Who is the minister of the Holy Anointing?

Only priests (presbyters and bishops) can give the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.  (1530)

What are the benefits of the Holy Anointing?

In the Anointing of the Sick, the Holy Spirit unites the sick to the passion of Christ for their good and that of the church; prepares them for passage to eternal life; grants forgiveness of sins if the person is unable to receive the Sacrament of Penance; restores health if this be God’s will.  (1532)

What is Viaticum?

This is communion given to the dying.  It comes from the Latin “with one on the way.”

Is healing assured?

God gives certain saints and others the charism of healing. 

Yet all the sick are not cured despite fervent prayer.  Read 2 Cor 12:9. 

Our pain can be redemptive. For the Christian, suffering has meaning. Read Col 1:24

What is the sign of the anointing?

Oil blessed by the bishop is used.  The practice dates back to instructions from St. James.  Read James 5:14

What are the effects of the sacrament?

  1. •a renewal of confidence in God ...

  2. •comfort to cope with illness ...

  3. •union with Christ’s passion.