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Jesus healed the sick |
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Following are several
examples of how Jesus healed people in gospel times.
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Simon's
mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and as soon as Jesus arrived
he .... took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left
her, and she began to wait on them.
After the sun
had set and evening had come, Jesus healed many who were sick and drove
out many demons.
A man suffering
from a dreaded skin disease came to Jesus .... Jesus was filled with
pity and reached out and touched him. At once the disease left the
man.
Mark 1:30, 34,
40-42. |
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Jesus shared his healing
power |
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Jesus did more than just
heal people. He also shared his healing power with his followers.
The Gospel says of the disciples:
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They drove out man
demons, and rubbed olive oil on many sick people and healed them.
Mark 6:13 |
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Likewise, the letter of
James shows that after Jesus ascended, his Church continued to exercise the
healing power he shared with them. James writes:
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Are any among
you sick? They should send for the Church elders, who will pray
for them and rub olive oil on them in the name of the Lord.
This faith made in
faith will heal the sick .... and the sins they have committed will be
forgiven.
James
5:14-15 |
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The Church continues Jesus'
healing ministry |
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In Gospel times Jesus
healed people through the physical actions of his
physical body. He touched them and prayed over them.
Today Jesus continues to heal people through the
liturgical
actions of his mystical body - especially through the
sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
Three actions introduce us
to the celebration of the liturgy of the sacrament of the Anointing of the
Sick.
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praying over the sick
person,
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laying hands on the sick
person,
-
anointing the sick
person's head.
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Where the sacrament is
celebrated: |
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The Anointing of the Sick
may be celebrated anywhere: at home, in a hospital, on a battlefield, etc.
An ideal place and time is during the celebration of the Mass of the
Anointing of the Sick.
The reason for this is
that the celebration of the sacrament is not a private action involving only
the priest and the sick person. It is a communal action involving the
whole body of Christ. As Saint Paul explains:
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There is no
division in the body .... If one part of the body suffers, all the
other parts suffer with it.
1 Corinthians 12:25-26 |
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Elsewhere Paul compares
the body of Christ to the human body. If one member is sick, the
entire body is affected in a spiritual way. It is fitting, therefore,
that others (especially family and friends of the sick person) be present
during the celebration of the sacrament. |
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How the sacrament is celebrated: |
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In most cases the
condition of sick people is such that they are unable to anointed during
Mass. When this is the case, the anointing is preceded by a brief
penitential rite. (It better prepares everyone for this sacred action.)
A reading from Scripture
is then shared. Concerning the reading, the
Catechism of the
Catholic Church says:
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The words of
Christ, the witness of the apostles, awaken the faith of the sick person
and of the community to ask the Lord for the strength of his Spirit.
CCC, 1518 |
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The actual anointing
begins with a prayer. Following it, the priest lays his hands on the
head of the sick person in silence. (He may invite those present to
lay hands on the sick person as well.) This beautiful gesture is one
that Jesus used in healing the sick
(Mark 6:5). Finally, the priest
takes the oil, gives thanks to God, blesses the oil, and anoints the
person's forehead, praying:
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Through this
holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the
grace of the Holy Spirit. |
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The priest then anoints
the head of the sick person, praying:
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May the Lord who
frees you from sin save you and raise you up. |
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If the sick person does
not receive Holy Communion, the rite ends with praying the Lords Prayer and
a concluding prayer. If the sick person wishes to celebrate the
sacrament of Reconciliation, this takes place before celebrating the
sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
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Who should receive the sacrament? |
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As an example, a priest
was called to a Los Angeles hospital to anoint an elderly woman named
Gladys. She was not Catholic but had asked to receive the sacrament.
Gladys lapsed into a coma. He anointed her and she went on to recover.
It surprises some
Catholics that the sacrament was celebrated while Gladys was in a coma.
The Church celebrates the sacrament in this situation and in similar ones
(as when patients are unconscious or sedated) if the patients have requested
it or would probably request it if they could.
It also surprises some
Catholics that the chaplain agreed to give the sacrament to a person who was
not a Catholic. The Church permits this if the person has been
baptized, believes that Jesus acts through the sacrament, and requests to
receive it.
Generally speaking, the
sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is for people who are seriously ill
or seriously weakened from advanced age.
It is important to note
here that serious illness does not mean terminal illness. Nor does it
mean an illness that puts a person in immediate danger of death. It
simply means any illness that seriously impairs the health of a person.
The following practices are also permitted and practiced.
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If a sick person who
received this anointing recovers his health, he can in the case of another
grave illness receive this sacrament again. If during the same
illness the person's condition becomes more serious, the sacrament may be
repeated.
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It is fitting to receive
the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The
same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced.
CCC, 1515
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The graces of the sacrament are
many: |
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The
Catechism of the
Catholic Church lists the graces of the sacrament of the Anointing of
the Sick as follows:
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the uniting of the
sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the
whole Church;
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the strengthening,
peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of
illness or old age;
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the forgiveness of
sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament
of Reconciliation;
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the restoration of
health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;
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the preparation
for passing over the eternal life.
CCC, 1532
In addition to the
Anointing of the Sick, the Church offers those who are about to leave
this life the Eucharist as viaticum. Communion in the
body and
blood of
Christ, received at
this moment of "passing over" to the Father, has a particular
significance and importance. It is the seed of
eternal life and the
power of resurrection, according
to the words of the Lord:
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"He who eats my
flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will reaise him up at
the last day." |
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The Eucharist is here the
sacrament of passing over from death to
life,
from this world to the Father.
Thus, just as the
sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist form a unity called "the
sacraments of Christian initiation", so too it can be said that
Reconciliation, the Anointing of the Sick, and the Eucharist as viaticum
constitute at the end of Christian life "the sacraments that prepare for
our heavenly homeland" or the sacraments that complete the earthly
pilgrimage.
CCC, 1524-1525
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Additional References |
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"By the sacred anointing
of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those
who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up
and save them.
(CCC, 1499)
And indeed she [the
Church] exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by
freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ."
[quoting from Lumen Gentium, Vatican II.]
Anointing of the Sick
serves to strengthen those who are being tried by illness or advanced age.
The sacrament, though long relegated to the moments prior to death, always
sought also the recovery of the anointed person, according to God's will. We
understand the notion of being in danger of death in a much more liberal but
realistic manner than might have been the case 50 years ago. The reception
of the sacrament presumes that the individual is already baptized and at
least seven years of age, that is, having achieved the age of reason.
Generally one would not anoint a child below seven years of age.
The
Sign:
the laying on of hands by a priest or bishop, and anointing with blessed
oil. The oil must come from olive or another plant. Normally the oil is
blessed by the bishop at the yearly Chrism Mass, but may also be blessed by
any priest for a given ceremony. Instituted by Christ: found in all the many
cures enacted by Christ in the Gospels. Laying on of hands, or some other
touch was common in healing/miracle stories. The apostolic recommendation is
most clearly found in the Letter of James.
[James 5: 13-15.]
To give
Grace: Spiritual wellness, forgiveness of sins, and
the possibility of physical healing. One receives the particular gift of the
Holy Spirit; one's suffering is united to that of Christ; one receives the
grace conferred by the prayer of the Church; it confers spiritual strength
and courage; and it prepares one for the final journey ... death.
Viaticum:
the true Last Sacrament of the Christian. Anointing of the Sick for those in
danger of death is appropriate, but the most important sacrament is always
the reception of the Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharist is truly the food for
the last journey, and should be offered to the dying whenever possible. The
Eucharist prepares us for our heavenly homeland ... the final journey in our
early pilgrimage. |
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Communal Celebrations of
the Sacrament of Anointing are held during the Liturgical Seasons of Advent
and Lent. Please refer to our Parish Bulletin for information.
In emergency, please call the Rectory Office at (727) 825-2225.
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