Tag: Anointing of the Sick

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Sacraments

Communal Celebration of Anointing

Father Reginald Martin

March 18, 2024 11:04 am March 18, 2024

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Catholics growing up before the Second Vatican Council knew the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as “Extreme Unction,” a blessing reserved for those at the point of death….

Catholics growing up before the Second Vatican Council knew the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as “Extreme Unction,” a blessing reserved for those at the point of death. As these individuals were usually in hospitals, the sacrament was, necessarily, administered privately.

The council fathers determined the sacrament is “not for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time … to receive this sacrament has certainly arrived” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 73). Because we are baptized into communion with one another, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, like all the sacraments, has a social dimension. Therefore, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church observes, “The Anointing of the Sick is a liturgical and communal celebration” (No. 1517). To anoint those who are ill or elderly in a parish (or other common) liturgical gathering visibly manifests the invisible bonds that unite us.

The same text from the Catechism also reminds us that although, at one time, we might have referred to the anointing of the sick as “Last Rites,” this misidentifies the sacrament. The Eucharist “should always be the last sacrament of the earthly journey … for ‘passing over’ to eternal life.”

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4 min read

Sacraments

What are the Three Holy Oils?

D.D. Emmons

February 7, 2024 11:09 am February 7, 2024

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The Church makes use of three holy oils: the oil of the sick, the oil of the catechumens and the holy chrism oil. The first two are blessed, and the…

The Church makes use of three holy oils: the oil of the sick, the oil of the catechumens and the holy chrism oil. The first two are blessed, and the bishop consecrates the third, ordinarily during the annual Chrism Mass. Each has a distinctive purpose in the Church.

Oil of the Sick

The oil of the sick, which is pure olive oil, is used for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. While ideally celebrated with the community during the Mass for the anointing of the sick, this sacrament can be administered any time and in any place. The priest lays hands on the sick or elderly person, says special prayers and anoints the person by placing oil in the form of a cross on the forehead and hands.

Through this sacrament, God gives the sick person grace and strength to bear the illness or infirmity. In addition, many Catholics have witnessed the power of this anointing to bring spiritual, emotional and even physical healing.

Oil of the Catechumens

Both adults and infants prior to baptism are anointed with the oil of the catechumens, which is also pure olive oil. For adults, this pre-baptismal anointing often takes place during a special initiation ceremony when the person begins to prepare for the Sacrament of Baptism. At the beginning of the process known as the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), each person preparing for initiation is anointed with the oil of the catechumens.

This rite most often takes place during Mass, prior to holy Communion. The priest or deacon anoints the catechumens. Then he prays that God will instill them with wisdom for discernment and with the strength necessary to avoid evil during their inquiry into the Catholic faith and their preparation for a life with Christ.

In a similar way, an infant is anointed just before receiving the waters of baptism. This anointing is to help the child ward off evil, avoid temptation and possess the faith necessary to carry the cross of Christ throughout life.

Holy Chrism Oil

The third oil, holy chrism oil, is olive oil mixed with balsam. The oil symbolizes strength, and the fragrant balsam represents the “aroma of Christ” (2 Cor 2:15). Anointing with chrism oil signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is used to consecrate someone or something to God’s service.

Each year we witness the use of the holy chrism when young people are confirmed, and at the Easter Vigil when adults are confirmed after baptism. The bishop traces the Sign of the Cross with chrism oil on the forehead of the one being confirmed and says, “[Name], be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Chrism oil is also part of the baptismal rite. Following an infant’s baptism with water and before he receives the white garment, the cross with chrism oil is traced on the crown of the child’s head, marking him as a Christian. Anointing on the head is also administered at the baptism of an adult if the person does not immediately receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Holy chrism oil is used as well during the ordination of a priest (the Sacrament of Holy Orders) and the consecration of a bishop. It is the anointing used in the consecration of a church and the blessing of an altar and the vessels used at Mass.

The Chrism Mass

Each year the local bishop blesses enough new oils for every parish during the Chrism Mass. The holy oils are then transported to individual parishes, where they are available for use during that year. Though the bishop cannot be physically present at every baptism or confirmation in his diocese, he can be symbolically present through the holy oils he blesses.

After the Liturgy of the Word, the blessing of the oils takes place. In a formal procession, olive oil is brought forward in special urns; the oil of the sick is presented first, next the oil of the catechumens, and finally oil for the holy chrism. The bishop prays over and blesses each oil individually.

The ritual for creating and consecrating the holy chrism is different from the others. To make it, the bishop mixes oil from the balsam plant with the olive oil, breathes on the mixed oil to signify the presence of the Holy Spirit, and then says a prayer to consecrate it.

Once blessed in this way, the chrism and the other oils are no longer ordinary ointments. Instead, they are a holy, precious gift from God to the Church, signifying cleansing and strengthening, healing and comfort, and the life-giving grace of the Holy Spirit.

D.D. Emmons writes from O’Fallon, Ill.

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3 min read

Sacraments

Who Can Be Anointed?

Father Francis Hoffman and Msgr. William J. King

January 10, 2024 8:00 am January 10, 2024

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3 min read

A look at the purpose of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick tells us who the Church envisions to receive it. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the…

A look at the purpose of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick tells us who the Church envisions to receive it.

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has a dual character, expressed by St. James in his New Testament letter: “Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven” (Jas 5:14-15).

The sacrament is intended to strengthen as well as to forgive sins. Because it involves forgiveness of sins, its celebration is reserved to priests and bishops. This is also why the Code of Canon Law says it is celebrated for persons “having reached the use of reason” (Canon 1004.1). The age of reason is generally considered to be about 7 years old.

Commentators and theologians suggest that the recipient of the sacrament must have the use of reason in order to profit from the two ends of this sacrament: to understand and benefit spiritually and psychologically from its strengthening grace, and to receive forgiveness of sins.

Children under the age of reason are not capable of sin and not capable of understanding the grace of this sacrament and receiving its consolation. Even though the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick cannot be offered, in such cases it is certainly appropriate to gather family and friends of the child for shared prayer.

A non-Catholic can receive the anointing of the sick, in special situations.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died to save all people. He won superabundant grace for us by His death on the Cross. The Church teaches that a person must be in the state of grace when he or she dies in order to get to heaven. One of the most effective means for grace is the sacraments, so we want to do whatever we can to provide the sacraments to all of the baptized, Catholic or not. For that reason, the Church allows baptized non-Catholic Christians to receive not only the anointing of the sick, but also the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist in special circumstances. Chief among those circumstances is when a person is in danger of death.

In these cases, there is only one requirement: the person must ask for the sacrament, and if the attending priest explains things clearly and has some pastoral skill and grace on his side, the gravely ill person usually wants to receive such sacraments.

This case is provided for in the Code of Canon Law: “If there is a danger of death . . . Catholic ministers may lawfully administer these same sacraments [penance, Eucharist, anointing of the sick] to other Christians not in full communion with the Catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who spontaneously ask for them, provided that they demonstrate the Catholic faith in respect of these sacraments and are properly disposed” (Canon 844.4)

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4 min read

Sacraments

Sacrament of Anointing’s Power

Elizabeth Scalia

March 16, 2019 6:54 pm March 16, 2019

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4 min read

A friend who has struggled all his life with weight issues recently showed up nearly 80 pounds lighter and was glowing. People could not stop commenting on the radiance of…

A friend who has struggled all his life with weight issues recently showed up nearly 80 pounds lighter and was glowing.

People could not stop commenting on the radiance of his face, which they attributed solely to his decreased girth, but when asked about his diet, my friend would quickly change the subject. Privately, he related to me the secret of his dramatic weight loss: “I got anointed,” he said. “I needed to be healed of the sin that was driving me to gluttony.” He meant the prison of concupiscence — the sin of serving cravings and instincts of the flesh, over the promptings of our better angels.

I was instantly tickled by his news, but also moderately scandalized. What amused me were visions of Oprah Winfrey gassing on about “anointing your way to good health” and late-night television ads hawking “New Bless and Smear! Be Saved and Svelte After One Anointing, Guaranteed!”

What scandalized me, because eventually even I can come to my senses, was the same thing: a recognition of the insta-levity my friend’s actions might inspire, and how that might reflect poorly on a sacrament of such powerful healing. I suddenly understood his polite refusal to discuss his “diet” among company, and interiorly a finger-wagging voice was hectoring me toward judgment, telling me that the use of a sacrament to address something as vanity serving as one’s weight was a frivolous abuse of Christ-gifted grace.

And yet, that inner voice could not quite convince me that my friend had been flighty, or shallow, in pursuing the sacrament. Very familiar with how seriously he lived his faith, I knew that my friend’s anointing was about more than mere weight loss, or the balance of earthly scales; it was — it would have to be — a desperately sought-out last rite for a soul who, in the midst of a grave spiritual examination, had identified the source of his crushing illness. His sinful surrender to concupiscence was killing him and a turning — a conversion — would be necessary if he was to continue to live, and work, and love.

Far from being a frivolity, his seeking out of the sacrament was, in fact, an act of deep humility; it was a supplication for healing over his entire life — another surrender, this time of self. It was a turning over to God the safe havens of anger and judgment into which he had withdrawn himself for too long, and a plea for deliverance from the bitter, unhealthy lashing out that was keeping him, and those he loved, entrapped in a hellish and unhappy place.

His weight loss was actually a side effect of the power of the anointing, a physical manifestation of the spiritual healing that came about when he set his entire body, his livelihood and his very mind and heart before the Lord and said, “If you will, you can heal me.”

And Jesus, praise Him always, said, “I do will it; be healed.” Yes, he was thinner, but the remarkable and lasting joy that radiated from my friend’s countenance had less to do with his shrunken cheeks and more to do with the settling of his formerly stormy spirit. During a moment of sacramental grace, his heart had been gentled; in his deep, pleading agony there had been bestowed upon him a peace beyond all understanding. He was like a man who, having endured decades in a torturous chamber, was released into sunlight — his every wound cleansed and treated with a balm of spicy, scented oil. “From the moment I was anointed,” he told me, “everything became different. I was set free.” Pondering the miraculous change in my friend — a healing so comprehensive no ad slogan could contain it — I wondered if an anointing might be the answer for my own weight issues. But I am a paradoxical lightweight, neither as prayerful nor as serious as he. My humility, if I could manage to find some, would lack his depth and possibly, as evidenced by the fast spoofery of my imagination, his sincerity. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is often misunderstood, and sadly underused. It is a ready and powerful weapon for a soul doing battle against personal darkness.

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