ANOINTING OF THE SICK

The Lord himself showed great concern for the bodily and spiritual welfare of the sick and commanded his followers to do likewise. This is clear from the gospels, and above all from the existence of the sacrament of anointing, which he instituted and which is made known in the Letter of James. Since then the Church has never ceased to celebrate this sacrament for its members by the anointing and prayer of its priests, commending those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them (Rite of the Pastoral Care of the Sick, Par. 5).

Anointing of the Sick tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. As soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, they should receive this sacrament. We have people request an Anointing of the Sick before a surgery in which the person will be put under full anesthesia or hospital stay. This sacrament is offered to those in need of emotional, physical or spiritual strength. The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is for the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ.

When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it is God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age. Other effects are union with our Lord Jesus Christ, and preparation for the final journey.