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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. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.
James 5:14-16
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What is the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick?
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, an outgrowth of Christ's own healing ministry during his earthly life, provides grace to strengthen one who is in danger of death from serious illness, serious injury, or old age.
During his earthly ministry Jesus healed people both to demonstrate he is the Messiah and to show compassion for those who were suffering. These healing acts demonstrated that the Kingdom of God had arrived.
Through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, Christ brings about a radical healing of the soul amid the pain and suffering due to severe illness or old age and assists the individual to draw strength by uniting his or her suffering to the Cross. (Cf. CCC 1514,1526-1528)
-The Didache Bible
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When should we receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick?
The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient. The Sacrament may be repeated if the sick person recovers after the anointing but becomes ill
once again, or if, during the same illness, the person’s condition becomes more serious. A person should be anointed before surgery when a dangerous illness is the reason for the intervention (cf. Rite of Anointing, Introduction, nos. 8-10).
Moreover, “old people may be anointed if they are in weak condition even though no dangerous illness is present. Sick children may be anointed if they have sufficient use of reason to be comforted by this sacrament.... [The faithful] should be encouraged to ask for the anointing, and, as soon as the time for the anointing comes, to receive it with faith and devotion, not misusing the sacrament by putting it off” (Rite of Anointing, nos. 11,12,13).
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adults -
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Who are the ministers of this Sacrament?
Only bishops and priests may be ministers of theSacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. A penitential rite followed by the Liturgy of the Word opens the celebration. Scripture awakens the faith of the sick and family members and friends to pray to Christ for the strength of his Holy Spirit. The priest lays his hands on the head of the sick person. He then proceeds to anoint, with the blessed Oil of the Sick, the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite).
He accompanies these acts with the words “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up” (CCC, no. 1513).
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
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The Effects of the Celebration of this Sacrament
A particular gift of the Holy Spirit. The first grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening, peace and courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age. This grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews trust and faith in God and strengthens against the temptations of the evil one, the temptation to discouragement and anguish in the face of death. This assistance from the Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God's will. Furthermore, "if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."
Union with the passion of Christ. By the grace of this sacrament the sick person receives the strength and the gift of uniting himself more closely to Christ's Passion: in a certain way he is consecrated to bear fruit by configuration to the Savior's redemptive Passion. Suffering, a consequence of original sin, acquires a new meaning; it becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus.
An ecclesial grace. The sick who receive this sacrament, "by freely uniting themselves to the passion and death of Christ," "contribute to the good of the People of God." By celebrating this sacrament the Church, in the communion of saints, intercedes for the benefit of the sick person, and he, for his part, though the grace of this sacrament, contributes to the sanctification of the Church and to the good of all men for whom the Church suffers
and offers herself through Christ to God the Father.
A preparation for the final journey. If the sacrament of anointing of the sick is given to all who suffer from serious illness and infirmity, even more rightly is it given to those at the point of departing this life;so it is also called sacramentum exeuntium (the sacrament of those departing). The Anointing of the Sick completes our conformity to the death and Resurrection of Christ, just as Baptism began it. It completes the holy anointings that mark the whole Christian life: that of Baptism which sealed the new life in us, and that of Confirmation which strengthened us for the combat of this life. This last anointing fortifies the end of our earthly life like a solid rampart for the final struggles before entering the Father's house.
-Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1520-1523
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Good Shephard Psalm
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures he makes me lie down;
to still waters he leads me;
he restores my soul.
He guides me along right paths
for the sake of his name.
Even though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff comfort me.
"You set a table before me
in front of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Indeed, goodness and mercy will
pursue me
all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of the Lord
for endless days.
The sick and the dying of every age have been consoled by the verses of
the Shepherd Psalm (Psalms 23).
“I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me... I have come so that they may have life and have it more abundantly”
John 10:14, 10
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“The Lord is my shepherd; / there is nothing I lack” (verse 1). It is not hard for them to see Jesus as the shepherd of the twenty-third Psalm. The Psalm expresses trust in the divine shepherd so needed when one is ill.
“In green pastures, you let me graze” (verse 2). A shepherd leads his
sheep to the rough herbage, then to the smoother grass, and then to
the sweet grass of the green pastures where they rest. Jesus abides with
the sick throughout their rough moments and guides them to peaceful
acceptance and an experience of a soul at rest.
“To safe waters you lead me” (verse 2). Sheep are nervous about drinking from running streams. The shepherd often constructs pools of still waters to ease their thirst. Illness breaks the running pace of life, but there is still the need of calming down. Jesus brings the patients an inner stillness that permits the believers to drink of the renewing fountains of his love.
“Even when I walk through a dark valley, I will fear no harm, for you are at my side; I your rod and staff give me courage” (verse 4). In search of better pastures, the shepherd sometimes leads the sheep through dangerous valleys. The sheep may fall into a hole. The shepherd uses the curved part at the top of his staff to gently pull the sheep to safety. Wild dogs and wolves may come to threaten the flock. The shepherd uses the pointed end of his staff to kill them or drive them away. Jesus knows that suffering people are in their own dark valley. Jesus is with them to remove their fears and awaken their hope. There are times that Jesus drives away life-threatening ills through his ministers in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
“You set a table before me. /...You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (verse 5). In some pastures there is so much rough herbage that the shepherd must harvest the edible grasses and place these on table-like stones from which the sheep may dine. Jesus himself is the Bread of Life who comes to his friends in pain. Communion for the sick is one of Christ’s most consoling gifts. When the sheep have wounds caused by thorns, the shepherd anoints them with oil. When they have a fever, the shepherd bathes their heads in cool water. With holy oil Jesus anoints the sick.
“I will dwell in the house of the Lord / for endless days” (verse 6). The shepherd knows the sheep need him to guard their home. Jesus says he is the gate of the sheepfold (the enclosure where they live). In biblical times the shepherd served as the gate to the sheepfold. He was the living gate, guarding them with his body. To enter the community of Christ the beloved, both the sick and the healthy must enter through his body that will guard them. People in suffering and pain are disposed to the faith that sees these truths. Christ is their guardian.
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
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Who to contact?
If you have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, facing surgery, receiving chemo or radiation treatments, this is the time to ask for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. This anointing is to give strength and healing power to help us live with and cope with serious illness. It is not the sacrament of the dying.The sacrament gives one strength, peace and courage to overcome temptations to discouragement and anguish.
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