Anointing
TOPIC 24: ANOINTING OF THE SICK
1. Anointing of the Sick, sacrament of purification and salvation
Nature of this sacrament The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ, implied as such in St. Mark’s Gospel (Mk 6:13), and recommended to the faithful by the apostle St. James: Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (Jas 5:14-15). The Church’s living tradition, reflected in texts of the Magisterium, has seen in this rite, especially dedicated to comforting the sick and purifying them from sin and its consequences, one of the seven sacraments of the New Law.1
Christian meaning of suffering, death and preparing for a good death In the Ritual for the Anointing of the Sick, the meaning of human suffering and death is explained in the light of God’s salvific plan, and more specifically in the light of the salvific value of the sufferings undergone by Christ, the Incarnate Word, in the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection.2 As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “By his passion and death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion” (CCC, 1505). “Christ invites his disciples to follow him by taking up their cross in their turn (cf. Mt 10:38). By following him they acquire a new outlook on illness and the sick” (CCC, 1506).
1 2
Cf, DZ 216; 1324-1325; 1695-1696; 1716-1717; CCC, 1511-1513. Cf. Ritual for the Anointing of the Sick, Introduction, 1-2.
1
Sacred Scripture points to a close relationship between sickness and death, and sin.3 But it would be a mistake to think of sickness as a punishment for personal sins (Jn 9:3). The meaning of innocent suffering can only be understood by the light of faith,
1. Anointing of the Sick, sacrament of purification and salvation
Nature of this sacrament The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ, implied as such in St. Mark’s Gospel (Mk 6:13), and recommended to the faithful by the apostle St. James: Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (Jas 5:14-15). The Church’s living tradition, reflected in texts of the Magisterium, has seen in this rite, especially dedicated to comforting the sick and purifying them from sin and its consequences, one of the seven sacraments of the New Law.1
Christian meaning of suffering, death and preparing for a good death In the Ritual for the Anointing of the Sick, the meaning of human suffering and death is explained in the light of God’s salvific plan, and more specifically in the light of the salvific value of the sufferings undergone by Christ, the Incarnate Word, in the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection.2 As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “By his passion and death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion” (CCC, 1505). “Christ invites his disciples to follow him by taking up their cross in their turn (cf. Mt 10:38). By following him they acquire a new outlook on illness and the sick” (CCC, 1506).
1 2
Cf, DZ 216; 1324-1325; 1695-1696; 1716-1717; CCC, 1511-1513. Cf. Ritual for the Anointing of the Sick, Introduction, 1-2.
1
Sacred Scripture points to a close relationship between sickness and death, and sin.3 But it would be a mistake to think of sickness as a punishment for personal sins (Jn 9:3). The meaning of innocent suffering can only be understood by the light of faith,
Bibliography: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1499-1532 Recommended Reading John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Salvifici Doloris, 11 February 1984 6