Dear Friends,
We will be starting a new tradition at St. Frances Cabrini. On the last Sunday of the month at the 11:00 Mass, following the homily, we will offer the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick to all who are ill and wish to be anointed. This will be done monthly from now on. It will provide an easy opportunity for reception of the Sacrament for those who desire the grace of God’s healing. It also, on the Church’s part, acknowledges that illness is a part of the human condition and people are always in need of healing.
In preparation for this new tradition, I will be using my letters for the next couple of weeks to teach about the Sacrament.
The Church teaches in the Catechism, “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. And indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ.”
The Sacrament is an ancient practice of the Church which began with Jesus. In Scripture we see that the sick are to be anointed. Jesus sent the apostles forth two by two to proclaim the kingdom. “So they went off and preached repentance. They drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”
We also read in St. James in the work of the early Church, “Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise. 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.”
The Sacrament of the Sick is given to those who are seriously ill. Persons with the flu or a minor injury are not usually anointed unless such illness or injury is serious. Since most surgeries are presumed to be serious and involve risk, those scheduled for surgery ought to be anointed before the surgery. A person is usually anointed only once in the course of an illness or injury. However, those suffering from illnesses of a long duration or due to advancing age may be anointed periodically, especially if their condition takes a turn for the worse.
Children under the age of seven are not normally anointed.This is because the Sacrament is related to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is designed not only for physical healing but it is also a remedy against temptations and the effects of sin. Children under the age of seven are not presumed to have sufficient use of reason to be considered responsible for sins committed and have no need of this Sacrament.
In the past, many waited to the point of deathbefore requesting this Sacrament. With the updating of the Sacrament as part of the Second Vatican Council, that changed. Pastoral care today emphasizes that this Sacrament should be offered long before the final stages of dying set in. When physical illness of a serious or chronic nature sets in, the Sacrament should be administered sooner rather than later. The Sacrament of Anointing is meant foremost to help us experience healing and assist us to live gracefully with our illnesses, and not merely as a Sacrament that prepares us to die.
More to come…
Peace
Fr. Damian