|
Anointing of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick was called
Extreme Unction (Latin for “last anointing”) from the medieval period to the
Second Vatican Council. During that time Anointing of the Sick was
perceived almost exclusively as part of the ensemble of rites celebrated for
the dying Christian. One of the documents of the Second Vatican Council
(Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy) reformed the rite of Anointing of the
Sick. The reformed rite restored the more traditional (pre-medieval)
perspective on the sacrament. The purpose of the rite is to strengthen
those who are seriously ill or sick or whose health is debilitated by
physical illness or old age.
The use of oil, the laying on of hands, and
ritual prayer used in the Anointing of the Sick are rooted in Jewish
tradition. Jesus and his disciples (Mark 6:13; James 5:13-16) did not
invent new symbols and rites of healing, but employed traditional forms.
The celebration of the Anointing of the Sick
consists essentially in the anointing of the forehead and hands of the sick
person, the anointing being accompanied by the liturgical prayer of the
celebrant asking for the special grace of this sacrament.
The special grace of the sacrament of the
Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:
-
the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own
good and that of the whole Church;
-
the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian
manner the sufferings of illness or old age;
-
the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain
it through the sacrament of Reconciliation;
-
the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of
his soul;
-
the preparation for passing over to eternal life.
|
|
| |
