Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on Epiphany Sunday.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are seven (7) “In Brief” articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which can help us to appreciate the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The following is a reflection on CCC 1527.
Sacraments are signs, instituted by Christ, entrusted to the Church to give grace. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is one of the two Sacraments of Healing, the other being Penance (also called Confession and Reconciliation). The goal or reason for celebrating the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is confer special graces needed by someone who is gravely ill or of advanced age.
What are the special graces conferred by the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick? Sometimes the Lord Jesus, the Divine Physician, actually cures or heals the sick person restoring perfect health. Jesus’ miracles are His prerogative. He can work them when He will, where He will, as He wills. While we have no right to any miracle, sometimes they happen… Another grace proper to the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is the uniting of our sufferings to those of Christ on His Cross.
Saint Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit puts it this way: we should rejoice in our sufferings, filling up that which is wanting in the sufferings of Christ (cf. Colossians 1:24). This is not to imply that Good Friday was not enough. But the sufferings we undergo are no less real or significant. The Lord Jesus, through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick unites our sufferings in the here and now, to His redemptive sufferings, allowing us to participate in the redemption.
Elsewhere in Sacred Scripture we read that to the extent that we partake of the sufferings of Christ we can rejoice that when His glory shall be revealed, we may be glad with exceeding joy (cf. 1 Peter 4:13). The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick unites our sufferings to those of Christ, giving us a measure of joy in the here and now as well as a well founded hope for future, eternal, joys.
Two indications as to the timing of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick are given, namely grave illness and old or advanced age. We need not wait until the last moments before death to receive this sacrament. Upon becoming gravely or seriously ill, visit or call the priest and receive the graces you need to endure the trials at hand (cf. James 5:14–15). I can not understand why anyone would not want to have the special graces available in the sacrament for themselves or their loved ones. Advanced or old age, all things being equal, is a proximate cause of death. In this sense the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is administered for both healing of body and soul, preparing for the final journey to Heaven. Mercy is given to the unconscious who receive this sacrament.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr