Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time.
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 1530.
The Catechism addresses both the mater and the minister of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, namely, the Oil of the Sick and the priest. Latter, the Catechism addresses the form of the sacrament.
The minister of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is either a bishop or a priest. Baptism can validly be administered by anyone in cases of emergency. While the canonical form of Marriage requires the presence of a cleric (bishop, priest or deacon), the bride and groom are actually the ministers of the sacrament. The necessity of a priest for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is explicitly mentioned in Sacred Scripture, where we read: “Is there anyone sick among you? Send for the priests of the Church and let them pray over the sick person, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord…” (James 5:14). The Greek word presbuteros translates as “elder” and is the origin of the word “priest.”
The matter of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is blessed oil. The Oil of the Sick is ideally blessed by the bishop during the Mass of the Chrism during Holy Week (together with the Oil of Catechumens and Sacred Chrism). In cases of emergency even the priest himself may bless the Oil of the Sick. The oil used is ideally olive oil. An innovation or accommodation promulgated by Paul VI in his Apostolic Constitution Sacram Unctione Infirmorum (30 November, 1972) allows any plant oil to be used once blessed. The preference for olive oil is based upon Sacred Scripture (cf. Exodus 27:20; Leviticus 24:2; Deuteronomy 8:8; 28:40; 2 Kings 18:32; 1 Chronicles 27:28). The olive tree is called “king” of the trees (cf. Judges 9:8–9). The plentiful harvest of olive oil has been seen as a great blessing (cf. Joel 2:24; 3:13). The patient labor required for the maturation of an olive tree has been likened to God’s patience with His people and the abundant rich fruit as a reward. The olive tree has served as an emblem of peace not only after the flood but also because of the generations required for cultivation (cf. Genesis 8:11). The delicate nature of peace is strikingly represented by the olive tree in that what takes years to mature an army can destroy in a day. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, who has made peace between Heaven and Earth, between us and God by His death and resurrection. That olive oil is produced by the crushing the olive in a mill might remind us of Christ who suffered so on Good Friday. The sick are united to Christ’s sufferings in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr