Catholic Faith Refresher Course

SACRAMENT OF THE SICK AND DYING

(ANNOINTING OF THE SICK, EXTREME UNCTION)

"Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the church." (James 5:14)

DIRECTIONS TO THE STUDENT   Sacraments accompany us on our journey from the cradle to the grave. The Sacrament of the Sick, or Extreme Unction,  is the wonderful Sacrament made by Jesus Christ that helps us when we need help most, namely, when in danger of death. As a Catholic you will have the opportunity to help others receive this sacrament; and you will have the opportunity to receive it yourself, we hope, when you think you are about to face your God to answer for your entire life.

The Christian religion is very practical. It is not just a matter of going to church or of learning the teachings of Christ or even of leading a good life. Christianity gives us practical helps which everyone of us needs. All of us need this Sacrament especially, because all of us will one day face death.

A. JESUS CHRIST HAD GREAT LOVE FOR THE SICK

We read in the gospel that Christ cured the mother-in-law of St. Peter; he cured the paralytic; he cured the son of the ruler of Capharnaum. St. Matthew sums up what we want to say in this paragraph by telling us that our Lord went about doing good and " healing all manner of sickness and every infirmity among the people" .( Matthew 4 :23 )

Christ knows all our human sufferings and the ultimate cause of them-original sin. Christ is the Man-God with pity in His heart.

B. WE WOULD EXPECT CHRIST TO PROVIDE SPECIAL CARE FOR THE SICK

When you are seriously sick there are many consolations you might obtain: someone might read the Bible to you; some friends might offer a word of sympathy. But these things really don't do much good. Since Christ had such special love for the sick, you might expect some very special consolation from Him in your suffering. It is natural that He would give this special source of consolation to the Church, so that She in turn, could give it to the people of all ages in all parts of the world.

C. THIS SACRAMENT IS FOUND CLEARLY IN THE BIBLE

Extreme Unction, the special Sacrament for the sick, is clearly referred to in theBible. In fact everything is in the Bible except the priest's phone number. In St. James Epistle (5: 14-15), we learn what we are supposed to do when someone is sick. .'Is any man sick among you? Let them bring in the priests of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil, in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offaith shall save the sick man. And the Lord shall raise him up: and i/he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him. 

The Bible very definitely tells us what to do when someone is sick, namely to call in the priest. It goes on to tell us the effects of the Sacrament in the soul of the sick person.

D. HOW IS IT GIVEN?  "Extreme" means last. "Unction" means anointing. "Extreme Unction" means last anointing or the anointing before death. The priest anoints all the members of your body with which you may have sinned- your eyes ears, nose, mouth, hands and feet. While he does this anointing, he prays: "By His tender mercy may the Lord pardon you from every sin you may have committed by sight, (or hearing, or speech, and so forth)".

The annointing of the sick and dying proves God's great love for us because it shows us God's mercy. We have misused God's gifts and we have sinned throughout our life; through the Sacrament of Extreme Unction God forgives our sins and helps us to undo the damage of sin.

E. WHAT DOES THIS SACRAMENT DO FOR THE SICK PERSON?

This Sacrament  gives grace to the sick person; through this Sacrament God forgives his venial sins and also forgives his mortal sins if he is unconscious and cannot use the sacrament of Confession. This Sacrament gives comfort in sickness, strength against the temptations of the devil. It will even give health to the body if this will help the soul. In short, the Sacrament of Extreme Unction gives the sick person everything he needs to get to heaven; and probably it will send him right into heaven if he is deeply sorry for the sins of his life.

F. ONLY THE PRIEST OR THE BISHOP HAS THE POWER TO GIVE EXTREME UNCTION.

Christ gave this Sacrament  to the Apostles. The Apostles have passed this power down through the ages and Catholic priests and Catholic bishops have this power today. When you see priests in various hospitals attending the sick, they are there to give this Sacrament of Extreme Unction made especially for the sick.

G. WHEN IT SHOULD BE RECEIVED

The Sacrament of Extreme Unction should be received by anyone who is suffering from a serious illness. It should be received, for example, by a person who has pneumonia, bad heart, old age, or anything else that might be considered a danger to life.

If it is possible, the priest should be brought to the sick person while the sick person still has full use of his senses; then the priest can urge the sick person to be sorry for his sins and thus prepare himself to go into eternity.

H. THOSE WHO WILL NOT CALL A PRIEST FOR THE SICK ARE FOOLISH

Sometimes you will hear someone say that he will not call a priest because he is afraid that the presence of the priest will frighten the sick person. Any priest can tell you that in case of sickness, only the relatives and friends are frightened; the sick person isn't frightened -he wants help. He is no more frightened by the priest than he is by the doctor.

Would you refrain from calling a physician when a person is sick? It is a terrible sin for relatives and friends to neglect to call the priest to a sick person. It is also a sin for them to put off summoning the priest until the person is very close to death. The priest should be summoned at the early stages of the sickness and should be asked to come back to the sick person frequently.

A famous brain specialist in a non-sectarian hospital in Chicago said this at a hospital staff meeting: "In this discussion about calling a priest to a Catholic patient, I would like to say this. I am not a Catholic, but I always ask for a priest. Then I can be sure that the patient will get whatever the Catholic priest has to give before I let the anesthetic be administered. I don't know what the priest does; but whatever it is, it makes the patient a better surgical risk."

The priest does have some common sense. He will not go into the sick person and say, "Well, Jones, this is the end for you; I brought the undertaker to arrange for your funeral." Rather, he chats pleasantly, hears the person's confession, and asks him if he would like to receive Exb'eme Unction. The sick person ordinarily says, "Yes," and he is never frightened.

In case of illness, think about the sick person. He is the only one to be considered. Pay no attention to frivolous relatives.

I. OTHER THINGS DONE FOR THE SICK PERSON    When a person is sick the priest not only gives the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, he also hears Confession, brings Holy Communion and gives the last blessing. The last blessing brings with it a plenary indulgence, or forgiveness of all the punishment due to sin if the proper dispositions are present.

When the priest comes to your home you should have a table ready near the bed of the sick person. On the table you should have a white linen cloth, two lighted candles, a crucifix, a glass of water, a spoon and some balls of cotton.

Very often the priest comes with the Blessed Sacrament, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Meet the priest at the door, especially if he is carrying the Blessed Sacrament. You should be holding a lighted candle as you meet the priest. Genuflect to Our Lord and lead the priest to the room of the sick person. After you have placed the lighted candle on the table prepared near the bedside, leave the room so that the priest can hear the sick person's confession. The priest will tell you when he has finished hearing the confession and will invite you back into the room. When you return to the room, kneel down because the priest will then give the sick person Holy Communion. After this he will give the Sacrament of Extreme Unction and the last blessing with the plenary indulgence.

J. IN CASE OF SUDDEN DEATH

What should be done if a person dies before he has received Exb'eme Unction? Even though a person has been pronounced dead, call the priest anyway. The only sure sign of death is the decay of the body.

From medical science we know that sometimes a man is still alive after his heart has stopped beating. Therefore, the priest will still administer the Sacrament of Extreme Unction conditionally up until two hours after the person appears to have died in the hope that the person is still alive and the soul is still present.

K. HELP THE SICK PERSON PRAY AFTER THE PRIEST LEAVES

After the priest leaves, use the time that remains to pray for the sick person and to help him pray for himself. Help him say the Rosary , or, ifhe is too weak, help him say a few short prayers like "My Jesus, mercyl" or, "My Lord and My Godl" or, "Jesus, help mel"

While you are in the hospital, tell the nurse to get you a priest immediately if your condition becomes critical or if you are in any danger of death.

L. CATHOLIC BURIAL

Catholics may be buried by any undertaker. The undertaker need not be Catholic. But Catholics must be buried Catholic cemetery.

Cremation of the body is forbidden except in case of necessity, for example, in time of plague. Pray for your deceased relatives and have Masses offered for them.

Remember the command of the Bible: "It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead" (2 Machabees 12:46) In fact, it is unholy and unwholesome and even cruel not to pray for the dead: they depend on our prayers to shorten time in purgatory so that they can get to heaven sooner. The person who is dead does not want a lot of flowers: he wants release from Purgatory.

You can obtain a spiritual bouquet from your parish priest .This spiritual bouquet card says that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be offered for that person at your request.

Present this card to the family of the deceased person. The Mass you have offered is much more beautiful than flowers, and  it is a universal custom among Catholics.

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW

1.  What is the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?

2.  What does the Bible say about Extreme Unction?

3.  What should be prepared for a sick person about to receive Extreme Unction?

4.  Why do Catholics call for a priest when someone is sick?

5.  What do Catholics have Masses offered for those who die?