Don’t Wait Until It Is Too Late

It is more important than ever for Catholics to request the Anointing of the Sick early – before we are in an emergency situation, when a priest may not be available. With the declining number of priests in our part of the world, more and more hospitals do not have a priest on duty or even on call for the Anointing of the Sick in their care – this includes our community hospital in Attleboro. Such facilities usually have a deacon or trained lay minister to offer Communion and prayers for the sick or for the dying, and they provide excellent pastoral care for the patients and their loved ones. But only a priest or bishop has the ability to offer this Sacrament of Anointing, since it includes a remission of sins.

              So please be proactive and anticipate times to be anointed. Be sure to ask us as parish priests for the Anointing of the Sick anytime you are facing a significant illness, preparing for surgery, or have a loved one who may need this sacrament. Here is a reprint of Fr. Lambert’s article [with minor updates] so we can be well informed on the importance – and the myths – about this sacrament of God’s healing and strength!

Fr Joe
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick

The anointing of the sick was among the challenges of the Covid 19 pandemic. I remember anointing a lady through a window as I was not allowed to get into the nursing home where she was living. She died peacefully after she received the sacrament. Her daughter said to me “I am glad she received the sacrament. It means a lot for her and for our family”. What does this sacrament mean for some people to be glad of receiving it?

The anointing of the sick was instituted by Jesus himself. When He sent out the twelve, He ordered them to proclaim repentance, and “they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them” (Mc 6:13). In his letter, James recommends: “Any one of you who is ill should send for the priests of the church, and they must anoint the sick person with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him. The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven” (Jm 5:14-15). The Anointing of the Sick involves the forgiveness of sins if the sick person is unable to receive it through the sacrament of reconciliation. It is also a liturgical and communal celebration like the other sacraments.

As a priest, I realize how urgent it is [for people to be catechized about the anointing of the sick]. I have experienced that some people, the sick person or relatives, are so “allergic” to the presence of a man in black at the bedside of a loved one. Many are those who are afraid of the anointing of the sick. They are convinced that the sacrament of the sick involves the death of their loved one. Such a correlation is understandable because, in general, people [sadly] wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the sacrament of the sick, previously called the last rite. They often ignore that the anointing of the sick is not only for the dying, but it is also a sacrament for healing and strength that brings divine grace to the sick. Death or healing can happen, according to the will of God, after receiving the sacrament of the sick.
Therefore, it can be administered to a Christian who is about to leave this earthly life to prepare him for our heavenly home. It also provides special grace to those Christians who are experiencing the difficulties related to the condition of grave illness or old age. Our mother Church recommends this sacrament to a Christian who falls seriously sick, or who is having a surgery, or who, after he/she has received it, the sickness worsens (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1511-1532).

We are so grateful to the priests who anoint the sick [and the deacons and lay people who minister to the sick]. I pray for all the nurses, doctors and those who help in any way to save the lives of many. They are very dedicated people. They have devoted their lives as good Samaritans to the wellbeing of the sick. It is impossible to do so without sharing love, kindness, goodness, heartfelt caring, compassion, and even holiness. Through their devotion, they are witnesses to Jesus’ eternal love. One can see in their devotion, Jesus acting for those who are in need.
 
Fr. Lambert Nieme