All that Christ did during His earthly ministry, He now does in the sacraments
By Father Randy Stice
In the Eucharist, we encounter “the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ Himself.” This is why the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life” and why the other sacraments “are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.”1 In previous columns, I have explored the relationship between the Eucharist and penance, holy orders, and matrimony. This month I want to consider the Eucharist and the anointing of the sick.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the disciples shared in His healing ministry: “So they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them” (Mark 6:12-13). The Letter of James describes the practice of this sacrament in the early Church: “Is anyone among you sick?” asks James. “He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14-15). “Since then, the Church has never ceased to celebrate this sacrament for its members by the anointing and the prayer of its priests, commending those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that He may raise them up and save them.”2
The anointing of the sick may be unfamiliar to many readers, so a brief introduction may be helpful. It can be celebrated only by a priest and is composed of three principal elements: the priest silently lays hands on the sick, then he prays over them, and finally he anoints them with blessed oil. The priest usually anoints the forehead and the hands of the sick, but other parts of the body, such as the area of injury or pain, can be anointed, “depending upon the culture and traditions of the place, as well as the condition of the sick person.”3 While anointing the forehead, the priest says, “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit.”4 Then while anointing the hands he says, “May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.”5
Depending on the circumstances, the sacrament can be celebrated outside of Mass, including in a hospital or institution. When it is celebrated within Mass, it follows the homily.
The prayers for this Mass indicate the relationship of this sacrament to the Eucharist. The sick person is welcomed with these words, “Through this Eucharist and anointing we invoke His healing power.”6 The opening prayer asks, “May all who share in His suffering find in these sacraments a source of fresh courage and healing.”7 The prayer over the gifts asks that the gifts of bread and wine “become the health-giving body and blood of Your Son. In His name heal the ills which afflict us and restore to us the joy of life renewed.”8 Finally, the prayer after Communion says that “through these sacraments you offer us the gift of healing.”9
While “the Eucharist shows how Christ’s sufferings and death have been transformed into love, the anointing of the sick, for its part, unites the sick with Christ’s self-offering for the salvation of all, so that they, too, within the mystery of the communion of saints, can participate in the redemption of the world.”10 A prayer from the Mass for the sick affirms that the sick “are united in His suffering for the salvation of the world.”11 Another prayer asks that “as these simple gifts of bread and wine will be transformed into the risen Lord, so may He unite our sufferings with His and cause us to rise to new life.”12
“In addition to the anointing of the sick,” wrote Pope Benedict XVI, “the Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum (from the Latin meaning ‘provision for a journey’).”13 While the anointing of the sick “should be celebrated at the beginning of a serious illness,” viaticum is “celebrated when death is close… understood as the last sacrament of Christian life.” The Christian’s final reception of Communion then “appears as the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection: ‘Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day’ (John 6:54).”14 When viaticum is received within Mass, the dying “shares fully, during the final moments of this life, in the eucharistic sacrifice, which proclaims the Lord’s own passing through death to life.”15 Viaticum “is the completion and crown of the Christian life on this earth, signifying that the Christian follows the Lord to eternal glory and the banquet of the heavenly kingdom.”16
St. Leo the Great taught that all that Christ did during His earthly ministry, He now does in the sacraments. Through the Eucharist, the anointing of the sick, and viaticum, Christ continues to comfort and heal us, to unite our sufferings to His for the salvation of the world, and to strengthen us for our final journey to the Trinity.
1 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324
2 Pastoral Care of the Sick (PCS), 5
3 PCS, 124
4 PCS, 124
5 PCS, 124
6 PCS, 135B
7 PCS, 136A
8 PCS, 144B
9 PCS, 146
10 The Sacrament of Charity, 22
11 Collect, Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions, no. 45 For the Sick, Roman Missal
12 PCS, 144A
13 The Sacrament of Charity, 22
14 The Sacrament of Charity, 22
15 PCS, 177
16 PCS, 175
Father Randy Stice is director of the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy. He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox.org.