The anointing of the sick

The anointing of the sick is the sacrament by which Christ comes to sustain and save those whom grave illness or old age wears down. With penance, it is one of the two sacraments of healing. By the anointing with a blessed oil and the prayer of the Church, he gives them his strength, consoles their heart, remits their sins and unites them to his Passion.

For the sick and the aged

Long called extreme unction, this anointing is for every faithful whose health is seriously impaired: from the onset of a grave illness, before an important operation, or with the weakening of old age. It can be received several times, each time the condition worsens or a new serious illness arises. It accompanies the sick throughout the trial, without waiting for the hour of death.

The sign: the oil and the prayer

The matter is the oil of the sick, a blessed olive oil, with which the priest anoints the forehead and the hands of the sick person; the form is the word that accompanies the anointing, asking the Lord to succour him and raise him up by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The oil signifies what the sacrament works: since antiquity, it was poured on wounds to heal and soothe them, and rubbed on the body to strengthen it. “He bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.” Luke 10:34 The minister is the priest or the bishop, the only ones who can give this sacrament.

The gesture received from the Lord

Christ went through Galilee healing the sick, fulfilling the prophecy that announced the one who would take upon himself our sufferings. “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Matthew 8:17 He gave his apostles the same power, and they “anointed with oil many sick and healed them.” Mark 6:13 The Church received this gesture from them, which Scripture describes as a sacrament entrusted to the priests. “Is any man sick among you? Let him 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 of faith shall save the sick man. And the Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him.” James 5:14-15 The Church has always held this gesture to be a sacrament instituted by Christ, which the apostle James only promulgates.

The grace of the sacrament

The grace of this sacrament comforts the sick person: it gives him the strength, the peace and the courage to bear his trial as a Christian, and raises him up interiorly. It also remits his sins, above all when he can no longer confess them, and can obtain the healing of the body if God judges it good for the salvation of the soul. More deeply, it unites the sick person to the Passion of Christ: suffering offered with the Lord becomes fruitful and leads to glory. “If we suffer with him, it is to be glorified with him.” Romans 8:17

The passage to the Father

For the one who approaches the end, the anointing becomes a preparation for the last passage: it strengthens him for the encounter with God and leads him toward eternal life. To the one who can still receive them, the Church then gives the last sacraments in their order: penance, which purifies the soul, the anointing, which strengthens it, then the Eucharist received as viaticum, the bread of the journey that nourishes the passage from this life to the Father and remains the last gift of the Lord.