Anointing of the Sick

Present by
Jonie V. Robles
CCC 1499 "By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole
Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise
them up and save them. and indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People
of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ."97
HISTORICAL BASIS
The anointing of the sick is administered to bring
spiritual and even physical strength during an illness,
especially near the time of death. It is most likely one
of the last sacraments one will receive. A sacrament is
an outward sign established by Jesus Christ to confer
inward grace. In more basic terms, it is a rite that is
performed to convey God’s grace to the recipient,
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord
as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament. It is
alluded to indeed by Mark, but is recommended to the faithful
and promulgated by James the apostle and brother of the Lord. 124
(CCC 1511)

From ancient times in the liturgical traditions of both East and

West, we have testimonies to the practice of anointings of the
sick with blessed oil. Over the centuries the Anointing of the Sick
was conferred more and more exclusively on those at the point of
death. Because of this it received the name "Extreme Unction."
Notwithstanding this evolution the liturgy has never failed to beg
the Lord that the sick person may recover his health if it would be
conducive to his salvation.125 (CCC 1512)
BIBLICAL BASIS
 Mark 6:12-13 (NRSV)

So they went out and proclaimed that all should

repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with
oil many who were sick and cured them.
 James 5:14-15 (NRSV)

Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders
of the church and have them pray over them, anointing
them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of
faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up;
and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
MATTER AND FORM
MATTER: Oil of the Sick
The oil of the sick, or oleum infirmorum, which is pure olive
oil, and which receives a special blessing at the Chrism Mass,
is used for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
However, for some cases, any oil from plants is permissible in
case of necessity. However, after the oil is blessed, it is no
longer regular olive oil, but instead becomes an instrument of
God’s healing grace.
FORM: "Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love
and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the
Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up."
The Anointing of the Sick typically involves three anointings on
the body. First the priest traces the sign of the cross on the
patient’s forehead while saying, “Through this holy anointing,
may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace
of the Holy Spirit.” Then, the priest traces the sign of the cross
on the palms of each of the patient’s hands while saying,
“May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you
up.”
Matter and Form
• The Apostolic Constitution Sacram unctionem infirmorum,126
 following upon the Second Vatican Council,127 established that
henceforth, in the Roman Rite, the following be observed:
The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given to those who are
seriously ill by anointing them on the forehead and hands with duly
blessed oil - pressed from olives or from other plants - saying, only
once: "Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and
mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who
frees you from sin save you and raise you up."128
Who Can Minister and Receive This Sacrament?
Who Can Minister?
• Only priests (bishops and presbyters) are ministers of the Anointing of
the Sick. It is the duty of pastors to instruct the faithful on the
benefits of this sacrament. the faithful should encourage the sick to
call for a priest to receive this sacrament. the sick should prepare
themselves to receive it with good dispositions, assisted by their
pastor and the whole ecclesial community, which is invited to
surround the sick in a special way through their prayers and fraternal
attention. (CCC 1516)
Who Can Received?
• The Anointing of the Sick "is not a sacrament for those only who are
at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins
to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for
him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.”
(CCC 1514)
• What Is Anointing of the Sick and Is it Biblical? (christianity.com)
• The Oil of the Sick (spicathedral.org)
• Dictionary : OIL OF THE SICK | Catholic Culture
• What are the Three Holy Oils? | Simply Catholic
sources
• 124 Council of Trent (1551): DS 1695; cf. Mk 6:13; Jas 5:14-15.
• 125 Cf. Council of Trent (1551) DS 1696.
• 126 Paul VI, apostolic constitution, Sacram unctionem infirmorum,
November 30, 1972.
• 127 Cf. SC 73.
• 128 Cf. CIC, Can. 847 # 1.