SACRAMENT OF THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK
On Tuesday, October 17 at the 10:00am Mass at St. Hedwig and Wednesday, October 18 at the 6:00pm Mass in Holy Cross Church we have a communal celebration of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. This communal celebration and administration is aimed at manifesting and witnessing to our Parish’s commitment of ensuring that “great care and concern is taken making sure that those of the faithful whose health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age receive this sacrament.”
We invite and encourage every member of our Parish community to consider coming and participating in the celebration of this sacrament together with our brothers and sisters who are sick and weakened by advanced age. We ask everyone to invite, encourage and bring family members, friends and neighbors who are sick and weakened by advanced age to come to one of those Masses to celebrate and receive this sacrament of healing. Though our witness of faith in the celebration of this sacrament of the Universal Church, we are united with our brothers and sisters in suffering and illness, as they experience pain, their faith may help them to grasp more deeply the mystery of suffering and to bear their pain with greater courage. We believe that sickness and suffering have meaning and value for our own salvation and salvation of the whole world, and know that Christ and the Church loves them in their illness.
In this celebration, we commend our brothers and sisters who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that He may raise them up and save them. They are helped to associate themselves willingly with the passion and death of Christ, and they receive special help of God’s grace. Because “This sacrament gives the grace of the Holy Spirit to those who are sick, by this grace whole person is helped and saved, sustained by trust in God, and strengthened against the temptations of the Evil One and against anxiety over death. Thus, the sick person is able not only to bear suffering bravely, but also to fight against it. A return to physical health may follow the reception of this sacrament if it will be beneficial to the sick person’s salvation. If necessary, the sacrament also provides the sick person with the forgiveness of sins and the completion of Christian penance” (General Introduction Pastoral Care of the Sick n. 6).
Who, therefore, is to receive the sacrament? Only those who are seriously sick young or old, elderly people who have become notably weakened even though no serious illness is present, sick children who have sufficient use of reason and sick persons who are preparing for a surgery (in cases where a serious illness is the reason for the surgery) may receive the sacrament of anointing.
Let us also remember that the Sacrament of Anointing may be repeated. Therefore, those who were anointed in the near past are encouraged and invited to come to the celebration and reception of this sacrament again. It is a sacrament of faith; it is the sacrament of hope, and it is a sacrament of healing. It is not a sacrament of the dying as many consider it. This misconception can cause fear among many of the faithful who are sick, as well as among their family members. Unfortunately, this can lead to refusal and postponement to the reception of this wonderful sacrament.
Love and receive this sacrament, it pours grace, and the power of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the faithful such that, by enduring suffering and illness, they are built to the mature measure of Christ (Eph. 4:13).
~Fr. Justus