Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I thank Father Joe for inviting me to serve as his guest writer for the Pastor’s letter this month.
In my more than fifteen years as a priest, I have been truly privileged to be able to walk with hundreds of my brothers and sisters in times of illness. This has been primarily done in the administration of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, a beautiful experience of God’s grace not only for the individual who receives the sacrament but for the minister and for all present.
Why is the Anointing of the Sick important? We know that Jesus came into a world of sickness. He himself experienced suffering, and therefore, we know that he understands the burdens that we carry. In this knowledge, Jesus healed. He still does. Through this sacrament of healing, the Church carries on this work in Christ’s name. It has as its goal a strengthening that only the Lord can provide, a kind of healing even and especially available to those who will not experience a physical cure. Jesus taught us in word and action that our suffering can be transformed into a love and trust that unites us more fully to God. The grace that comes with this sacrament allows us to experience that transformation.
That grace is always present when the sacrament is celebrated, but sometimes after being called to someone’s bedside minutes before they die, after he or she has already suffered a long illness, I am sorrowful to have not been able to be of greater help. I wish in those moments we had been called sooner so that we might have had the opportunity to talk and pray with the sick person while he or she is conscious, when receiving the sacrament may have helped them to experience some peace and assurance of God’s love. Even when this consciousness is not present, calling earlier may have allowed for more family to be present or the prayer to be less hurried.
Of course, this is not always possible. However, in many cases of severe illness, the priest could have been sent for much earlier. Why does this often not happen?
This answer rests largely, I believe, in a misunderstanding of this sacrament of anointing. Sometimes, it is erroneously held that if someone calls for a priest to anoint, they have given up, that all hope is lost. Recently, a well-known person told a story in an interview, explaining that at the illness of her husband, a priest had arrived at the hospital to give, in her words, the “last rites,” and she kicked the priest out of the room saying: “My husband is not dying!” I do not believe the priest had time to offer an explanation before being sent
on his way. It’s a response I, too, have been given in a less severe way. “But why would I need that, Father? I’m not dying!”
The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is known by other names. Some of them are accurate and some are not. Anointing is sometimes referred to as the “last rites.” That is an inaccurate description. The true “last rite” is what we call Viaticum. Viaticum (meaning “food for the journey”) is the last time that a dying person receives Holy Communion. Unfortunately, because we are often not called earlier to the sick, the administration of Viaticum becomes impossible. When a person is conscious and able to swallow, Viaticum (as well as the sacrament of Reconciliation) can be administered at
the same time as the Anointing of the Sick. Another more traditional name for the sacrament is Extreme Unction, a term in regular use from the Middle Ages up until Vatican II. This name is still
technically accurate because the word “extreme” here does not necessarily imply “dire.” Extreme in this case means “final”,
meaning it is normally the last received of the anointings of life (including those during the Catechumenate, at Baptism,
Confirmation and if applicable, Holy Orders). Over time, the word “extreme” came to be associated with the dire situation that the last minutes of life can present and the Sacrament came to be largely perceived that way.
That is why, in its retrieval of the tradition, the Second Vatican Council clarified the matter. As the Church examined the history of this sacrament, she realized that it had become too narrowly interpreted over time. “‘Extreme Unction,’ which may also and more fittingly be called ‘Anointing of the Sick,’ is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as any one of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the appropriate time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.” (Second Vatican Council-Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Chapter III, para. 73). In fact, the mandate for the sacrament can be found in Scripture itself. In the Letter of Saint James, it is written: “Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the Church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord….” (5:14, NABRE)
With this rediscovered understanding, the Church’s ministry to the sick was revived and renewed. Vatican II helped us to collectively recall and re-embrace that this sacrament is not only for those who
are imminently dying but for those who are facing any serious illness (physical or mental), those preparing for serious surgery and those debilitated by advanced age. If you or a loved one falls into one of these categories, I encourage you to be open to the graces of this sacrament. If someone you love is dying, call us now so that we might celebrate the sacrament while your loved one is aware, can pray with us, go to Confession (if they so choose), and receive Communion.
Of course, if an accident or sudden medical incident requires an immediate response, a priest is on-call here at the parish 24 hours a day. If you are in a hospital, there is likely a Catholic chaplain or other priest nearby that the Pastoral Care team can contact for you quickly. However, if this urgency does not exist and you face serious illness, surgery, or the challenges of aging, please consider the following:
-If you or your loved one is still able to travel from the home and can do so safely, consider coming to the Church either during one of the Masses when anointing is offered (usually on select Masses twice per year) or make an appointment with one of the parish priests. This
will allow the anointing to take place in the beauty of the sacred space that is the parish Church and will allow you some time for peaceful prayer and reflection.
-If you or a loved one is homebound, in a nursing home, or sick in
the hospital, contact the parish and ask if a priest can visit you for an anointing. When speaking with a priest, let him know the circumstances and if the person he is visiting might want to go to Confession and receive Communion. Often, when called out for an anointing, a priest will not travel with the Eucharist unless they
know the person that they are visiting is able to and desirous of receiving Communion.
-Finally, perhaps a friend or neighbor is a “fallen away” Catholic
who feels either unworthy of or too distant from the Church to
request the visit of a priest for this sacrament. It is in these very moments that people can find the peace and reconciliation that they have longed for but thought would never be possible. They can be reminded of how much God and His Church love and value them. Encourage those individuals or their families to call upon us.
Arrange to be there with the priest when he comes calling so that
you can pray with the one you love. This is an example of the evangelization we are all called to practice.
There were so many valuable reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
I truly believe that the retrieval of the earliest understandings of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is a true blessing and perhaps the one from Vatican II that is the most unknown. I pray that we might open ourselves up to the graces and goodness this sacrament offers and invite others to do so as well.
May God bless you always!
Sincerely yours,
Father Michael