Anointing of the SickWhen the Church cares for the sick, it serves Christ himself in the suffering members of his Mystical Body. When it follows the example of the Lord, who “went about doing good and healing all” (Acts 10:38), the Church obeys his command to care for the sick. The Church shows this solicitude not only by visiting those who are in poor health but also by raising them up through the sacrament of anointing and by nourishing them with the eucharist during their illness. The Church offers prayers for the sick to commend them to God, especially in the last crisis of life. Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. As soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him/her to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived. |
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