Day 207: Celebrating the Anointing of the Sick (1514-1519)

• It’s Day 207!!

• WHO RECEIVES AND WHO ADMINISTERS THIS SACRAMENT?

• IN CASE OF GRAVE ILLNESS…

• “...LET HIM CALL FOR THE PRESBYTERS OF THE CHURCH”

• HOW IS THIS SACRAMENT CELEBRATED?

• God does not always remove suffering

• God invites us not only to pray for the sick and for healing

• God invites us to take up our cross and follow after Jesus

• Yes we will pray for healing

• We are going to trust God

• Let’s pray!!

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we give you praise and glory. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for bringing us to this day. You call us to trust in you. With our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, you call us to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. And so we do. We surrender our heart and entire lives to you because you are good. You are our Father, and you love us. We know that you do. And so we declare our trust in your love for us, in healing, and outside of healing. And in abundance of life, and in danger of imminent death, Lord God, we trust in you. Help us to trust you always. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen”

• So there we have it!!

• The Anointing of the Sick was reserved more and more for people who are at the point of death

• It was called Extreme Unction

• Or it was called Last Rites

• AND YET…

• Paragraph 1514 says, “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.’”

• IN FACT…

• ANY PERSON with grave illness, serious illness can receive Anointing of the Sick

• Not a cold

• Not a sprained ankle

• BUT…

• If you are going into surgery, yes you can receive Anointing of the Sick

• If you have a grave illness that you needed to have a procedure for, you can receive Anointing of the Sick

• Yes, this sacrament is for grave illness

• But the sacrament can be repeated

• Paragraph 1515 says, “If a sick person who received this anointing recovers his health, he can in the case of another grave illness receive this sacrament again. If during the same illness the person’s condition becomes more serious, the sacrament may be repeated. It is fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced.”

• Do not wait to ask for the priests

• They show up rain or shine, snow or sleet, hail or night or day

• It does not matter

• THEY SHOW UP AT ANY TIME!!

• They do it because they love the Lord and they love their people

• BUT…

• People sometimes wait to call them at the last minute

• That last minute comes and goes

• And the moment has passed

• The person has died

• Whenever there is a serious illness, GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR THE PRIESTS!!

• Some people will say that they don’t want to scare the person to see the priest come

• That is understandable

• Sometimes people have certain associations with priests in general and in particular coming to their bedside in illness

• BUT…

• Is it not better for that person to know that this is a serious moment?

• This might end in death

• It could be cruel to not let the person you love know how serious their illness is so that they could prepare their heart to see the Lord

• Maybe if they knew how serious it was while they still had time, they could get ready

• One of the things Anointing of the Sick does is it helps the person get ready

• DO NOT WAIT TO CALL FOR THE PRIEST!!

• ACT WHILE THERE IS STILL TIME!!

• Sometimes we have a TRIPLE SACRAMENT happening

• Last Confession

• Anointing of the Sick

• Viaticum aka the Last Holy Communion

• Viaticum means BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY that strengthens us and helps us on this last journey from this life to eternal life

• IN FACT…

• Fr. Mike knew Fr. Tom…

• Fr. Tom helped a soul get to Heaven and that’s why he was late

• He sat at their bedside, gave the Anointing of the Sick and the apostolic pardon

• WHAT AN INCREDIBLE GIFT!!

• All the sacraments are gifts of the Lord’s mercy that come and meet us today

• All the sacraments are gifts of the Lord’s grace that come and meet us today 

• They bring us into His family

• They restore us to health

• They gives us strength for the journey

• They give us the ability to follow Him

• WHAT A GRACE IT IS!!

• WHAT A GOOD GOD WE HAVE!!

• He says don’t stay far away, because He is not going to

• God comes CLOSE so that we can also come CLOSE

• PRAISE GOD TODAY FOR THIS!!

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!