Explanation of the Sacrament of Holy Unction

Christ came to the world to “bear the infirmities” of men. One of the signs of his divine messiah ship was to heal the sick. The power of healing remains in the Church since Christ himself remains in the Church through the Holy Spirit.

The Sacrament of Unction of the sick is the Church’s specific prayer for healing. If it is the will of God, there is every reason to believe that the Lord can heal those who are diseased.

“Is any among you sick, let him call for the presbyters of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:14-16; see also Mark 6:13)

The sacrament of anointing calls for seven priests, seven readings from the epistles and gospels, seven prayers and seven anointings with oil specifically blessed for the service. Although it is not always possible to perform the sacrament in this way, the normal procedure is still to gather together as many priests and people as possible.

The express purpose of the sacrament of Holy Unction is healing and forgiveness. Since it is not always the will of God that there should be physical healing, the prayer of Christ that God’s will be done always remains as the proper context of the sacrament. In addition, it is the clear intention of the sacrament that through the anointing of the sick body the sufferings of the person should be sanctified and united to the sufferings of Christ. In this way the wounds of the flesh are consecrated, and strength is given that the suffering of the diseased person may not be unto the death of his soul, but for eternal salvation in the resurrection and life of the Kingdom of God.

It is indeed the case that death inevitably comes to man. All must die, even those who in this life are given a reprieve through healing in order to have more time on earth. Thus, the healing of the sick is not itself a final goal, but is merely “instrumental” in that it is given by God as a sign of his mercy and as a grace for the further opportunity of man to live for him.

In the case where a person is obviously in the final moments of his earthly life, the Church has special prayers for the “separation of soul and body.” Thus, it is clear that the sacrament of Holy Unction is for the sick—both the physically and mentally sick—and is not reserved for the moment of death. The Sacrament of Unction is not the “last rites” as is sometimes thought; the ritual of the anointing itself in no way indicates that it should be administered merely in “extreme” cases. Holy Unction is the sacrament of the spiritual, physical, and mental healing of a sick person whatever the nature or the gravity of the illness may be.

Order of the Service

This service of Holy Unction consists of seven parts, each part containing and Epistle and Gospel reading, a prayer and petitions.

The seven Epistle excerpts teach the faithful to meditate on a number of spiritual truths:

1.       Service to fellowman.

2.       Love within the Body of Christ.

3.       Holiness of the human body.

4.       Reliance on God’s grace.

5.       Strength and life received in the Holy Spirit.

6.       And the counsel to be prepared for the second coming of Christ.

The seven Gospel excerpts include the parable of the Good Samaritan who comforted the injured stranger by use of oil. Other readings relate to us the repentance of Zacchaeus, the healing of illnesses, the evils of hypocrisy, and the need of a living faith. Especially in the calling of Matthew to be a disciple do we see the clarity with which Christ identifies himself with sinners and outcasts, thus emphasizing that every human being is of supreme, indeed, of divine value.

The theme of the seven prayers are God’s love and forgiveness, man’s need of repentance, reconciliation with God through the grace of Jesus Christ.

“Holy Father, heal Your servants from their spiritual and bodily sickness, and give them life through the grace of Your Christ.” Amen.

Healing as a Team Effort

One day a medical doctor was talking to a boy on whom he was to operate. The boy was obviously very fearful about undergoing surgery. The doctor asked him, “Are you a Christian?”

“Oh, yes sir,” the boy answered. “I try to be.”

“I’m a Christian, too” said the doctor. “I dedicated myself to the Lord, Jesus Christ, and told Him I wanted to help people. That is why I became a surgeon. I’m just God’s servant. Every time before I operate on a patient, I dedicate my hands and my mind to the Lord. I ask Him to put His healing touch upon me so that I may wield my instruments with skill. I dedicated to Him all my knowledge, and I dedicate my patient to Him as well.

“Now,” he continued, “tomorrow morning I’m going to operate on you. I want you to come to the operation believing that we are a team at work. The team is the Lord, the Great Healer, and you, a yielded and believing patient, and I, a dedicated servant of Christ. The three of us will have success in our surgery.” The boy nodded, an understanding smile on his face.

When the patient was rolled into the operating room the next morning the doctor said, “How do you feel, Bill?”

“Doctor, I feel all right,” the boy said. “I want you to know that all the team is here. Go ahead.”

Healing is always a team effort between God and man. “I merely dress the wound,” said a consecrated physician, “only God can heal it.”