Anointing of the Sick
“Are any among you suffering? ... Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.”
James 5:13-15
“By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them and indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1499
The Lord himself showed great concern for the bodily and spiritual welfare of the sick and commanded his followers to do likewise. This is clear from the gospels, and above all from the existence of the sacrament of anointing, which he instituted and which is made known in the Letter of James. Since then the Church has never ceased to celebrate this sacrament for its members by the anointing and prayer of its priests, commending those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them (Rite of the Pastoral Care of the Sick, Par. 5).
Anointing of the Sick tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. As soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, they should receive this sacrament. We have people request an Anointing of the Sick before a surgery in which the person will be put under full anesthesia or hospital stay. This sacrament is offered to those in need of emotional, physical or spiritual strength. The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is for the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ.
When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it is God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age. Other effects are union with our Lord Jesus Christ, and preparation for the final journey.
CLERGY REQUEST
If you or anyone you know would benefit from this sacrament, please let them know of this opportunity or bring them to one of the Masses if they need assistance. We highly encourage anyone who is struggling with a serious illness of mind, body, or spirit, or who is anticipating surgery, to call to set up a time to be anointed.
If you would like to have a priest to visit, please contact the Rectory at (973) 484-4600 or send an email to cathedralinfo@rcan.org.