• The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and Last Rites

       " 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)
  
       In his letter to the Church St. James writes "Is anyone among you sick?  He should summon the presbyters of hte church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of the faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up.  If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven."  It is largly from this passage of the Bible that the Church asserts that Anointing of the Sick is indeed a Sacrament instituded by Christ.
  
       There are actually two distinct parts to the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.  The first is intended as an appeal to God through his Church for the healing of the person who is sick.  The illness must be in some way serious, putting the individual in danger of death.  The Sacrament offers both the blessing of the Church for physical healing, and the forgiveness of sin, as healing of the soul.  When a person is reconciled with God from all sin, he or she enjoys the necessary closeness with God for physical healing.  God is concerned first with the health of our soul, and only after that with our bodily health.  Since this requires forgiveness of sin, only a Priest (drawn from the word Presbyter) can celebrate this Sacrament.
  
       In the event that the person is terminal and near death the Priest, after administering the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, includes the Last Rites in which he offers the Apostolic Pardon.  The Apostolic Pardon, drawn from the Authority of the Holy Father, removes all temporal punishment in this life and the life to come.  So, unless the person dies clinging to some evil he/she will be spared Purgatory and will be received into heaven upon death.  This is a prime example of the power given to the Church through Jesus Christ when he said to the apostles "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."  (John 20:23) and to Peter "whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."  (Matt 18:18)
  
       For this reason, it is essential that a Priest be contacted whenever there is serious illness with a member of the family.  Withholding the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick frustrates the work of healing and forgiveness God offers to his children. 
  
       If you or a family member, living in the Premont area or in the areas of her mission churches, are homebound and need a visit from a priest, please contact the parish office: (361) 348-2202