Day 209: Summary of the Anointing of the Sick

The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has as its purpose the conferral of a special grace on the Christian experiencing the difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness or old age. CCC 1527

In today's reading, the Catechism gives an "In Brief" about what has been covered over the past few days. I really have nothing further to add to this, but the Catechism Companion, Vol II has some good commentary:

Our lives can serve as a practice for death. Often, we do not reflect deeply on death or the death of those close to us. Reflection is different from worrying, and it involves praying and meditating on our own death. The Church offers ways to prepare for death, such as making a daily examination of conscience. The examination helps us assess whether we are actively saying yes to God or being indifferent or rejecting him... By giving up things that bind us, we cultivate the readiness to let go and prepare for heaven. The Church provides these practices because it wants us to be ready for death. (p. 182)

Finally, Dr. Brant Pitre does a good job explaining the sacrament in this video:

Day 208: Completing the Earthly Pilgrimage

[J]ust as the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist form a unity called "the sacraments of Christian initiation," so too it can be said that Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, and the Eucharist as viaticum constitute at the end of Christian life "the sacraments that prepare for our heavenly homeland" or the sacraments that complete the earthly pilgrimage. CCC 1525

Today's reading from the Catechism discusses the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, Viaticum, and the end of our lives here on earth. The effects of the sacrament are outlined in this summary from the Catechism Compendium:

This sacrament confers a special grace which unites the sick person more intimately to the Passion of Christ for his good and for the good of all the Church. It gives comfort, peace, courage, and even the forgiveness of sins if the sick person is not able to make a confession. Sometimes, if it is the will of God, this sacrament even brings about the restoration of physical health. In any case, this Anointing prepares the sick person for the journey to the Father’s House. (#319)

 The Catechism Companion, Vol II has some good commentary on this:

In the Anointing of the Sick we pray not only for physical healing but also for deeper spiritual healing and forgiveness of sins. The sacrament enables us to join our suffering with Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world. Our suffering can be transformed into something meaningful through the power of Christ. We can offer our suffering for the well-being of the Church and recognize that we are not alone in our suffering. (p. 180)

Finally, the Catechism Compendium gives a summary of what is the final sacrament:

Viaticum is the Holy Eucharist received by those who are about to leave this earthly life and are preparing for the journey to eternal life. Communion in the body and blood of Christ who died and rose from the dead, received at the moment of passing from this world to the Father, is the seed of eternal life and the power of the resurrection. (#320)

I can imagine no greater blessing than to be surrounded by loved ones and leave this world with the Body and Blood of Christ (Jn 6:53-54). After receiving Holy Communion, it's off to greet the Father in the afterlife!

Administration of the (Eastern Orthodox) Eucharist to a dying woman (1839 painting by artist Alexey Venetsianov) 

The Church provides us with countless spiritual riches in preparation for death. This image shows one such gift, Viaticum, the Eucharist given as food for the journey (see CCC 1524). (p. 181)

Day 207: Celebrating the Anointing of the Sick

The Anointing of the Sick "is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as any 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." CCC 1514

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses how the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is celebrated. Any of the faithful can receive this sacrament if there is fear of death due to sickness or old age. It can be received more than once, even for the same illness if it worsens or should another severe malady strike. Ideally, this sacrament is received after Penance and followed by the Eucharist. In fact, as to the latter, the Catechism notes that "the Eucharist should always be the last sacrament of the earthly journey" (CCC 1517). This sacrament should only be ministered by a bishop or a priest, not laypeople. 

The Catechism Compendium gives a summary of how the sacrament itself is celebrated:

The celebration of this sacrament consists essentially in an anointing with oil which may be blessed by the bishop. The anointing is on the forehead and on the hands of the sick person (in the Roman rite) or also on other parts of the body (in the other rites) accompanied by the prayer of the priest who asks for the special grace of this sacrament. (#318)

The Catechism Companion, Vol II has some good commentary on this sacrament:

The Anointing of the Sick brings comfort and strength to those nearing the end of their earthly lives. The sacraments, including the Anointing of the Sick, are gifts of God's mercy and grace that bring sus into his family and restore us to health. (p. 178) 

Day 206: Healing the Sick

The Church believes and confesses that among the seven sacraments, there is one especially intended to strengthen those who are being tried by illness, the Anointing of the Sick: "This sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament. It is alluded to indeed by Mark, but is recommended to the faithful and promulgated by James the apostle and brother of the Lord." CCC 1511

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the example set by Jesus and the Apostles for the Church's calling for healing those who are struck by illness, most especially through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

The Catechism Compendium has a summary of the Church's attitude toward the sick:

Having received from the Lord the charge to heal the sick, the Church strives to carry it out by taking care of the sick and accompanying them with her prayer of intercession. Above all, the Church possesses a sacrament specifically intended for the benefit of the sick. This sacrament was instituted by Christ and is attested by Saint James: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call in the presbyters of the Church and let them pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14-15). (#315)

This sacrament is not "magic" and the Lord may not grant physical healing of our bodies. The Catechism Companion, Vol II notes:

God may allow us to experience illness as a correction so we will change our lives, or because he wants us to grow, or because he wants to soften our hearts. He also may allow us to experience suffering because it is redemptive. St. John Paul II wrote in Salvifici Doloris that nothing is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, but Jesus extends to us a sliver of his Cross so that you and I can be co-workers in the mystery of his redemptive work in this world. Jesus wants us to share in his affliction as well as his glory, shaping our hearts to be more like his... Pain and suffering remind us of our finiteness and can be God's megaphone to awaken us from spiritual slumber. (p. 176) 

Finally, Fr. Mike Schmitz in this video answers the question of why God doesn't heal everybody:

Day 205: Christ the Physician

"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." CCC 1499

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the background to the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. There is an old joke that there are only two sure things in life: death and taxes. While the latter may vary from time to time and from culture to culture, the former is definite. We all will get sick at times and will one day die (Heb 9:27). That is not a matter of faith, but one of easily provable reality. Getting sick, in a word, sucks. Or to put it as the Catechism does, "man experiences his powerlessness, his limitations, and his finitude" (CCC 1500). Sickness can spark different reactions in different people, or even the same person depending upon various things like the time of their life it happens or the severity of the illness. As the Catechism states:

Illness can lead to anguish, self-absorption, sometimes even despair, and revolt against God. It can also make a person more mature, helping him discern in his life what is not essential so that he can turn toward that which is. Very often illness provokes a search for God and a return to him. (CCC 1501)

In the times of much of the Scriptures, illness was seen as a result of sin and God's anger (Ps 38:3-5). The Catechism Compendium elaborates:

In the Old Testament sickness was experienced as a sign of weakness and at the same time perceived as mysteriously bound up with sin. The prophets intuited that sickness could also have a redemptive value for one’s own sins and those of others. Thus sickness was lived out in the presence of God from whom people implored healing. (#313)

In the New Testament, Jesus is shown as healing physical illnesses (e.g. Lk 4:40), healing the sickness from sin (e.g. Lk 5:31-32), healing as a sign of salvation (e.g. Jn 9:1-7), and His healing continues in the Sacraments (Jam 5:14-15). For this reason, Jesus is often referred to as the Divine Physician in the Church. 

The Catechism Compendium summarizes the Church's belief concerning our suffering and Christ:

The compassion of Jesus toward the sick and his many healings of the infirm were a clear sign that with him had come the Kingdom of God and therefore victory over sin, over suffering, and over death. By his own passion and death, he gave new meaning to our suffering which, when united with his own, can become a means of purification and of salvation for us and for others. (#314)

 

Day 204: Summary of Sacrament of Reconciliation

The sacrament of Penance is a whole consisting in three actions of the penitent and the priest's absolution. the penitent's acts are repentance, confession, or disclosure of sins to the priest, and the intention to make reparation and do works of reparation. CCC 1491

Today's reading from the Catechism is an "In Brief" for all that has been covered over the past few days on the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. I have nothing more to add to what has already been said.

I did, however, like this commentary from the Catechism Companion, Vol II on the sacrament:

Our perspective on Confession reflects our hearts - pride or gratitude. Confession allows us to humbly surrender our sins and receive God's infinite mercy through the ministry of the priest and the Church. Hatred of sin is crucial, as there is no greater evil with more harmful results for individuals, the Church, and all humanity. Sin is worse than suffering or death... Confession makes us stronger as we fight sin, just like the Eucharist. We should pray for God's help to be warriors against sin, asking him to be our shield. (p. 172)

I also found this part quite thought-provoking, especially on trusting God:

Jesus, in his mercy, came to remind us that the light of truth is not our enemy. He called us to love the light, to come into the light and live in it. Those who choose to remain in the darkness do so because they do not want their deeds to be seen. In the end, this refusal to come into the light is the result of the mistaken belief that God's truth will ruin their lives; it is lack of trust that God only wants what is good for us. This is the same lie the Serpent told Adam and Eve in the Garden, leading them to commit the first sin. But, as the Catechism insists, God is the fullness of loving truth (see CCC 214), and we only hurt ourselves by refusing to know - and live by - that truth. (p. 173). 

Day 203: The Purpose of Indulgences

In the communion of saints, "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things." In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin. CCC 1475

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the purposes of indulgences. To be honest, this is one doctrine that I've struggled with the most. Perhaps this comes from my years as a Protestant, but it's not been easy to fully wrap my head around. Intellectually, sure I understand the basic concept. The Catechism Compendium gives a decent enough summary: 

Indulgences are the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. The faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains the indulgence under prescribed conditions for either himself or the departed. Indulgences are granted through the ministry of the Church which, as the dispenser of the grace of redemption, distributes the treasury of the merits of Christ and the Saints. (#312)

I get that they are bound with the Church's "binding and loosing" authority granted by Christ (Matt 16:19; 18:18). The Eastern Orthodox too had something akin to this for a few centuries. Certainly the "prayers and good works" of the Blessed Theotokos and Christ's holy saints are "truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God" (CCC 1477). Yet I must confess, this is something which I largely accept on faith because I do believe the Church was founded by Jesus Christ. My puny brain has trouble understanding it all. There is a book that's been recommended to me, which I've been meaning to get: Indulgences: Luther, Catholicism, and the Imputation of Merit. Perhaps that's a good resource to help resolve any confusion. I'll have to revisit this subject at a later time.

The Catechism Companion, Vol II has some pretty good commentary on this:

Some people have concerns about indulgences because they seem like buying grace, but purchasing spiritual goods is absolutely prohibited by the Church and Scripture. Indulgences involve letting go of attachments to earthly things and growing in our relationship with the Lord. The Church believes in growing in holiness and cooperating with God's grace. God has given us his grace, but we must work with it to grow spiritually. (p. 170)

Purgatory, by Peter Paul Rubens

This image of purgatory remind us that the souls there are part of the communion of saints, and thus our prayers and sacrifices can help remit their temporal punishment (see CCC 1479). (p. 171)