SACRAMENTS OF HEALING
Anointing of the Sick
Penance
(Confession/Reconciliation)
INTRODUCTION
"Through the sacraments of Christian initiation, (baptism,
confirmation, Eucharist) we receive the new life of Christ.
Now we carry this life "in earthen vessels," and it remains
‘hidden with Christ in God.’
We are still in our "earthly tent"
subject to suffering, illness, and death.
This new life as a child of God
can be weakened and even lost by sin."
(Catechism of Catholic Church, # 1420)
PURPOSE OF SACRAMENTS
OF HEALING:
Jesus, physician of souls and bodies
who forgave the sins of the paralytic and
restored him to bodily health,
has willed that his Church continue,
in the power of the HOLY SPIRIT,
his work of healing and salvation,
even among her own members.
FROM THE CATHECISM
"Those who approach the sacrament of Penance
obtain pardon from God's mercy
for the offense committed against God,
and are, at the same time,
reconciled with the Church
which they have wounded by their sins
and which, by charity, by example,
and by prayer labors for their conversion."
(Catechism, # 1422)
SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING OF THE
SICK
FROM SCRIPTURE: James 5: 14-16
Is anyone among you sick?
He should summon the presbyters of the church,
and they should pray over him
and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord,
and the prayer of faith will save the sick person,
and the Lord will raise him up.
If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.
CHURCH TEACHING
“In the holy anointing of the sick
with the prayer of the priest,
the whole Church recommends the sick to the Lord, who suffered and has been glorified,
asking Him to give them relief and salvation.
The Church calls upon them to associate themselves freely with the passion and death of
Christ and in this way to make their contribution
to the good of God’s people.”
From Vatican 2: Constitution on the Liturgy
SYMBOLS
DIGGING DEEPER. . .
The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is
• both “a liturgical and a communal celebration.” (In the family home,
hospital, or church)
• members of the Body of Christ gather for the sacramental rite led by a
priest.
• The penitential rite followed by the Liturgy of the Word and sacramental
anointing of the sick
• The sacrament can inspire and comfort both those who are ill and their
family and friends who are gathered (Catechism 1517-18).
WHERE IS IT CELEBRATED?
• Can be anywhere – from a sick bed to street corner
• Can be communal celebrations at designated times in the church for many.
These sacramental celebrations are a “source of strength amid pain and weakness, hope amid
despair” and a “joyful encounter” for the entire community
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF
BEING ANOINTED?
CONNECTION TO THE
COMMUNION OF SAINTS
• Anointing with sacred oil is a sign of blessing by the Holy
Spirit of the one who is sick.
• Oil of the Sick recalls the community’s sharing of the
Holy Spirit
• and the sick person’s connection to the entire Body of
Christ and communion of saints.
IMITATION OF CHRIST’S COMPASSION
• Gospel Accounts: Christ’s miraculous healings
• Parables:
• The Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:29-37)
- The Judgment of the Nations (Mt. 25:31-46)
Bottom line:
Christ asks followers to share his ministry of compassion and healing and
to imitate his “preferential love for the sick” and all who suffer.
(Catechism 1503, 1506; Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis 22).
SOLIDARITY WITH ALL
WHO SUFFER
We care for the sick….
• because we see them as children of God and part of our human family.
• When one part of the Body of Christ suffers, we all suffer (1 Cor. 12:26).
• The suffering of one impacts everyone.
• Thus, we are called to solidarity, which is a “responsibility on the part of everyone
concerning everyone”
(John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis 38; Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate 38).
BY OUR COMPASSION. . .
• We remind those who are sick that “[the Church] shares your
suffering.
• She takes it to the Lord, who in turn associates you with his
redeeming Passion”
• We are called to comfort, pray for, and be in solidarity with all who
are sick or suffering.
CARING FOR THOSE WHO SUFFER
• is not a burden, but a gift.
• Those who care for the sick do holy and important work; they walk with Christ’s
suffering people and in doing so, serve Christ himself (Mt. 25:31-46).
• Those who minister to the sick and who work to secure decent health care for all
become “the living sign of Jesus Christ and his Church in showing love towards
the sick and suffering” (Christifideles Laici 53).
UNION WITH CHRIST’S
PASSION
• Anointing of the Sick about the healing of hope and of
the spirit.
• The sacrament allows the person who is ill to unite more
closely to Christ's Passion.
• Gives suffering a new meaning: a participation in the
saving work of Jesus. This is a powerful witness that is
for the good of the whole Church (Catechism 1521-22).
A WITNESS TO DIGNITY
• Each person is made in the image of God
• Has dignity that remains unchanged, whatever the body
suffers.
• A powerful witness to the fact that human dignity is
intrinsic and does not increase or decrease based on a
person’s physical state or abilities.
• This is why the Church works to protect the life and dignity
of the person at every stage of life—the embryo, the person
suffering from AIDS, the family in poverty, and the person
nearing death
• and why she works to secure access to decent health care for
all.
THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
• Reconciled to Right Relationship, Called to Heal and
Restore
• AKA:
• Confession
• Reconciliation
• Has a long history. . . .
SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
• An experience of the gift of God's boundless mercy.
• Frees us from our sins and also challenges us to have the same
kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against
us.
• We are liberated to be forgivers. We obtain new insight into the
words of the Prayer of St. Francis: "It is in pardoning that we
are pardoned."
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
The new life in Christ that begins in Baptism may be
weakened or lost through sin.
Sin ruptures not only our relationship with God, but
also with our brothers and sisters.
HOW DO I PREPARE FOR THIS?
• Make a mature examination of our conscience to identify those ways in
which we are not in the right relationship with God and with others.
• This examination also challenges us to recognize our participation in the
“structures of sin” that degrade others’ lives and dignity.
Through the sacrament of Penance,
God offers mercy and forgiveness.
In response to this gift, we are called to become
vehicles of Christ’s love, making amends and
restoring justice and the bonds that have been
broken.
Healed and forgiven, we are sent to work for peace,
justice and love in our
communities and world.
CAN’T I JUST PRAY TO GOD FOR
FORGIVENESS WHEN I SIN?
• YES. . .YES. . .YES!
• We SHOULD!
• BUT DO WE????
• LET’S DIG DEEPER INTO THIS. . . .
SACRAMENT OF PENANCE IS ABOUT
RELATIONSHIPS
• Sin damages our relationship with God and neighbor.
• Sin is never an individual affair.
• Sin becomes manifest in unjust structures.
• We are called to examine our consciences and admit our failings.
• We receive God’s forgiveness and mercy.
• We work to repair the harm we have done.
• The whole Church community plays a role in
• reconciliation.
• We are called to be forgivers and
• peacemakers.
JESUS ENTRUSTED MINISTRY OF
RECONCILIATION TO THE CHURCH
• God's gift of forgiveness
• An opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God.
• A holy moment in which we honestly acknowledge our sins, grave sins
• Grants absolution—sins are now gone forever
• Helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God.
"In him, we live and move and have our being"
(Acts 17:28).
TOP TEN LIST OF WHY CONFESSION IS
GOOD FOR THE SOUL
It puts you straight with everyone!
1. Confidentiality guaranteed.
2. Housekeeping for the soul.
3. A balm for the desire for revenge.
4. Low-cost therapy.
5. Forced time to think
6. Contribution toward world peace
7. A better neighborhood.
8. Realistic self-perception.
9. One more benefit of being
Catholic.
10. Closeness to God
FOUR PARTS TO THIS:
• Contrition: a sincere sorrow for having offended God - the
most important act
• Confession: confronting our sins in a profound way to God
by speaking about them —aloud— to a priest.
• Penance: doing something to restore the damage we’ve
committed
• Absolution: words of Jesus (through the priest) which
reconcile us to God through the merits of the Cross.
SO, BUT AGAIN, WHY THE PRIEST?
In the words of Jesus to his apostles:
‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you
retain the sins of any, they are retained”
John 20:22-23
