Anointing of the Sick

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In the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, Jesus, through the ministry of the priest, touches the sick to heal them from sin – and sometimes even from physical ailment. His cures told of in the Bible were signs of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. The core message of his healing tells us of his plan to conquer sin and death by his dying and rising.

The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient.

When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be 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 a spiritual 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.

-experts from United States Catholic Catechism for Adults 

Learn More

Article: What Catholics Believe - The Sacraments: Anointing of the Sick by Fr. Mark Nolette for Harvest magazine

United States Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 19 "Anointing of the Sick and the Dying" English   Spanish