Annointing of Sick and Chronic Illness

[LilyM]

Thanks for bringing this issue up. My parish also has anointing Masses every month, and I’ve often wondered what the definition was of how ill one should be before receiving the Sacrament. It’s not like any information is ever offered from the pulpit or in the bulletin

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Thanks for bringing this issue up. My parish also has anointing Masses every month, and I’ve often wondered what the definition was of how ill one should be before receiving the Sacrament. It’s not like any information is ever offered from the pulpit or in the bulletin

I you personally know any person who walked down to the front or a person who goes out to lunch twice a week. Let them know in normal conversation that the Sacrament of Anointing of the sick should only be received in a State of Grace, and after receiving the Sacrament one remembers a mortal sin they must ASAP go to Sacramental Confession.

 

[TOP]

I’ve been in remission of cancer for the past three years. The Lord answered my prayers and gave me more time. So , for me , getting the annointing now would be me not trusting in what the Lord has already done for me. If He has it be that I should get sick again , then I will get the annointing and take it as a sign to do so. I feel the annointing is more about the state of my soul then the healing of my body. Tim

 

[rkberlin]

I have a chronic heart condition, but I’m still fairly young (35). I have NEVER received the sacrament, even after I went into cardia arrest and had to be on the cardiac intensive care unit for a pacemaker insertion. The priest who came told me I didn’t need it, I needed to get back to church first (ok, I wasn’t practicing at that time, but I was hoping he’d hear confession or something). Then, my husband called Father after my second pacer implant surgery, but he was too busy, I guess. When we have our “senior Mass” every 3 months, they give the sacrament to the elderly. it never feels right to get in line. I kind of learned the “you should be near death or gravely ill” (I really thought cardiac arrest was grave, though…)in order to receive the sacrament. Why is there such confusion even among the priests?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I have a chronic heart condition, but I’m still fairly young (35). I have NEVER received the sacrament, even after I went into cardia arrest and had to be on the cardiac intensive care unit for a pacemaker insertion. The priest who came told me I didn’t need it, I needed to get back to church first (ok, I wasn’t practicing at that time, but I was hoping he’d hear confession or something). Then, my husband called Father after my second pacer implant surgery, but he was too busy, I guess. When we have our “senior Mass” every 3 months, they give the sacrament to the elderly. it never feels right to get in line. I kind of learned the “you should be near death or gravely ill” (I really thought cardiac arrest was grave, though…)in order to receive the sacrament. Why is there such confusion even among the priests?

You should be in danger of death, not at the point of death. In your case you were and should have received the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick after Confession in your hospital room, the first time.

 

[Jerry-Jet]

So let me ask this–when a parish has a communal Annoiting of the Sick mass–exactly how close to dying do the people have to be?

Do they have to be so bad off that they can’t even walk up to receive the annoting?

I am sure that the sacrament is not to be taken by someone who only has a headache–but if one is chronically ill you never know if they’ll die the next second or not.

I think a person like that–even if they might not be LITERALLY in danger of death should be able to receive the sacrament.

If that is not the case then maybe they should get rid of all the parrish wide annoiting of the sick masses.

I don’t think that would be a good thing. At my parrish we have 3 of them a year…

 

[TOP]

Even though I havn’t had the annointing, my wife and one of my sons got it for a heart condition (HCM) they have, because of the risk of sudden death. Tim

 

[Mary3]

So let me ask this–when a parish has a communal Annoiting of the Sick mass–exactly how close to dying do the people have to be?

Do they have to be so bad off that they can’t even walk up to receive the annoting?

I am sure that the sacrament is not to be taken by someone who only has a headache–but if one is chronically ill you never know if they’ll die the next second or not.

I think a person like that–even if they might not be LITERALLY in danger of death should be able to receive the sacrament.

If that is not the case then maybe they should get rid of all the parrish wide annoiting of the sick masses.

I don’t think that would be a good thing. At my parrish we have 3 of them a year…

I know this sounds so trite, but I can’t help wondering what Jesus would do.

When he healed lepers, the woman who bled for years, the paralytic, and the blind man, just how sick and in danger of death were those people?

I think Br. Rich has some very valid points about the potential to abuse the sacrament of anointing by not receiving it in a state of grace. However, I think all these contortions over how sick, how close to death, which conditions are really diseases, and consulting of doctors is maybe not what Jesus would do. Surely the Holy Spirit speaks through the Church, but it seems the judgement of the Church still leaves room for mercy regarding this sacrament.:yup:

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

So let me ask this–when a parish has a communal Annoiting of the Sick mass–exactly how close to dying do the people have to be?

Do they have to be so bad off that they can’t even walk up to receive the annoting?

I am sure that the sacrament is not to be taken by someone who only has a headache–but if one is chronically ill you never know if they’ll die the next second or not.

I think a person like that–even if they might not be LITERALLY in danger of death should be able to receive the sacrament.

If that is not the case then maybe they should get rid of all the parrish wide annoiting of the sick masses.

I don’t think that would be a good thing. At my parrish we have 3 of them a year…

An example of how this is done properly would be IMO the shrine of Lourdes. Many sick and aged are brought there for Mass by their care givers and receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. Some walking with assistance to those on wheeled beds. That is what sould happen at a parish Communial Anointing service. Those who are normally home bound or in nursing homes and never get to Mass should be helped if medically possible to be among their parish community. So that the Community may be reminded that their prayers are asked for and needed by those who cannot be with them on a regular basis.

 

[mystified]

When I was in a Catholic hospital, a priest came the evening before scheduled cardiac surgery and offered the Sacrament, which I gratefully accepted.
On the other hand, a parish with which I am familiar has a monthly “Healing Mass” after which anyone and everyone may be anointed by a priest or an extrodinary minister (yes, definitely an abuse, in a parish infamous for abuses). I don’t attend these Masses because of the abuse and cannot stand the caterwaling of the Healing Praise performers.

 

[LilyM]

I know this sounds so trite, but I can’t help wondering what Jesus would do.

When he healed lepers, the woman who bled for years, the paralytic, and the blind man, just how sick and in danger of death were those people?

I think Br. Rich has some very valid points about the potential to abuse the sacrament of anointing by not receiving it in a state of grace. However, I think all these contortions over how sick, how close to death, which conditions are really diseases, and consulting of doctors is maybe not what Jesus would do. Surely the Holy Spirit speaks through the Church, but it seems the judgement of the Church still leaves room for mercy regarding this sacrament.:yup:

Don’t forget that Jesus could read minds and hearts as well as bodies. He knew how badly sick, and how much in need of spiritual healing as well, each person was, and also how disposed they were spiritually to receive that healing.

With anointing of the sick, as any of the sacraments, it behooves us to be cautious in their administration so as not to abuse them.

 

[system]

I will soon have the mass for the sick in my parish and there where many questions who can receive the sacrament. I will not write whole search I made but I am satisfied with answer I found on Zenit by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university (this is pontifical university - therefore it is under direct leadership of Vatican).

So here I will paste just part of his answer on the question: Could someone who has mental problems/disorders receive the anointing of the sick?

A: In general the sacrament of the sick is reserved for serious (but not necessarily life-threatening) physical illness which significantly affects one’s health and well-being.

Here is link to the whole article if you want to check:
zenit.org/en/articles/anointing-for-mental-disorders