I remember reading an article by a priest somewhere saying that this was the most abused sacrament by the clergy by far, and that in his opinion most uses of the sacrament were actually simulated rather than actually received because it was so often given out in illegitimate circumstances. I’m no expert, but from what I understand, these stories I hear about priests offering the sacrament after mass to anyone who wants to receive is exactly what should NOT be done and that it is supposed to be reserved for people who are truly in grave health (in legitimate danger of dying).
Well I was a professor of liturgy and sacraments and this was part of my curriculum.
The canons are explicit when they say:
*THOSE ON WHOM THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK IS TO BE CONFERRED
Can. 1004 §1. The anointing of the sick can be administered to a member of the faithful who, having reached the use of reason, begins to be in danger due to sickness or old age.
§2. This sacrament can be repeated if the sick person, having recovered, again becomes gravely ill or if the condition becomes more grave during the same illness.
Can. 1005 This sacrament is to be administered in a case of doubt whether the sick person has attained the use of reason, is dangerously ill, or is dead.
Can. 1006 This sacrament is to be conferred on the sick who at least implicitly requested it when they were in control of their faculties.*
The norms and guidelines within the rite itself provide additional guidance, observations and directives for the priest.
The person should be truly ill, with a condition that is not slight or transitory. The minister of the sacrament should use his discretion.
He should not invite everyone forward, if this is given in a public setting. Adminisering the sacrament in a group is perfectly legitimate…especially in a parish with many elderly or, for example, in connection with World Day of the Sick (February 11).
It should go without saying that people who may be young or look hale may, in fact, have a condition that more than qualifies for this sacrament.
A public celebration of the sacrament in the parish is a moment for catechesis concerning the sacrament and when it should be sought. Unfortunately, there are still those who think of this sacrament in terms of “last rites” or “extreme unction” – a name for the sacrament which the Council Fathers, rightly and thankfully, said was to be replaced. It conveyed a connotation that this sacrament is for those
in extremis when, in fact, it is not.
When I was a hospital chaplain, I was judicious but not overly so. I would not, for example, anoint someone who had a cold, a flu, or some moderate intestinal distress and sought relief in the Emergency Department. A patient admitted to the hospital, I deemed to be “in danger” and made my assessment beginning there.
If they were having any procedure that was invasive, I anointed…I had patients die while undergoing relatively routine procedures. I established my pastoral assessment and that was how I proceeded…always bearing in mind Canon 1005…if you err, you err on the side of giving the sacrament, not withholding it. If you withhold it and the patient dies, you cannot turn the clock back and correct the error. That soul had been confided to your pastoral care and died without benefit of all the help that was available.
Which brings me to your statement
and that it is supposed to be reserved for people who are truly in grave health (in legitimate danger of dying). It is speaking in categories I find hard to comment on.
First, they do not have to be in “grave health”. A person who is healthy but undergoing heart surgery for a heart valve repair, for example, would be a candidate for this sacrament. A person who is in their 80s, for a second example, is also a legitimate candidate by virtue of their age even if they are living an active life.
As for “legitimate danger of dying,” one should not so phrase the qualification as to go beyond what the norms of the Church are, as stated in the canons above. I am not answering the question of how near or far the person is from death…I am answering the question: “Have they begun to be in danger by virtue of a medical procedure or a condition or their age.” In case of reasonable doubt, one would proceed to anoint.
I shall withhold critique on this unknown and un-cited article since I have not read the priest’s actual words.
