Extreme Unction

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StatCrux

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A few questions about Extreme Unction:

Background: I am a traditionally minded, young adult Catholic who attends both NO and EF Masses. I consider myself a reform-of-the-reform / hermeneutic of continuity type. I will be undergoing shoulder surgery which is not “high-risk” from a surgical standpoint but because of the general anesthesia is not “low-risk.”

I would like to receive the sacrament of the sick before the surgery. It is unlikely that I will be able to have the sacrament administered in the hospital prior to the surgery so I will need to go to my parish. I would also prefer the sacrament to be administered in the EF.

Has anyone had the Extreme Unction administered in the EF not in a hospital / deathbed type setting? If so what was it like? The sacrament seems a little difficult to adapt to someone who is presumably sitting in a chair in the priest’s office (anointing of feet). I suppose I could just receive the OF which is certainly more adaptable but I pretty sure I don’t have to explain to people in this form why I would prefer the EF.

(name removed by moderator)ut would be appreciated.

In Christ,

SC
 
What is it that you hope to gain?

The EF form of the rite is validly administered only to Christians who have the use of reason and who are in danger of death from sickness. The teaching of the Council of Trent is that “this unction is to be administered to the sick, but especially to those who seem to be at the point of death [in exitu vitæ]” The emphasis from the Council of Trent was that the sickness would probably terminate fatally.

The OF, Anointing of the Sick, is administered to bring spiritual and even physical strength during an illness. It conveys several graces and imparts gifts of strengthening in the Holy Spirit against anxiety, discouragement, and temptation, and conveys peace and fortitude (CCC 1520). Does a person have to be dying to receive this sacrament? No. The Catechism says, “The anointing of the sick is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone 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).

If your focus is on forgiveness of sins in case you may die then the EF Rite would be more appropriate. The problem is that it was traditionally used for the terminally ill and dying.
If you are looking for God’s grace in terms of spiritual and physical strength during an illness, along with the forgiveness of sins, then Anointing of the Sick would seem to be more appropriate.

On a personal note my wife received the Anointing of the Sick after Mass before she had major abdominal surgery. A similar situation to what you are facing. It gave her great piece of mind.

God bless.
 
Extreme Unction or “The Last Rites” would ordinarily consist of confession, communion, and anointing unless the person was unconscious. For those who are dying this would be appropriate. When one is facing surgery I would think that receiving all three sacraments whether EF or OF would be appropriate. The thinking on “danger of death” has been changed and I would think that which ever form the priest would be willing to administer would be of equal benefit. I am curious as to whether your preference is cultural, you just like the old form better, or do you somehow think that the OF form is somehow not as effective. One is now allowed to receive the Anointing of the Sick for each new illness or recurrence of dangerous illness. I have received the OF form at least six times since 2000 and believe that it did help in my physical as well as spiritual healing.🙂
 
OldRedleg said:
What is it that you hope to gain?

The EF form of the rite is validly administered only to Christians who have the use of reason and who are in danger of death from sickness. The teaching of the Council of Trent is that “this unction is to be administered to the sick, but especially to those who seem to be at the point of death [in exitu vitæ]” The emphasis from the Council of Trent was that the sickness would probably terminate fatally.

The OF, Anointing of the Sick, is administered to bring spiritual and even physical strength during an illness. It conveys several graces and imparts gifts of strengthening in the Holy Spirit against anxiety, discouragement, and temptation, and conveys peace and fortitude (CCC 1520). Does a person have to be dying to receive this sacrament? No. The Catechism says, “The anointing of the sick is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone 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).

If your focus is on forgiveness of sins in case you may die then the EF Rite would be more appropriate. The problem is that it was traditionally used for the terminally ill and dying.
If you are looking for God’s grace in terms of spiritual and physical strength during an illness, along with the forgiveness of sins, then Anointing of the Sick would seem to be more appropriate.

On a personal note my wife received the Anointing of the Sick after Mass before she had major abdominal surgery. A similar situation to what you are facing. It gave her great piece of mind.

God bless.
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But, they are the same sacrament, so wouldn’t they offer the same spiritual benefit and grace regardless of form? And the quote from Trent doesn’t seem to restrict it to those who are in danger of death, it simply seems to say that it is especially important that those who are in danger of death receive it (also, in the 16th Century, the time of Trent, sickness and death went together a lot more than they do under modern medicine).
 
JaMc said:
But, they are the same sacrament, so wouldn’t they offer the same spiritual benefit and grace regardless of form? And the quote from Trent doesn’t seem to restrict it to those who are in danger of death, it simply seems to say that it is especially important that those who are in danger of death receive it (also, in the 16th Century, the time of Trent, sickness and death went together a lot more than they do under modern medicine).
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You are right. I think our friend OldRedleg is mistaken … the sacrament itself is exactly the same. What has changed is canon law, and canon law affects both rites. To give a quick example, the required communion fast is one hour even if going to the EF – though making a 3-hour or a from-midnight fast would certainly be a laudable practice.

The language of canon law was changed to avoid the situation in which loved oned wait until the last minute to call a priest, and the person has died already. A dead person cannot receive annointing, and this sacrament was given to us by Christ to use!

So it has been emphasized that not only at the “point of death” (hard to determine) but when there is a “danger of death,” the sacrament can and should be given.

(There have been abuses, like giving the sacrament to healthy people with minor illnesses, or groups of healthy elderly people, but abusus non tollit usum)
 
I assisted the priest when my grandmother was on death’s door in 1965 and Father came to her house. Back then, we had a special crucifix that slid out of its holder and could be mounted upright. Inside of the crucifix were two candles which were then mounted on either side of the crucifix. My grandmother was in a coma by then and in her bed. It was close to midnight and most of the family was gathered at her bedside.

The family had already recited the rosary for her and when father came he vested in a surplice with a purple stole. He carried the pyx and Holy Oil in a small container. We had Holy Water in a small container that went with the crucifix set.

My grandmother was annointed with oil and given the viaticum. I wish my memory was better but I was only 13 at the time. I have not seen a “death bed” administration of the sacrament since then.

P.S. Does anyone remember what those crucifix sets were called? My sister still has that one but I don’t have one.
 
The reason I am considering the EF is because I think the actual prayers in the OF including the anointing are a little “watered down.” Even though the OF is less explicit about sin, it does remove the eternal and temporal punishments to those properly disposed. Again, the two forms offer the same graces and spiritual benefit.

Although I think the OF form prayers are more suited to my situation (prayers for healing and spiritual strength), the reason I am requesting the sacrament is for its specific sacramental graces the most important of which being those related to sin. If I wanted the priest to simply say a prayer or bless me before surgery, I could just ask for that.

My question is more of a practical one:

Has anyone received Extreme Unction in the EF outside of a hospital / on what was presumed to be their deathbed? If you have, what are your thoughts?
 
StatCrux said:
Has anyone received Extreme Unction in the EF outside of a hospital / on what was presumed to be their deathbed? If you have, what are your thoughts?
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Not having been on death’s door, I cannot comment. I can, however, tell you that there has been a quantum shift (at least in my humble opinion) between the concept of Extreme Unction (aka Last Rites) and today’s Sacrament of the Sick. When my mother and father died (within the last 15 years) at home, Father came around to administer the Sacrament of the Sick days or weeks before their passing. I very much doubt that you are going to hear from anyone who has received Extreme Unction in the EF today.
 
I’m not going to tell it here, but I can give a personal testimony of a miracle in my life brought by Holy Unction (called Prayer Oil in the Byzantine tradition).
 
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