This coming Friday is First Friday of the month. After the evening mass, we administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. As the season of Lent is a time for healing, and most often we think of the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession, it is perhaps a good time to understand better the other sacrament of healing.

Anointing of the Sick is the sacrament that is received by those who are ill or suffering. By the sacred anointing and the prayer of the priest, the whole Church commends those who are sick to Christ. The sick person receives the Holy Spirit’s gifts of strength, faith, peace, and courage, and his or her suffering is united with the suffering of Christ for the building up of the Church (CCC nos. 1520-23).

The Sacrament of 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 can inspire and comfort both those who are ill and their family and friends who are gathered (CCC, nos. 1517-18).

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. The suffering of one impacts everyone. Thus, we are called to solidarity, which is responsibility on the part of everyone with regard to everyone.

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. 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, no. 53).

While it is possible that the sacrament could bring physical healing, Anointing of the Sick is primarily about the healing of hope and of the spirit. Above all, the sacrament allows the person who is ill to unite more closely to Christ’s Passion. This 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 (CCC, nos. 1521-22). As the sick unite their sufferings to those of Christ, they become bearers of the joy of the Holy Spirit in the midst of affliction and witnesses of Christ’s Resurrection. As the Synod of Bishops told an audience of sick and suffering persons, “We need you to teach the whole world what love is” (Per Concilii Semitas ad Populum Dei Nuntius, no. 12).

Finally, the sacrament reminds us that each person is made in the image of God and has dignity that remains unchanged, whatever the body suffers. The ministry of those who are sick is 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 illness, the family in poverty, and the person nearing death—and why she works to secure access to decent health care for all. (Adapted from USCCB)