Anointing of the Sick
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When is the Sacrament Called For?
The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is most likely administered at a time close to death. If someone has a fatal disease or illness, they may also receive the sacrament. If a person is entering a risky operation that they're worried they may not survive, they might also request to be anointed. The Apostles Healing the Sick in Jesus' Name There are several accounts of the apostles healing in the sick in Jesus' name in scripture. In Matthew 10:1, Jesus gives them the authority to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. One example of the Apostles healing the sick is in Acts 3:6-8. In this reading, Peter passes a poor man, unable to walk, begging for money. He replies to the man saying he doesn't have silver and gold, but, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." Peter takes the man by the hand and lifts him up. Immediately the man feels strength in his bones, leaps up and walks. He enters the temple, praising God. The second instance of the Apostles healing the sick is in Acts 5:12-16. In this reading, all believers of Jesus met together in Solomon's Colonnade. Many men and women believed that the Lord was present in the apostle's signs and wonders. As a result, people brought the sick to them, laid them in the streets, and hoped that even Peter's shadow falling on one of them as he passed by, may heal a sick person. Crowds gathered from all the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick, and all of them were healed. The third is when Paul resurrected a man from the dead in Acts 20:7-12. In this reading, Paul is preaching to people, and since he intended to leave the next day, ending up talking until midnight. Seated in the room where they were talking, a man named Eutychus was falling into a deep sleep as Paul spoke. Eutychus was sitting by the window, and as he fell asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was found dead. However, Paul went down and threw himself on the dead man. "Do not be alarmed," he said, "He's alive!" They went back upstairs, broke the bread, and ate, and then talked until the daylight. The people then took the young man home, uninjured and alive! How Anointing of the Sick Relates to God's Mercy The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is a work of God's mercy. This sacrament reminds us that God wants to give comfort to the suffering and wants us to have a chance to enter Kingdom of God. It's our last chance to be relieved of our sins so we're in a good condition to enter Heaven. Jesus didn't have to do this, we could have been judged based on our entire lives without a last chance of forgiveness, but God's mercy gives us the opportunity to be anointed and reconciled one last time before death. |