Dear Faithful,
While Catholics might understand that it is a good think to receive Extreme Unction (aka Anointing of the Sick), how many actually know about the Sacrament itself and what it signifies?
Some might call this "the Last Rites." While this is not entirely wrong, "Last Rites" includes Confession, Holy Viaticum (last Holy Communion), Extreme Unction, then the Apostolic Blessing. The are a number of Sacraments being given in the Last Rites, but Extreme Unction is a distinct Sacrament.
You might wonder: if I confess my sins, receive Holy Communion AND get the Apostolic Blessing with the attached plenary indulgence, what more is there to receive? What is so special about that sacrament? Let's list off what the other sacraments do for us:
1. Confession restores us to the state of grace (if lost) and forgives all our mortal and venial sins.
2. Holy Communion unites us with Christ our Lord Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. There is a special formula the priest recites as he gives the dying man Holy Viaticum. The Latin word viaticum literally means provisions for a journey.
3. The Apostolic Blessing with attached plenary indulgence (provided we are disposed) removes all temporal punishment due to our sins.
If you take all this together, you might be left scratching your head wondering why there is an entire sacrament dedicated for the sick when you can receive all that with the other sacraments. Perhaps, in this day of technology and information, we forget (if only on a practical level) that God created us and watches over us every moment of our lives. If we were to fall ill, that practical atheism of the age might suggest that prayers for recovery won't work. Nevertheless, it is well within the power of God to heal us from our physical infirmity. You might even say it is a piece of cake for one who is All Powerful.
All sacraments, as we know from our Catechism, confer an increase of Sanctifying Grace (you definitely want that at your deathbed). But the special sacramental grace of Extreme Unction is unique: it is a sacrament of healing. It heals the soul, and sometimes even the body.
When we sin, imagine your soul being stabbed to death with a dagger. When you are brought back to life through Confession and Absolution, you might still have some scars leftover. Ever break your leg? Sometimes it is never the same, even if the bone heals and you can walk again. Likewise, our soul gets weakened and scarred by falling into sin. Through this holy anointing, the frailty and wounds of our soul are healed and made whole once more.
Sometimes, God wishes us to stick around a little longer and tie up some loose ends before we go. I have talked to numerous priests who went to anoint someone who was given weeks or even days to live. Fevers went down, cancers disappear without a trace, and people were discharged from the hospital later that week. Is it common? Not exactly, but more common than you think. It all depends on God's plan for your salvation. If you just received the Last Rites, are in the state of grace and have no intention of changing that, God might see that as the best time to take you. If perhaps you recover, you might live long enough to mess it up again and we are back to square one. Who knows? Obviously God, and He will make sure you get what you need. After all, that's what fathers do, and your Heavenly Father knows what you need before you even ask.
Want to learn more about this Sacrament? Please check out this chapter from the Catechism of the Council of Trent: PDF
Keep the Faith!
