A common misconception by most people is that the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is only administered to anyone who's already dying. Am here to tell you, that's incomplete information!
The priest rubbing oil on the palm as part of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. | photo source
Why are People Unaware of Taking Advantage of this Sacrament? What's Being Done About It Now?
As a lukewarm and cradle Catholic living in a predominantly Catholic country, I also thought the same thing. (Thank God I am no longer like that since I renewed my faith in God and have grown closer to Him.) Well hey nobody talks about such topics unless someone is dying. So what do we expect when most people are tepid in the faith and ignorant of the Sacraments? This again is why ignorance of religious practices is not bliss.
To people who aren't devout Catholics this is the normal mindset, but it's time to change that! We lose out on so many graces from God because of our indifference and ignorance on the many Catholic church practices. (And then we complain of having bad luck or a difficult life, etc. 🙄) Aside from that, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is not thoroughly discussed to the public thus many Catholics have become lukewarm and cold in the faith.
Recently, after the pandemic, I have been noticing some changes. Finally, some churches are beginning to do public catechisms. For example, St. Joseph Shrine along Aurora Blvd., in Quezon City has already started doing "Bible Studies" since last year. See below infographic, although it's mostly in Filipino.
source
As you can see this does not deal with the Sacraments yet but at least they are doing church-led Bible studies now. Another example would be what the Catholic Faith Defenders (CFD) of Quezon City has been doing lately. Thank God finally they are being invited by various churches to do talks on the many things about Catholicism. That includes the Sacraments too.
Unfortunately the YouTube video on the CFD talk about Sacraments is incomplete. Anyway if you're a Filipino or a foreigner who knows the language then feel free to watch the same CFD talk via Facebook here.)
What is Extreme Unction or Anointing of the Sick?
Apparently the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II, 1962-1965) changed the Extreme Unction Sacrament. No longer is it just for the dying, it has become available for the sick people too!
That's why that Sacrament was renamed to the Anointing of the Sick. It's also why it can already be administered to those in need of healing even if death is still far from happening.
There are two ways for us to be able to experience this Sacrament. First is when you attend Healing Mass; everyone who has an illness can line up to be anointed by the priest. The second is by asking for it outside of mass upon requesting it from the parish priest or the parish office.
My Experiences With the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
Okay, so I have been able to experience this Sacrament 3x since last year. The first one was before I started a certain medication. As mentioned last year I developed an illness which I am still in the process of getting healed. Thus I thought why not ask for this Sacrament before I started the treatment? And so last year was the first time I got anointed.
The second time was early this year when I got another illness when I was coughing so bad every night/early morning. That time I went to a hospital chapel where the image of Our Lady of Lourdes visited weeks before her feast day. 😅 The only difference was, it was part of a Healing Mass. And so during mass there was a moment when many of us lined up to the priest so we could be anointed.
I noticed a few days after that the terrible cough gradually reduced to nothing despite not drinking any medicine. Wow huh? But of course I still went to the doctor to get treated.
Sample of a Healing Mass announcement | image source
The most recent one was last week. Before my medical procedure, I requested a priest for Anointing of the Sick and also communion. (The hospital has a designated priest available for such services.) And so I believe having experienced such has helped me a lot in terms of having a peaceful mindset about my health issues.
Unlike my experience with Consecration to Jesus thru Mama Mary + daily rosary prayers (topic for another day), Divine Mercy Sunday and Confession after years of not doing so, I didn't notice any obvious manifestation of spiritual advantage. Of course, things of the spirit can't always be seen. We can't always provide proof of any change or benefit to us. Despite this I still recommend it to everyone who does not have good health anymore.
For example if someone already has any serious illness (kidney failure and are undergoing dialysis, cancer patients, diabetic people who have foot or limb ulcer, etc.) or before having any major operation, such a person can attend a Healing Mass or ask for the said Sacrament from a priest.
Don't be shy or afraid to request for it. This is something that lets us avail of God's infinite grace. Such things are important for our spiritual wellbeing. We must also take care of our soul and not just our mind and bodies.
What Else Can We Do if Someone is Sick and Dying?
Here's a bonus for you. If you know of anyone who's already dying, pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Why? Read on.
Benefits of praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet | Screenshot source
Whether anyone is able to pray beside the dying or even far away, it will be beneficial to that person's soul. You can read further about this and more topics from the Diary of a Soul by St. Faustina Kowalska. She was made the "Secretary" of the Divine Mercy by Jesus Himself! Thus we can learn a lot from God's messages to her.
Well that's it for this topic. I hope reading this has helped clear up any misconception about Anointing of the Sick. For further information, feel free to do a quick search online or read the topic in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 😉
Do you have anything to add or any experience about this to share? I'd love to read it in the comments.
XOXO,
@artgirl