Proof Annointing of the Sick is a Sacrament
5 min • Digitized on June 24, 2024
From The Means of Grace, page 282
By Rev. Herman Rolfus
Extreme Unction
Instruction
Extreme Unction is a Sacrament.—Its Effects.
Extreme Unction is a sacrament in which, by the anointing with oil and the prayers of the priest, the grace of God is imparted to the sick, for the welfare of their souls and often of their bodies.
This sacrament is called Extreme Unction, because it is the last anointing with oil that a Christian can receive. The other anointings are at Baptism, Confirmation, and Ordination.
Extreme Unction is really a sacrament, since it has all the necessary qualities for such; namely; 1. The institution by Christ; 2. The outward sign of grace; 3. The inward operation of grace.
That Jesus Christ instituted Extreme Unction and raised it to the dignity of a sacrament we know both from Holy Scripture and the early teaching and practice of the Church.
In the Gospel according to St. Mark we read that even during the lifetime of Christ the apostles anointed the sick with oil. The passage reads; “Going forth they preached that men should do penance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them” (St. Mark vi. 12, 13). This passage of Scripture is now generally admitted. It shows clearly that Christ must have taught His apostles the using of oil in dealing with the sick.
That Christ also elevated this anointing to the dignity of a sacrament is clearly shown by the words of St. James the apostle; “Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick man, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him” (St. James v. 14, 15).
Here St. James plainly states that the grace of fortitude, of consolation, and of pardon of sin is joined to the anointing with oil and the prayers of the priest. It is evident that so saving a power could not be ascribed by the apostle to these mere outward signs and acts if he were not sure that they came from Christ and were ordained by Him.
Unbelievers have raised many objections, striving to weaken the proving powers of this passage of Scripture, but their objections are altogether groundless.
They say that the apostle does not write; “The priests of the Church,” but “the elders”; that is, the chief persons of the congregation. Admitting this reading or translation, what follows? In those days the Christian congregations had no lay officers, for the heads or chief men of the congregation were the bishops and the priests; hence St. James, when saying “the elders,” if he did say it, meant the bishops or the priests over the congregations.
That such is the truth is shown by the following facts:
When the primitive Christians sold their property they laid their money at the feet of the apostles only. And as these were then unable to attend to the temporal affairs of the Christian communities, they did not appoint secular officers, but committed such business to the deacons.
Furthermore, when St. Paul called the ancients of the Church from Ephesus to Miletus, he said to them, “Take heed to yourselves, and to the whole flock wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops to rule the Church of God” (Acts xx. 28).
Others, again, pretend that St. James, directed the anointing with oil as a mere natural or medicinal remedy. If this were so, then the ordinary attendants of the sick could have done it, neither priest nor elder nor other ecclesiastic being required for this.
Finally, we learn from the most ancient teachings of the Church that she always reckoned Extreme Unction among the seven sacraments. This is further proved from the constant practice of all the ancient Eastern churches, every one of which considered it a sacrament. If it is a sacrament, then it must owe its institution to Jesus Christ.
And why should it not have been ordained by Him? It is precisely in the time of sickness and at the article of death that the Christian is most in need of help. Just then he is discouraged, impatient, disposed to murmur against God, unable to detach his heart from the world, and exposed to the final assaults of Satan. Is it not, then, eminently becoming that our High Priest, Who so often has had compassion on us poor sinners, should complete and crown His mercy, and through the visible sign of anointing with oil, which heals our wounds, strengthens our bodies, rejoices our hearts, and enkindles within us the fires of charity, should show us that He infuses into our souls forgiveness, strength, and enlightenment?