Anointing of the sick

As Protestants, we argue, we, you may not be a Protestant listening to this, I would argue that this is at odds with the priesthood of all believers and the nature of the sacraments as ordinary means of grace, not something reserved for only a few.

We're almost done, and there is a sacrament called Extreme Unction.

Sounds very exciting.

Or last rites.

We have anointing services where people gather and the elders pray.

We put some olive oil on their head as a symbol of the power of the Holy Spirit.

But it would be strange for one verse from one apostle to introduce a new sacrament in this way, especially when we don't find evidence of extreme unction, extreme meaning just at the end of your life, an unction, anointing.

We don't find this as a sacrament in the early church.

They did not want to see him depart from them.

Then he received extreme unction.

He made the answers to the prayers himself.

Afterward he confessed again in order to receive the plenary indulgence granted for the hour of death.

In our Gospel this morning, we have a beautiful account of healing.

While teaching in the synagogue, our Lord encounters a person who has been crippled for 18 years, and even though it is the Sabbath, he heals her then and there by doing what we priests still do and celebrating the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.

He lays his hands on her.

That powerful ritual action was not made up by the church, but rather comes from our Lord himself.

The Acts of the Apostles and the letters of the New Testament describe and lead us to mediate, meditate on the way the first Christians watched over the sick.

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, instituted by our Lord and proclaimed by the Apostle James in his letter, speaks particularly present Our Lord's concern for all those who suffer a serious illness.

Sometimes the illnesses God may send us may not be temporary.

We might begin to suffer something that will not change in the course of this lifetime.

Or there's no cure.

Or there's no solution.

When we come to see that medical and surgical services in this world will also have their limits we may have to see that this is the will of God for me maybe my time has come it's a divine call to grow in my soul to be prepared and the body is not so well it's a time for the soul to dance and with the anointing of the sick we can receive untold benefits that God can fill confer us through this sacrament in order to sanctify grave illnesses.

And we don't need to be worried about the gravity of our illness because we can laugh at this life and laugh at ourselves and laugh at situations and just focus on the supernatural.

But why have recourse to doubtful writings, as if anything can be required more distinct than the statement of the evangelist that John preached, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, Mark 1, 4, Luke 3, 3.

Section 18 of Extreme Unction, so-called Dittling.

The third fictitious sacrament is extreme unction, which is performed only by a priest, and as they express it in extremis with oil consecrated by the bishop and with this form of words, by this holy unction and his most tender mercy, may God forgive you whatever sin you have committed by the eye, the ear, the smell, the touch, the taste.

They pretend that there are two virtues in it, the forgiveness of sins and relief of bodily disease, if so expedient, if not expedient, the salvation of the soul.

For they say that the institution was set down by James, whose words are, Is any sick among you? Let him send for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Mm-hmm

... and I asked her if she would've, if she would like for me to have a, um, a priest come and give her the anointing of the sick, and she said yes.

So I'm happy about that.

But-

Okay

... which seems to help her with her discomfort and everything.

My question is, um, would it be okay, would it be all right to bring the priest and have her, and have him give her the anointing of the sick and for her to receive-

Of course

There are seven sacraments.

Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.

138.

Question.

whence have the sacraments the power of giving grace a the sacraments have the power of giving grace from the merits of jesus christ one thirty nine question what grace do the sacraments give a some of the sacraments give sanctifying grace and others increase it in our souls one hundred forty question which are the sacraments that give sanctifying grace a the sacraments that give sanctifying grace are baptism and penance and they are called sacraments of the dead one hundred forty one question why are baptism and penance called sacraments of the dead a baptism and penance are called sacraments of the dead because they take away sin which is the death of the soul and give grace which is its life one hundred forty two question which are the sacraments that increase sanctifying grace in our soul a the sacraments that increase sanctifying grace in our soul are confirmation holy eucharist extreme unction holy orders and matrimony and they are called sacraments of the living one hundred forty three question why are confirmation holy eucharist extramunction holy orders and matrimony called sacraments of the living a confirmation holy eucharist extramunction holy orders and matrimony are called sacraments of the living because those who receive them worthily are already living the life of grace one forty four question What sin does he commit who receives the sacraments of the living and mortal sin? Answer He who receives the sacraments of the living and mortal sin commits a sacrilege, which is a great sin, because it is an abuse of a sacred thing.

145.

Question Besides sanctifying grace, do the sacraments give any other grace? Answer Besides sanctifying grace, the sacraments give another grace called sacramental.

Eureka Ergonomic.

Nay, I can go through the whole list of their sacraments.

I can also marry for another man, be ordained priest for another man, be confirmed for another man, receive extreme unction for another man.

Why did not Abraham believe on behalf of all the Jews? Why was every individual Jew required to exercise faith in the same promise which Abraham believed? Let us keep to this impregnable truth.

Where there is a divine promise, there every man stands for himself.

but unless I deceive myself, if at some future time this sacrament and figment fall to the ground, the papacy itself will scarcely hold its ground, and we shall recover that joyful liberty in which we shall understand that we are all equal in every right, and shall shake off the yoke of tyranny, and know that he who is a Christian has Christ, and he who has Christ has all things that are Christ's, and can do all things, on which I will write more fully and more vigorously when I find that what I have said here displeases my friends the Papists.

Section 7 of The Babylonian Captivity of the Church by Martin Luther Translated by R. S. Grignon This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.

On the Sacrament of Extreme Unction To this right of anointing the sick, our theologians have made two additions well worthy of themselves.

One is that they call it a sacrament, the other that they make it extreme, so that it cannot be administered except to those who are in extreme peril of life.

This is redemptive suffering, accepting and uniting the suffering we can't avoid or change, uniting it with the suffering of Jesus and offering it to God for the good of others.

On October 10th, Carlo asked to receive the anointing of the sick and Holy Communion.

The hospital chaplain remembered his pale but serene face, his composure, and the devotion with which he received the Eucharist.

His mother said he never complained, and he smiled until the end.