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THE SACRAMENT OF EXTREME UNCTION
Importance
of Instruction on Extreme Unction
Names of
This Sacrament
Extreme Unction
is a True Sacrament
Extreme Unction
is But One Sacrament
Essential Parts of Extreme Unction
The Matter
of Extreme Unction
The Form
of Extreme Unction
The Ceremonies
of Extreme Unction
Institution of Extreme Unction
The Subject of Extreme Unction
The Subject Must Be
in Danger of Death
The Danger Must Arise From Sickness
The Person Anointed Must Have Attained
the Use of Reason
Administration of Extreme Unction
Dispositions for the Reception of Extreme
Unction
The Minister of Extreme Unction
The Effects of Extreme Unction
Admonition
THE SACRAMENT OF EXTREME UNCTION
Importance
of Instruction on Extreme Unction
In all thy works, the Scriptures teach, remember
thy last end, and thou shalt never sin, words which convey to the pastor
a silent admonition to omit no opportunity of exhorting the faithful to
constant meditation on death. The Sacrament of Extreme Unction, because
inseparably associated with recollection of the day of death, should, it
is obvious, form a subject of frequent instruction, not only because it
is right to explain the mysteries of salvation, but also because death,
the inevitable doom of all men, when recalled to the minds of the
faithful, represses depraved passion. Thus shall they be less disturbed
by the approach of death, and will pour forth their gratitude in endless
praises to God, who has not only opened to us the way to true life in
the Sacrament of Baptism, but has also instituted that of Extreme
Unction, to afford us, when departing this mortal life, an easier way to
heaven.
Names of This Sacrament
In explaining what is more necessary on this
subject we shall follow almost the same order observed in the exposition
of the other Sacraments. Hence we shall first show that this Sacrament
is called Extreme Unction, because among all the unctions prescribed by
our Lord to His Church, this is the last to be administered.
For this reason it was also called by our
predecessors in the faith, the Sacrament of the anointing of the sick,
and also the Sacrament of the dying, names which easily turn the minds
of the faithful to the remembrance of that last hour.
Extreme Unction
is a True Sacrament
That Extreme Unction is strictly speaking a
Sacrament, is first to be explained; and this the words of St. James the
Apostle, promulgating the law of this Sacrament, clearly establish. Is
any man, he says, sick amongst 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. When the Apostle says that sins are forgiven, he ascribes to
Extreme Unction the nature and efficacy of a Sacrament.
That such has been at all times the doctrine of
the Catholic Church on Extreme Unction, many Councils testify, and the
Council of Trent denounces anathema against all who presume to teach or
think otherwise. Innocent I also recommends this Sacrament with great
earnestness to the attention of the faithful.
Extreme Unction
is But One Sacrament
Pastors, therefore, should teach that Extreme
Unction is a true Sacrament, and that, although administered with many
anointings, each given with a peculiar prayer, and under a peculiar
form, it constitutes not many, but one Sacrament. It is one, however,
not in the sense that it is composed of inseparable parts, but because
each of the parts contributes to its perfection, as is the case with
every object composed of many parts. As a house which consists of a
great variety of parts derives its perfection from unity of plan, so is
this Sacrament, although composed of many and different things and
words, but one sign, and it effects only that one thing of which it is
the sign.
Essential Parts of Extreme Unction
Pastors should also teach what are the component
parts of this Sacrament, its matter and form. These St. James does not
omit, and each is replete with its own peculiar mysteries.
The Matter
of Extreme Unction
Its element, then, or matter, as defined by
Councils, particularly by the Council of Trent, consists of oil
consecrated by the Bishop. Not any kind of oil extracted from fatty or
greasy substances, but olive oil alone (can be the matter of this
Sacrament).
Thus its matter is most significant of what is
inwardly effected in the soul by the Sacrament. Oil is very efficacious
in soothing bodily pain, and the power of this Sacrament lessens the
pain and anguish of the soul. Oil also restores health, brings joy,
feeds light, and is very efficacious in refreshing bodily fatigue. All
these effects signify what the divine power accomplishes in the sick man
through the administration of this Sacrament. So much will suffice in
explanation of the matter.
The Form
of Extreme Unction
The form of the Sacrament is the word and solemn
prayer which the priest uses at each anointing: By this Holy Unction may
God pardon thee whatever sins thou hast committed by the evil use of
sight, smell or touch.
That this is the true form of this Sacrament we
learn from these words of St. James: Let them pray over him...and
the prayer of faith shall save the sick man. Hence we can see that the
form is to be applied by way of prayer. The Apostle does not say of what
particular words that prayer is to consist; but this form has been
handed down to us by the faithful tradition of the Fathers, so that all
the Churches retain the form observed by the Church of Rome, the mother
and mistress of all Churches. Some, it is true, alter a few words, as
when for God pardon thee, they say (God) remit, or (God) spare, and
sometimes, May (God) remedy all the evil thou hast committed. But as
there is no change of meaning, it is clear that all religiously observe
the same form.
It should not excite surprise that, while the form
of each of the other Sacraments either absolutely signifies what it
expresses, such as I baptize thee, or I Sign thee with the sign of the
cross, or is pronounced, as it were, by way of command, as in
administering Holy Orders, Receive power, the form of Extreme Unction
alone is expressed by way of prayer. Wisely has it been so appointed.
For since this Sacrament is administered not only for the spiritual
grace which it bestows, but also for the recovery of health, which,
however, is not always obtained, we therefore use a deprecative form, in
order to implore of God's mercy what the virtue of the Sacrament does
not always and uniformly effect.
The Ceremonies
of Extreme Unction
In the administration of this Sacrament special
rites are also used, consisting principally of prayers offered by the
priest for the recovery of the sick person. There is no Sacrament, the
administration of which is accompanied with more numerous prayers; and
with good reason, for at that moment more than ever the faithful require
the assistance of pious prayers. All who may be present, and especially
the pastor, should pour out their fervent aspirations to God, and
earnestly commend to His mercy the life and salvation of the sufferer.
Institution of Extreme Unction
Having thus proved that Extreme Unction is truly
and properly to be numbered among the Sacraments, we rightly infer that
it owes its institution to Christ our Lord. It was subsequently made
known and promulgated to the faithful by the Apostle St. James.
Our Savior Himself, however, seems to have given
some indication of it, when He sent His disciples two and two before
Him; for the Evangelist informs us that going forth, they preached that
all should do penance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed with
oil many who were sick, and healed them.
This anointing cannot be supposed to have been
invented by the Apostles, but was commanded by our Lord. Nor did its
power arise from any natural virtue. Its efficacy, we must believe, was
mystical, having been instituted to heal the maladies of the soul,
rather than to cure the diseases of the body. This is the doctrine
taught by St. Denis, St. Ambrose, St. Chrysostom and St. Gregory the
Great; so that it cannot be at all doubted that Extreme Unction is to be
recognized and venerated as one of the seven Sacraments of the Catholic
Church.
The Subject of Extreme Unction
But although instituted for the use of all,
Extreme Unction is not to be administered indiscriminately to all.
The Subject Must Be
in Danger of Death
In the first place, it is not to be administered
to persons in sound health, according to these words of St. James: Is
anyone sick amongst you? This is also proved by the fact that Extreme
Unction was instituted as a remedy not only for the diseases of the
soul, but also for those of the body. Now only the sick need a remedy,
and therefore this Sacrament is to be administered to those only whose
malady is such as to excite apprehensions of approaching death.
It is, however, a very grievous sin to defer the
Holy Unction until, all hope of recovery being lost, life begins to ebb,
and the sick person is fast verging into a state of insensibility. It is
obvious that if the Sacrament is administered while consciousness and
reason are yet unimpaired, and the mind is capable of eliciting acts of
faith and of directing the will to sentiments of piety, a more abundant
participation of its graces must be received. Though this heavenly
medicine is in itself always salutary, pastors should be careful to
apply it when its efficacy can be aided by the piety and devotion of the
sick person.
The Danger Must Arise From Sickness
Extreme Unction, then, can be administered to no
one who is not dangerously sick; not even to those who are in danger of
death, as when they undertake a perilous voyage, or enter into battle
with the sure prospect of death, or have been condemned to death and are
on the way to execution.
The Person Anointed Must Have Attained
the Use of Reason
Furthermore, all those who have not the use of
reason are not fit subjects for this Sacrament; and likewise children
who, having committed no sins, do not need the Sacrament as a remedy
against the remains of sin. The same is true of [persons with profound
mental retardation] and insane
persons, unless they give indications in their lucid intervals of a
disposition to piety, and express a desire to be anointed. To persons
who from their birth never enjoyed the use of reason this Sacrament is
not to be administered; but if a sick person, while in the possession of
his faculties, expresses a wish to receive Extreme Unction and
afterwards becomes delirious he is to be anointed.
Administration of Extreme Unction
The Sacred Unction is to be applied not to the
entire body, but to the organs of sense only, - to the eyes, on account
of sight; to the ears, on account of hearing; to the nostrils, on
account of smell; to the mouth, on account of taste and speech; to the
hands, on account of touch. The sense of touch, it is true, is diffused
throughout the entire body, yet it is more developed in the hands.
This manner of administering Extreme Unction is
observed throughout the universal Church, and is in keeping with the
medicinal nature of the Sacrament. As in corporal disease, although the
malady affects the entire body, yet the cure is applied to that part
only which is the seat and origin of the disease; so likewise this
Sacrament is applied not to the entire body, but to those members in
which the power of sensation is most conspicuous, and also to the loins,
which are, as it were, the seat of concupiscence, and to the feet, by
which we move from one place to another.
Here it is to be observed that, during the same
illness, and while the danger of dying continues the same, the sick
person is to be anointed but once. Should he, however, recover after he
has been anointed, he may receive the aid of this Sacrament as often as
he shall have relapsed into the same danger of death. This Sacrament,
therefore, is evidently to be numbered among those which may be
repeated.
Dispositions for the Reception of Extreme
Unction
As all care should be taken that nothing impede
the grace of the Sacrament, and as nothing is more opposed to it than
the consciousness of mortal guilt, the constant practice of the Catholic
Church must be observed of administering the Sacrament of Penance and
the Eucharist before Extreme Unction.
And next, let parish priests strive to persuade
the sick person to receive this Sacrament from the priest with the same
faith with which those of old who were to be healed by the Apostles used
to present themselves. But the salvation of his soul is to be the first
object of the sick man's wishes, and after that the health of the body,
with this qualification, if it be for the good of his soul.
Nor should the faithful doubt that those holy and
solemn prayers which are used by the priest, not in his own person, but
in that of the Church and of our Lord Jesus Christ, are heard by God;
and they are most particularly to be exhorted on this one point, to take
care that the Sacrament of this most salutary oil be administered to
them holily and religiously, when the sharper conflict seems at hand,
and the energies of the mind as well as of the body appear to be
failing.
The Minister of Extreme Unction
Who the minister of Extreme Unction is we learn
from the same Apostle that promulgated the law of the Lord; for he says:
Let him bring in the priests (presbyters). By which name, as the Council
of Trent has well explained, he does not mean persons advanced in years,
or of chief authority among the people, but priests who have been duly
ordained by Bishops with the imposition of hands.
To the priest, therefore, has been committed the
administration of this Sacrament; not, however, to every priest, as holy
Church has decreed, but to the proper pastor who has jurisdiction, or to
another authorized by him to discharge this office.
In this, however, as also in the administration of
the other Sacraments, it is to be most distinctly remembered that the
priest is the representative of Christ our Lord, and of His spouse, holy
Church.
The Effects of Extreme Unction
The advantages we receive from this Sacrament are
also to be accurately explained, so that if nothing else can allure the
faithful to its reception, they may be induced at least by its utility;
for we are naturally disposed to measure almost all things by our
interests.
Pastors, therefore, should teach that by this
Sacrament is imparted grace that remits sins, and especially lighter, or
as they are commonly called, venial sins; for mortal sins are removed by
the Sacrament of Penance. Extreme Unction was not instituted primarily
for the remission of grave offences; only Baptism and Penance accomplish
this directly.
Another advantage of the Sacred Unction is that it
liberates the soul from the languor and infirmity which it contracted
from sins, and from all the other remains of sin. The time most
opportune for this cure is when we are afflicted with severe illness and
danger to life impends, for it has been implanted in man by nature to
dread no human visitation so much as death. This dread is greatly
augmented by the recollection of our past sins, especially if our
conscience accuses us of grave offences; for it is written: They shall
come with fear at the thought of their sins, and their iniquities shall
stand against them to convict them. Another source of vehement anguish
is the anxious thought that we must soon afterwards stand before the
judgment seat of God, who will pass on us a sentence of strictest
justice according to our deserts. It often happens that, struck with
this terror, the faithful feel themselves deeply agitated; and nothing
conduces more to a tranquil death than to banish sadness, await with a
joyous mind the coming of our Lord, and be ready willingly to surrender
the deposit entrusted whenever it shall be His will to demand it back.
To free the minds of the faithful from this solicitude, and fill the
soul with pious and holy joy is, then, an effect of the Sacrament of
Extreme Unction.
From it, moreover, we derive another advantage,
which may justly be deemed the greatest of all. For although the enemy
of the human race never ceases, while we live, to meditate our ruin and
destruction, yet at no time does he more violently use every effort
utterly to destroy us, and, if possible, deprive us of all hope of the
divine mercy, than when he sees the last day of life approach. Therefore
arms and strength are supplied to the faithful in this Sacrament to
enable them to break the violence and impetuosity of the adversary, and
to fight bravely against him; for the soul of the sick is relieved and
encouraged by the hope of the divine goodness, strengthened by which it
bears more lightly all the burdens of sickness, and eludes with greater
ease the artifice and cunning of the devil who lies in wait for it.
Finally, the recovery of health, if indeed
advantageous, is another effect of this Sacrament. And if in our days
the sick obtain this effect less frequently, this is to be attributed,
not to any defect of the Sacrament, but rather to the weaker faith of a
great part of those who are anointed with the sacred oil, or by whom it
is administered; for the Evangelist bears witness that the Lord wrought
not many miracles among His own, because of their unbelief.
It may also be truly said at the Christian
religion, since it has struck its roots more deeply in the minds of men,
stands now less in need of the aids of such miracles than it did
formerly, at the commencement of the rising Church. Nevertheless, faith
should be strongly excited in this respect, and whatever it may please
God in His wisdom to do with regard to the health of the body, the
faithful ought to rely on a sure hope of attaining, by virtue of this
sacred oil, health of the soul, and of experiencing, should the hour of
their departure from life be at hand, the fruit of that glorious
assurance: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.
Admonition
We have thus explained briefly the Sacrament of
Extreme Unction. But if these points are developed by the pastor at
greater length and with the care the subject demands, it is not to be
doubted that the faithful will derive very great fruit of piety from his
instruction.
Also
See...
Anointing
of the Sick / Extreme Unction (General Information)
Sickness / Extreme Unction (Topic Page)
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