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The Sacrament of
Healing
in the Catholic Church
"Is any among
you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the Church,
and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save
the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he
has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James
5:14-15).
The
Sacrament of
Healing has as its purpose the conferral
of a special grace on the Christian experiencing the
difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness
or old age. The proper time for receiving this holy
anointing has certainly arrived when the believer begins
to be in danger of death because of illness or old age.
Each time a Christian falls seriously ill, he may
receive the Sacrament of Healing, and also when, after
he has received it, the illness worsens.
The special grace
of the Sacrament of
Healing has as its
effects:
- the uniting
of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his
own good and that of the whole Church;
- the
strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a
Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old
age;
- the
forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able
to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance
(Confession/Reconciliation);
- the
restoration of health, if it is conducive to the
salvation of his soul;
- the
preparation for passing over to eternal life.
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