Jesus Came to Heal the Whole PErson, Body and Soul
Sacrament of the Sick
The anointing of the sick is administered to bring spiritual and even physical strength during an illness. The anointing of the sick conveys several graces and imparts gifts of strengthening in the Holy Spirit against anxiety, discouragement, and temptation, and conveys peace and fortitude (CCC 1520). These graces flow from the atoning death of Jesus Christ, for "this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our diseases’" (Matthew 8:17).
In the Church's Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, through the ministry of the priest, it is Jesus who touches the sick to heal them from sin – and sometimes even from physical ailment. His cures were signs of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. The core message of his healing tells us of his plan to conquer sin and death by his dying and rising.
When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age.
Please also remember that, because of Jesus Christ, whose suffering and death won for us redemption, being sick is not a waste of time. The suffering of any kind of sickness is a tremendous opportunity to participate in the redemptive suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christians need the power of prayer from the sick to be faithful stewards (disciples). So, please, do not “waste” your suffering. Please offer it with our Lord Jesus to the Father.
Does a person need to be dying to receive the Sacrament of the Sick?
The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient. In the past, this sacrament was considered the “last rites”. Though this sacrament is part of these rites, it is not exclusive to imminent death. Actually, Holy Communion (Viaticum) and the Apostolic Pardon, are constituent of the “last rites”. However, as the Catechism says, if one is in danger of death from… "The anointing of the sick is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived" (CCC 1514).
Request an Anointing
If you would like to receive the Sacrament of the Sick, please contact Fr. Park or Deanna at the parish office at 763-497-2745 or Cindy Woitalla, ministry coordinator, at 612-470-4398. One of our priest will visit your home, or if you are able, you are welcome to come to the church. For those at a hospital or nursing home, often a priest from that area will anoint the patient when requested.
Preparing for the Sacrament
Since this is a sacrament, it is important that one be prepared to receive it worthily. In other words, one should be in a state of grace, having confessed his/her serious sins to a priest in the sacrament of confession prior to receiving it. When a priest visits individuals with this sacrament, he normally offers sacramental confession before administering Anointing of the Sick.