The Sacrament of Extreme Unction (audio only)

Fr Gavin P Bitzer, OSJ

Playing time: 30 minutes

Directly an illness involves  danger of death the sick person should receive the sacraments,usually following order: Penance, Eucharist, Extreme Unction.

“The effects of  Extreme Unction,” says the Council of Trent. “are the grace of the Holy Ghost which in His goodness takes away sins and whatever remains to be expiated, comforts and strengthens the soul by the arousing in it great confidence in the mercy of God, helps it to bear more easily the pains and discomforts of sickness, and to resist the temptations of the devil which are often is expedient for the salvation of the soul.”  Instead of looking on this sacrament as an irrevocable sentence of death it should be considered, rather , as a divine remedy for soul and body which is more efficacious than any human aid. It should be received before the sick person is at death's door, as soon, indeed, as it is allowed to receive it.  In this way it will be easier to follow n more dangerous at the hour of death, and sometimes even restores health to the body when this with profit the beautiful and meaningful ceremonies and to derive greater profit from them.

Extreme Unctions remits all forgiven mortal sins, and when the sick person is unable to go to confession, even if he has an imperfect confession, its effects are the same as those of the Sacrament of Penance.  That is why the  Council of Trent says that it is the complement, the perfection, the completion of this Sacrament.  With regard to the traces of sin which it removes: this means that it affords special help enabling the soul to resist its evil inclinations at this dangerous and decisive moment of its life and, in the opinion of some theologians, that it releases the soul, according to the dispositions with which it is received, from a part of the temporal punishment due to sin.

James 5, 14F; 14 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.

Mark 6, 12f ;  12 And going forth they preached that men should do penance.

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