THE SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING OF THE SICK

 

Today, we will continue our series on the Catholic sacraments.  This is the fifth one that I’ll be addressing and it is called Anointing of the Sick, sometimes referred to as “Extreme Unction” (CCC #1512).

As you can tell by the name, it deals with anointing a sick person with oil in order for him to be healed.  Now, Protestants don’t normally have an issue with this concept, since it is a biblical one:

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders 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, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  (James 5:14-16)

And Catholics claim to base this sacrament mainly on this particular passage.  But according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, they claim a special power in this sacrament, the effects being:

·         The Anointing of the Sick unites the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church;

·         gives the person the strength, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age;

·         imparts the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance;

·         provides for the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;

·         helps the sick person in the preparation for passing over to eternal life. (CCC #1532)

 

Preparing for the Final Journey?

In the Catholic Church, the Anointing of the Sick is also associated with a practice called the “Last Rites,” which is actually a collection of prayers and sacraments given to a person who may be in grave danger of dying.  The sacraments involved in the Last Rites are the Anointing of the Sick, Confession and the reception of the Eucharist (Holy Communion).

CCC #1523 talks of preparing for the final journey.  CCC #1525 says:

“Thus, just as the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist form a unity called ‘the sacraments of Christian initiation,’ so too it can be said that Penance, the Anointing of the Sick and the Eucharist as viaticum constitute at the end of Christian life ‘the sacraments that prepare for our heavenly homeland’ or the sacraments that complete the earthly pilgrimage.”

But this is deceptive in the sense that it teaches that there are rituals that must be done to enter Heaven.  We don’t get saved by works, sacraments, or rituals and we don’t maintain our salvation by works, sacraments, or rituals.  We get there, and stay there, by faith, that is, faith in the work and suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary (Galatians 3:1-5).  Trusting in that alone will save us in our “final journey.”

Priests or Elders?

In CCC #1519, the Catechism specifically mentions the “priests of the Church” as one of the principal elements in this sacrament (Anointing of the Sick), and it footnotes James 5:14, which tells us to call for the elders of the church. 

I’ve covered this several times on this blog, and I want to emphasize it again: the word for “elders” in James 5:14 is the Greek “presbuteros.”  It is NOT the same biblical term used for “priests.”   The biblical term for “priest” in the New Testament is the Greek “hiereus.”  “Hiereus” is the same Greek word used for Old Testament priests, as well (e.g., Matthew 12:4-5; Luke 17:14; John 1:19; Acts 4:1and 6:7; Hebrews 8:4).  Furthermore, “hiereus” is also used of the universal priesthood of all believers (Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 20:6).  Even in the Old Testament, “elders” and priests were two different groups.  So, according to the God-breathed Scriptures, an elder is not the same thing as a priest.  This is a constant diversion used by Catholics.  See these links:

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2010/03/priesthood.html

https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2018/07/where-are-all-priests-in-new-testament.html

Authority to Forgive?

When the elders in the local church pray for someone according to James 5:14-16, the person can have a reasonable expectation to be healed, and even forgiven (v. 15).  I actually like the way the Catechism puts it:

“… the liturgy has never failed to beg the Lord that the sick person may recover his health if it would be conducive to his salvation.” (CCC #1512 – Emphasis added)

There is nothing wrong with praying for someone’s health, and it is certainly not wrong to pray for his forgiveness.  But the forgiveness does not come from the elders, nor does it come from any ritual that they perform.  They don’t have special power to grant forgiveness.  That is a Catholic misunderstanding of Scripture.  We can indeed forgive one another for personal sins committed against each other, but absolution (a “clean slate” or total forgiveness of sins) is something that God alone can do.  Furthermore, any Christian can biblically recognize and declare that someone is forgiven (absolved), but only based on the person’s positive response to the gospel of Jesus Christ, not on any special authority of a man.

Conclusion

As I said earlier, Protestants don’t (generally) have an issue with the concept of anointing of the sick (which is biblical), but Extreme Unction is a different and non-biblical issue.  Extreme Unction is a very dangerous concept that many people (even some non-Catholics) believe.  It is dangerous because they are trusting that this last-minute Catholic ritual can save the soul of the dying person!  But once again, this is not so.  Priestly rituals are works, and no works can save an individual.  But the Catholic Church wants its priests involved in all areas of the lives of its members.  Please remember that the Catholic Church intends to impose itself upon all Catholics through dependence on the Church (priesthood) from cradle to grave.  In this system, it is the priests (not Jesus) who are the mediators between man and God (1 Timothy 2:5).  

But Extreme Unction is a false hope.  It would be far more advantageous (and biblical) for someone to share the simple gospel with the person on his death bed.  They say that the last thing to go before death (concerning our five senses) is our hearing.  I believe that this is so the gospel can be shared with them, even if they seem unresponsive.  If one can hear the gospel, he can respond (at least internally) and be saved.  The Bible promises that whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13).

The repentant thief on the cross next to Jesus (Luke 23:39-43) was a good example of this simple salvation.  He could do no good works – he could not come down from his cross and get baptized, give to the poor, or help anyone cross the street.  All he could do was call on Jesus… and he did!  He is now memorialized in the sacred Scriptures as an eternal witness and example to all – obtaining salvation is free to all who come to Jesus.  It is simply a matter of a changed heart when you surrender to God and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. (Ezekiel 36:26; John 3:16; 11:25; James 4:7)

This sacrament, this Catholic version of Anointing of the Sick is ultimately an unbiblical false hope and a twisting of the Scriptures.