Basis for the Sacrament
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified
Man's Gravest Problem (1500-1501)
Illness presents the gravest of problems to a person who sees his powerlessness and even a glimpse of his death.
Illness can lead to self-absorption, despair, and even revolt against God. It can also lead to maturity and provoke a search for God.
Sin and Redemption (1502)
The man of the Old Testament lives his sickness before God, laments his illness, and implores healing. For Israel, illness is mysteriously linked to sin, while faithfulness to God restores life. "For I am the Lord, your healer" (Ex 15:26).
Sickness can have a redemptive power (Isa 53:11). Isaiah prophesies a time when "No one who dwells there will say ‘I am sick'; the people who live there will be forgiven their guilt" (Isa 33:24).
Jesus' Love for the Sick (1503-1505)
Christ has the power to forgive and to heal, as when he forgave the paralytic his sins and healed him (Mk 2:5-12). Jesus identified with the sick. "I was sick and you visited me" (Mt 25:36). Following Jesus, Christians make tireless efforts in their preferential care of the poor.
Jesus asked the sick to believe. In fact, many tried to touch him "for power came forth from him and healed all" (Lk 6:19). In the sacraments, Christ continues to touch and to heal us.
Jesus' healings were signs of the coming of the kingdom of God and announced his victory over sin and death. Jesus took away the "sin of the world" (of which illness is a consequence). On the cross Christ gave a new meaning to suffering, making it the door to union with him.
The Power to Heal (1506-1508)
Jesus shared his ministry of healing with others. "They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them" (Mk 6:12-13). The risen Jesus made healing a sign of the Church's mission. "They will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover" (Mk 16:17-18).
Although the Spirit gives a special charism of healings to some, even intense prayer does not always gain the healing of illnesses. Paul learned to endure suffering, completing "what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his Body, the Church" (2 Cor 12:9).
Sacraments of Healing (1509-1510)
Through Christ's life-giving presence in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, the Church strives to carry out the Lord's command "Heal the sick" (Mt 10:8).
St. James attests to the early Church's own rite for the sick. The elders (presbyters) should pray over the sick person and anoint him with oil in the Lord's name. The Lord will raise him up and forgive his sins (Jas 5:14-15). Tradition has recognized this rite as one of the seven sacraments.
Healing as a Sacrament (1511-1513)
The Church believes that Christ made the Anointing of the Sick (alluded to by Mark and promulgated by James) a sacrament of the New Testament (Council of Trent).
Traditions (from East and West) show the practice of anointing the sick with blessed oil. In time, the Anointing of the Sick was limited to those at the point of death. Still, the prayer was for the person to be restored to health if this helped his eternal salvation.
The Roman Rite requires that this sacrament be given to the seriously ill by anointing the forehead and hands with blessed oil while saying, "Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up."
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