BERNICE LIBBY: Oh yes, Margery,
I can't wait to have this cataract removed.
PRIEST KAI: Hello, Bernice.
BERNICE LIBBY: Father?
PRIEST KAI: I came to see if you would like to receive
Anointing of the Sick.
BERNICE LIBBY: Last Rites? Am I dying?
PRIEST KAI: No, no, no, not yet.
(upbeat music)
LIBBY: Welcome to Catholic Central, I'm Libby.
KAI: And I'm Kai.
LIBBY: What do you do when someone gets sick?
KAI: Lie to my boss about having to take care of them
so I can get out of work.
LIBBY: Or pray for them?
KAI: Oh, of course.
LIBBY: Jesus encouraged people
to turn to Him for healing.
The Catholic Church takes Jesus at His word.
In addition to private prayers, for serious conditions,
there is even a Sacrament of healing.
KAI: Otherwise known as the
Catholic Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.
LIBBY: People may ask, "Is it a magic spell to cure diseases?"
"Is it some type of faith healing
where people pray instead of seeking treatment?"
"Is it a multi-level marking scheme
for extremely overpriced essential oils that do nothing?"
KAI: No and no, respectively.
Anointing of the Sick is a ritual
through which God connects with us,
and reminds us that He's present in our lives.
LIBBY: Even Catholics can be confused about this Rite.
(bells chiming)
BERNICE LIBBY: Am I dying?
LIBBY: Which comes from the fact
that most Catholics have never seen in it person.
It is most often celebrated in private settings
with small groups of people.
KAI: It's the quieter, more introverted Sacrament.
LIBBY: So, when would Catholics
go beyond just praying for healing,
and ask for the Sacrament?
KAI: If there is a serious illness,
a change in chronic condition, upcoming surgery,
or even if an illness has become difficult to bear.
LIBBY: Like if a person is hit with severe depression,
or feels the effects of aging.
KAI: You can go to the parish.
Call and ask for a priest to come to you,
or if you're in the hospital, ask for the priest on-call.
BERNICE LIBBY: You should tell people when it's happening,
so maybe they'd actually show up
to visit their old, sick relative.
KAI: Once there, the priest may ask if the sick person
wants to speak privately for a moment.
LIBBY: Sometimes people want to confess.
KAI: After that is completed, they have time to talk.
Ideally, family members, close friends and even caregivers
will be part of it.
BERNICE LIBBY: Ideally.
KAI: The priest will often ask about the illness,
and comfort the people gathered.
LIBBY: Then the really sacramenty part,
the priest puts on a stole and prays from the Ritual Book.
KAI: There are several versions of the rite,
longer and shorter, to accommodate the needs of the patient.
LIBBY: You don't want to have an hour long Rite
for someone who is in great pain or discomfort.
KAI: In the basic Rite, there is an opening prayer,
and then often a little Penitential Rite asking forgiveness.
You know, "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy,"
like at the beginning of Mass.
LIBBY: Then the priest lays hands on the person's head,
and they pray silently.
KAI: This follows Jesus' practice
of laying hands on the sick.
LIBBY: The priest then takes a vial of oil,
special olive oil that's been blessed,
usually by a bishop, called, obviously enough,
Oil of the Sick.
KAI: He says a prayer,
and rubs a cross of oil on the person's forehead,
and then on each palm.
LIBBY: In Jesus' time,
it was common to anoint sick people and their wound.
KAI: But the practice was not just physical medicine.
Olive oil was a symbol of the blessing of God.
LIBBY: Then the priest leads whoever is gathered
in praying the Our Father, followed by a closing prayer.
KAI: The family members and priests, themselves,
have often talked about how the rite brings peace,
and sometimes even physical relief from suffering.
(garbling)
BERNICE LIBBY: Shhh.
KAI: So, you might be asking, what about Last Rites?
BERNICE LIBBY: Am I dying?
KAI: No, you're fine.
LIBBY: Last Rites is one of the forms of the Sacrament
for people who are possibly near death.
KAI: The Rite is a little more involved
and also included Confession, readings from the Bible,
renewal of Baptismal promises and the Eucharist.
LIBBY: Which in this case has a neat Latin name, Viaticum,
meaning provision for the journey into next life.
KAI: Now, some people wonder,
"Well, what about people who die unexpectedly,
and never get Anointing of the Sick?
Do they need it to get into Heaven?"
LIBBY: Fortunately, the answer is a definite no.
Anointing of the Sick is a help and comfort
to a dying person,
but there's no reason to worry about
the soul of someone who didn't receive it.
KAI: So, to sum up, during Anointing of the Sick,
a priest visits a sick person
to pray with them and their families.
LIBBY: The priest lays his hand on the sick person,
and uses blessed oil to, surprise, anoint them.
KAI: The ritual isn't a substitute for medicine,
but expresses our desire for physical healing,
and prepares us to receive whatever kind of healing we need.
LIBBY: Whether physical or spiritual.
Serious illness can be
a frightening and confusing experience in itself,
but if people are feeling guilty
about where they've gone wrong in their life,
the anointing can help them feel God's love and mercy.
KAI: And maybe even healing.
LIBBY: For Catholic Central, I'm Libby.
KAI: And I'm Kai.
'Til next time, thanks for watching.
(upbeat music)