183 total views

Many of us who were brought up in the old Catechism know that one of the seven sacraments used to be called Extreme Unction. Extreme means last, Unction means the act of anointing. The anointing of the sick used to be called the last anointing.

Why was it called the last anointing? You may say that the rite is some kind of “despedida”, some kind of send-off, for someone who is leaving. The reason why the anointing of the sick is called the last anointing is because it is the last sacrament that includes anointing. The other sacraments that have anointing are Baptism, Confirmation, and Ordination.

Unfortunately, when people hear of a last anointing, they start to think of the last days, of death. That is why the term Extreme Unction has been changed to “anointing of the sick.” It is still called anointing, not because it is a farewell to a sick person, but because it is the last of the four sacraments that involves an anointing with oil.

The first reading, the epistle of St. James, contains the scriptural basis for the anointing of the sick.

Why does the Lord anoint us with oil? It is because we are God’s children.

All of us were children once upon a time. When we get hurt, our mothers will attend to us, perhaps put band-aids on our wounds If we cannot breathe at night, our mothers would rub Vick’s vapor rub and caress us. These are expressions of a mother’s concern, a mother’s love in response to a child’s plea to be loved by his mother.

When the Church anoints us with oil this is an expression of concern similar to that which a mother gives her child. It is like band-aid or Vicks vapor rub that tells us not to be afraid, that assures us we will get well soon. think that it is the last sacrament.

Unfortunately, not all of us are ready for anointing because we think that it is the last sacrament.

I was anointed twice not because I was at the point of death but because my confessor told me that he should anoint me because I would get discouraged because of my sickness. There is nothing wrong, there is nothing fatal about anointing people because they are sick.

Today we will pray for our sick brothers and sisters and we will also pray for ourselves. We are afraid to die and that is why we are afraid of things that pertain to death. Anointing of the sick does not pertain to death. Anointing of the sick pertains to life – life that the Lord wants to give us.

When our turn comes to get sick, let us not forget those who are also sick. Let us offer our sacrifices for them. When our turn comes to get sick, let us continue to trust in the Lord. As a child runs to his mother when he is sick, let us also run to the Church when we are sick and ask the Lord for our band-aid, for our Vick’s vapor rub, for a tap on the shoulder, for our anointing.

THE LAST ANOINTING
James 5:13-16
Only Jesus, Always Jesus

Veritas Editorial

Rev. Fr. Anton CT Pascual

Rev. Fr. Anton CT Pascual

President of Radio Veritas

Separation of Church and State

 102,960 total views

 102,960 total views Mga Kapanalig, ginamit na dahilan ni Senador Robin Padilla ang prinsipyo ng separation of church and state upang depensahan ang kontrobersyal na televangelist na si Apollo Quiboloy. Ito ang kanyang dahilan kung bakit pinangunahan niya ang paglalabas ng isang written manifestation bilang pagtutol sa pagpapaaresto sa nagtatag sa grupong Kingdom of Jesus Christ. 

Read More »

Nagbabadyang gun culture?

 121,033 total views

 121,033 total views Mga Kapanalig, pinapayagan nang muli ng Philippine National Police (o PNP) ang pagkakaroon ng mga sibilyan ng semi-automatic rifles. Ito ay matapos amyendahan ng PNP ang implementing rules and regulations ng Republic Act No. 10591 o ang Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Act.  Ipinasá noong 2013 ang naturang batas na naglilimita sa pagmamay-ari ng

Read More »

Agrikultura at ekonomiya

 132,282 total views

 132,282 total views Mga Kapanalig, hindi pa man tayo umaabot sa tinatawag na peak o pinakamatinding bahagi ng nagpapatuloy na El Niño, umabot na sa 151.3 milyong piso ang halaga ng pinsalang idinulot nito sa sektor ng agrikultura.  Ito ang pagtataya ng ating Department of Agriculture batay na rin sa datos na libu-libong tonelada ng palay

Read More »

Book Reading

 165,301 total views

 165,301 total views Uso pa ba ang pagbabasa ng libro ngayon, kapanalig? O mas uso pa ang magcellphone maghapon? May survey noong 2017 na nagsasabi na marami pa rin namang mga kabataan, pati mga adults sa ating bansa na nagbabasa pa rin. Ayon sa survey, kada buwan, mga mahigit walong oras ang ginugugol ng mga bata

Read More »

Katiyakan sa pagkain sa panahon ng tagtuyot

 187,669 total views

 187,669 total views Kapanalig, sa panahon ng tagtuyot, nasa likod na ng isipan ng marami nating kababayan ang pag-aalala at nasa dibdib na rin nila ang kabog ng takot. Sasapat kaya ang pagkain ng pamilya ko  ngayong panahon ng tagtuyot? Ang laki ng epekto ng tagtuyot sa bansa. Marami pa ring lugar sa ating bayan ang agrikultural

Read More »

Watch Live

catholink
Shadow
truthshop
Shadow

Related Story

Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

ASTONISHED

 21,655 total views

 21,655 total views In one short paragraph, Jesus astonished the people around Him for two significant reasons. Firstly, they were astounded by His preaching. Secondly, they were astounded by His healing. Why were they astonished by His preaching? Because He spoke only the truth. Truth possesses its own power. It requires no sugar coating. It needs

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

ASTONISHED

 22,296 total views

 22,296 total views In one short paragraph, Jesus astonished the people around Him for two significant reasons. Firstly, they were astounded by His preaching. Secondly, they were astounded by His healing. Why were they astonished by His preaching? Because He spoke only the truth. Truth possesses its own power. It requires no sugar coating. It needs

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

GOD DOES NOT LIKE MIRACLES

 22,295 total views

 22,295 total views By nature, we like miracles. When we hear about a miracle or read about it, we rush to the miracle site because we want to experience the supernatural through those miracles. Human beings probably like miracles a lot, but God does not like miracles. That is why miracles happen very rarely. God does

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

DISBELIEF

 22,294 total views

 22,294 total views The story of Zechariah is our story as well. Zechariah received a blessing. We all have been blessed at one point or another in the past. After Zechariah received the blessing, his response was doubt. His response was fear. His response was disbelief. Isn’t that what we often do after we are blessed

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

INSPIRATION!

 22,311 total views

 22,311 total views Once in a while, we come across children who have plenty of toys and children’s books, and yet go to their parents and say, “I am bored.” We see college students shifting from one course to another, not knowing what career path to take, and then they say life is boring. This attitude

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

BLINDNESS

 22,340 total views

 22,340 total views The blind man could not see. That is a fact. Yet, he warns to me that even if he could sense or see with his being, he could not see with his eyes, but he could sense with his heart. That is why he immediately felt the disgust of the crowd. That is

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

BE GRACIOUS

 22,620 total views

 22,620 total views In Grade 3, I learned a poem about good manners: Hearts, like doors, will open with ease With very, very little keys. But don’t forget that two of these Are thank you, sir, and if you please. People who are grateful, people who know how to say thanks sincerely, win the hearts of

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

WHY DO YOU GIVE?

 23,274 total views

 23,274 total views Why do people give? Why do people do good things for other people? Unfortunately, our motivations are not always clear and good. Unfortunately also, we are not always aware of the impurity of our motives. Why do people give and why do people do good things for other people? The first motivation, unexpressed

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

CLAY AND POTTER

 25,016 total views

 25,016 total views Most of us are familiar with the Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” The prayer has been adapted by many rehabilitation programs for dependents on drugs, alcohol, gambling, and even

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

RESPECTFUL GOD

 26,004 total views

 26,004 total views Children are expected to respect their parents. Younger people are expected to respect their elders. The laity are expected to respect priests. The priests are expected to respect their bishops. And the principle is—the higher, the more experienced, the older, the more deserving of respect. If we follow the same principle, then God

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

PRAYER IS STRENGTH

 26,429 total views

 26,429 total views Prayer is our strength. Prayer is a strong tool. Where does prayer get its strength? The strength of prayer does not come from the one who prays. The strength of prayer comes from the one to whom it is addressed. In other words, prayer does not become a strong tool because we pray.

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

 23,996 total views

 23,996 total views What is more difficult, to speak for eight hours or to listen for eight hours? What is more difficult, to speak for eight hours without eating or drinking, or to listen, seated for eight hours without eating or drinking? I think it is understandable that the speaker has a more tiring job than

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

ENCOUNTER OF HOPE

 27,870 total views

 27,870 total views Nowadays, we call leprosy Hansen’s disease. In ancient Israel, leprosy was a general term for all sicknesses of the skin. Whether it was pimples, acne, eczema, leprosy, psoriasis, or buni, all of those skin diseases were considered leprosy. Anything that is a blemish on the skin was considered leprosy. Here was a leper.

Read More »
Father Soc - Everyday Jesus
Most Rev. Socrates Villegas

SOMEBODY, NOBODY, SOMETHING

 28,915 total views

 28,915 total views We are here to remember what Jesus did and give us. What did Jesus give us? Jesus gave us freedom. It is good to celebrate freedom in this Church that was built to remember the freedom we won in 1986. Jesus gave us freedom not only from enslavement to human masters but He

Read More »

Latest Blogs

Scroll to Top