Anointing the sick                     

Jesus rejoices in his vitality, for he has the joy of the eternal God and his very nature is divine. From him all things were made and to him all are destined. He knows his strength. Purity of motivation gives him a vigour nothing can overcome. He enters into the joy of the joyful and into the sorrow of the sorrowful, for he shares the human condition. He joins all, without regard to age or beauty, and finds pleasure in them. He allows himself to be broken and joins with those whose bodies collapse. He has no dignity as he hangs in death. He goes beyond death and discovers the very heart of things, heart speaking to heart.

What is true of the Christ is to be true also of the whole Church and of each individual member of the Church.

The Church leaves to doctors the treatment of the illness, for the Church as such has no medical knowledge. But the Church has the vitality of its Lord and joins the sick in their debility. We join the wasted and impart to them the vitality that comes from heaven itself. We enjoy being a source of vitality and energy, of enthusiasm and liberation. By placing our hands on them and placing the oil on their bodies, we enter into their illness, and without regard to age or condition, bring health and healing, vitality and the unleashing of hidden resources, the wave of pleasure. We find the beauty of their soul enlightened by the Spirit, for the Sacrament of Anointing is given to these who have been moved by the light of the Spirit. We rejoice to be of value. We break down the barriers which illness puts in the way of the surge of joy. We rejoice as the young man rejoices to find his bride and to bring her joy and take her to himself and to move with her into love. The Anointing of the Sick is a dialogue of love, a healing movement which brings all to completion.

Rev John Dupuche, 2006