Extreme unction, also known as last rites or anointing of the sick, is a ritual in the Catholic Church consisting of a priest anointing a dying person with oil and praying over them. The purpose is to spiritually prepare someone for death and help strengthen them as they make their final journey. This sacrament has biblical origins and is based on James 5:14-15 which says, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.”
The Catholic Church has specific guidelines for administering this sacrament. It is reserved for those who are gravely ill or in danger of death. The oil used is typically olive oil that has been blessed by the bishop. The priest will anoint the person’s forehead and hands with the oil, saying a prayer asking for God’s mercy and healing. He may also offer confession and Eucharist if the person is able to receive it. Family and friends are encouraged to gather to pray for and support the individual as they prepare to meet God.
There are several effects and graces imparted through this sacrament. First, it unites the sick person’s suffering to Christ’s passion and death on the cross. Their physical and spiritual struggle is joined to His redemptive work. Second, it gives strength and peace to endure the illness and prepare for death. The Holy Spirit comes to comfort and console the individual so that fear and despair may be alleviated. Third, it forgives sins if the person was not able to confess them previously. This provides absolution as they make their last journey. Finally, it may lead to physical healing if that is God’s will.
Extreme unction is deeply rooted in Scripture and has been practiced by the church for centuries. The letter of James shows it has been part of Christian tradition since the earliest days. In the Middle Ages, it became more structured into a formal sacrament administered only at the end of life. The Council of Trent in the 16th century reemphasized its purpose and importance. The most recent reforms in 1972 renamed it to “anointing of the sick” to focus more on healing and administering it to seriously ill people before the point of death.
There are many stories and examples that illustrate the power and comfort this sacrament can provide. St. Catherine of Siena prayed over a dying woman who was fearful and restless. After being anointed, the woman became peaceful and passed away serenely. St. Philip Neri reportedly brought a dead priest back to life to administer last rites after prayer. Numerous saints sought to ensure they properly received this sacrament before their death, considering it vital to salvation. For centuries, it has been one of the most significant rituals surrounding the process of dying.
The sacrament provides several layers of spiritual care and preparation. The oil symbolizes strength, healing, and God’s grace overflowing onto the person. The biblical basis gives authority to the priest’s intercession as a spiritual father and elder. The prayers invoke divine mercy and aid to lift fears and anxieties. Words of absolution assure forgiveness of sins and a clean heart entering eternity. The anointing consecrates the senses and body parts to holy purposes as the soul separates from them. Surrounded by loved ones, the individual is reassured they do not make this journey alone but supported and uplifted.
In many ways, extreme unction functions as a bridge between earthly life and eternal life. It helps transition from one to the next through transforming grace and a divine touch. Words of Scripture, blessing, and hope guide the soul as it readies to meet its Maker. The visible, tangible sacrament represents the invisible working of the Holy Spirit to complete God’s work in that person. God desires they have every blessing and aid at that sacred, holy moment of embracing their destiny in Him. The church solemnly invokes the Lord’s presence and care through time-honored sacred signs and words.
The ritual provides comfort and assurance both for the dying person and their family. Praying together joins their hearts in love and faith at a tender time. The support of the church enfolds them in confidence that God is taking their loved one home. While grief remains, anxiety is lessened knowing divine promises are fulfilled. The anointing does not necessarily take away the pain of parting but rather gives meaning and courage to bear it. Knowing their beloved receives grace and blessing allows the family to release them to God’s hands.
In many hospitals or care facilities, contacting the chaplain will initiate the process when someone is near death. Parishes also make arrangements and inform the priest when a parishioner is gravely ill. Pastors often minister regularly at nursing homes or hospice to provide this sacrament to the elderly and sick. When sudden death occurs, the priest may still come to pray last rites over the deceased if requested by the family.
The commendation of the dying is a shorter form of the ritual for cases of imminent death. Here, the priest omits the sacramental anointing and lays hands on the person while reciting prayers entrusting them to God. This provides blessing when the full rite is impossible. In all cases, the church desires to prayerfully intercede using sacramental power to ease transition to eternal glory.
Extreme unction originated from Christ sending out the apostles to heal and anoint the sick in Mark 6:13. The letter of James provided the clearest scriptural basis and instructs elders to pray and anoint those who are suffering. The early church practiced this form of prayer for healing and preparing for death. By the 1200s, it formalized into a sacrament only at the end of life and was later affirmed by the Council of Trent. It came to be viewed as providing forgiveness of sins and comfort when death was imminent.
The Second Vatican Council in the 1960s revised the approach to focus more on healing and administered earlier at the onset of serious sickness. It also permitted other lay people to participate in annointings, though only a priest can formally perform the sacrament. The reforms shifted emphasis to spiritual and pastoral care for both the sick and dying to invoke God’s grace upon them in their time of need.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that this sacrament “completes the holy anointings that mark the whole Christian life” (CCC 1523). It unifies the various anointings that occur throughout life into one final anointing that prepares the soul to enter eternity. The sacrament can be received multiple times if a person has an ongoing or recurring illness. It should be requested whenever someone begins a serious sickness that puts them in danger of death.
There are various prayers a priest uses when conferring the sacrament:
- 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.
- When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
- Lord Jesus Christ, you chose to share our human nature, to redeem all people, and to heal the sick. Continue your healing work among us. In your mercy, alleviate the anxiety and fear, pain and weakness of N., whom we anoint with this holy oil. Restore to him/her the strength and health and comfort of your Holy Spirit, that he/she may devote the rest of his/her life to your service. We ask this in your name, Jesus, our Divine Healer.
The main effect of the sacrament is a special grace of strengthening, peace, and courage to endure the sufferings of illness or the final struggle against death. The church prays for healing and restoration of health if God so wills. And in all cases, it invokes the Holy Spirit to provide comfort and forgiveness as the soul faces eternity. The ritual unites the sick person to Christ’s sufferings, allowing them to share in His redemptive power.
The principal requirement for receiving last rites is that the individual is “in danger of death from sickness or old age” (CCC 1514). This includes elderly people who are generally weakened even if no specific illness is present yet. It also applies to anyone with a serious chronic or acute condition that could reasonably cause death in the near future. The focus is anointing those who have begun the final journey toward death.
The church permits administration of this sacrament to people who are unconscious, mentally ill, or incapacitated as long as they would have requested it themselves if able. Children are eligible if they have sufficient use of reason to be comforted by the ritual. But for very young children or infants, the priest usually conducts a modified general commendation prayer instead.
The primary minister of this sacrament is a priest or bishop, who alone can perform the prayers of anointing and absolution. In exceptional cases where clergy are unavailable, any Catholic can administer a modified ritual using oil blessed by a bishop. But this should only be done when priests truly cannot be contacted and death appears imminent.
Some specific considerations apply regarding who can receive last rites:
- You generally must be baptized Catholic to receive. However, the church may confer the sacrament to non-Catholics in danger of death if they desire it.
- Those who are excommunicated may also receive the sacrament if they repent and cannot approach a priest for reconciliation.
- Catholics cannot receive last rites more than once during the same illness except in cases of recovery and relapse. Yet it can be administered each time someone falls gravely ill.
- The sacrament should be requested as soon as the illness becomes potentially life-threatening, not delayed until just before death.
There are many examples of saints specially devoted to caring for the sick and dying. Some of their words illuminate how meaningful last rites can be:
- St. Joseph of Arimathea: “The dedicated performance of your everyday duties is the best and most effective preparation for death.”
- St. Mother Teresa: “Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.”
- St. Camillus de Lellis: “Put your hand in His hand and walk alone with Him. Everything else is only emptiness and deception.”
- St. John of God: “Do not wait to serve the infirm and diseased until they ask for your help. Seek them out and do not wait for an invitation.”
These saints encourage tirelessly ministering alongside the sick and being present through their final sufferings. Their words remind us that humble service, not fear or shame, should motivate care for the dying.
Preparing someone to meet God through last rites is a sacred privilege. The church takes spiritual care for the dying as a grave duty. Administering the sacraments requires prudence and compassion to comfort and console those undergoing their final trials. And the family equally needs tenderness and support as they release their loved one into God’s hands and anxiously pray for a peaceful death.
The anointing ritual provides a meaningful structured way to pray in the face of death. Words of blessing and absolution assure forgiveness and salvation. The scriptural promises and sacramental power undergird the divine promises pronounced. All of this is woven together to spiritually strengthen the sick person for the journey ahead. It upholds their dignity, links them to Christ’s passion, and invokes God’s mercy upon them in their last hours.
When praying over the gravely ill or dying, the church implores the Father to be gracious and uphold the sick in their frailty. She prays they may know God’s presence and be comforted by the outpouring of the Spirit. The sacrament consecrates the final struggle to the Lord so that their suffering takes on redemptive meaning. God works transformation even in the midst of death, making all things new.
The way we approach those final days and hours impacts whether death leads to despair or hope. Administering last rites is a tangible way the church offers spiritual shelter and consolation. In the vulnerable space between earth and heaven, God’s grace is invoked to ease the passage for the dying and give solace to those who grieve. The anointing ritual helps write a better ending rather than leaving a story unfinished.
This sacrament for the sick has biblical roots and aids in providing strength, forgiveness of sins, and union with Christ’s passion. It completes the Christian’s journey with God’s blessing to face eternity. The church prays over the dying that the Lord will uphold them in mercy and guide their souls into paradise. There God’s peace awaits, where every tear is wiped away in the comfort of the Father’s arms.