A better understanding on the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

There have been some 'talk' on the Sacrament of the Sick lately at the small town I'm currently staying. Gathering from the discussions I hear, many people have actually misinterpreted and misunderstood this beautiful sacrament of spiritual and physical healing.

In the early middle ages this sacrament was administered to people who were not likely to recover from their sickness and eventually this became known as the sacrament for the dying which were likely called; last anointing or extreme unction (extrema unctio). Many people in this modern times still keep the above idea of extreme unction. I have seen this a couple of times when I follow priests when they go to administer the sacrament of anointing and the sick person or even the family members will decline to be anointed. Catholics still dreaded to ask for a priest to anoint themselves or their loved ones, since it was a sign that they had given up all hope of recovery and in the imminent danger of death.

So my dear friends if you are in the above group of people, this posts if especially for you. Now let us see one of the many text from scripture that explains this Sacrament of Anointing. James 5:14-15 - "Are any among you sick? They should call for the presbyters of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed any sins will be forgiven". The words that to be noted from the text is: Save, Raise them up, Forgiven. Now this three words clearly shows that it was not meant only for the dying but also 'spells out' HOPE for the sick.

Now how do we define who receives this sacrament for the 'sick'? I'm having a headache or a flu, so am I eligible to receive this sacrament? Definitely a sound mind and common sense can give an answer but nevertheless lets see what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say on this; 'The Apostolic Constitution Sacram unctionem infirmorum, following upon the Second Vatican Council, established that henceforth, in the Roman Rite, the following be observed: The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given to those who are seriously ill...'(CCC.1513).

'The Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.' (CCC.1514).

'If a sick person who received this anointing recovers his health, he can in the case of another grave illness receive this sacrament again. If during the same illness the person's condition becomes more serious, the sacrament may be repeated. It is fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced. (CCC.1515).

So who can administer this Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick? It is ONLY the priests. Now in addition to the Anointing, the Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum. Communion in the body and blood of Christ, received at this moment of 'passing over' to the Father. Now a deacon can administer the viaticum; a latin word which means 'provisions or food for the journey' and any commissioned Extra-Ordinary Ministers can distribute communion to the sick.

Please read the CCC.1499-1532 for more better understanding.

26th World Youth Day.

It's been 1month now since the closing Mass of the 26th World Youth Day at Madrid, Spain. This is my 3rd World Youth Day (WYD) after Manila in 1995 and Rome in the year of the Jubilee 2000.

All these 3 WYDs I attended has been recorded to be the 1st, 2nd and 3rd largest registered participants / pilgrims. WYD @ Manila has the current world record for the largest papal gathering with about 5,000,000 attended. WYD @ Rome in 2000 had about 2,000,000 pilgrims; whereas in WYD @ Madrid it nearly reached 2,000,000 participants.

I remembered being a timid person (sometimes I feel I am still one) but after my sacrament of confirmation in 1994, I felt and saw some changes in me. I am bolder now, I take chances and especially after the sacrament, I got involved in the parish youth ministry. This pave way for me to go for the WYD @ Manila. It was indeed a new experience; a gathering with a lot of young people. From here, I got more involved in church activities and even went further to the Archdiocese involvement. I even became the parish youth coordinator.

WYD @ Rome during the Jubilee Year 2000 was very special for me because it was a time when I was discerning my vocation. It was indeed a spiritual pilgrimage.

Compared to WYD @ Manila and Rome, the WYD @ Madrid was not an easy one for me. This was because I was responsible for the Malaysian contingent. It was like I was carrying a load on me and I really felt relieved when it was all over. Since being in charge, I did not have much time on my own to pray, reflect, etc but I did witness characters of certain Malaysian pilgrims and the best part is to see some youths from Malaysia taking on leadership roles. I must say I was proud to be leading this bunch of youths to the WYD. In particular I would like to mentioned that I underestimated 2 youths but they prove me wrong, they were just amazing. The best part for me during the WYD is the Marian Fest (the P&W, dancing, concert), listening to Archbishop Timothy Dolan from New York and especially the vigil with Pope Benedict XVI. A massive storm broke out during the vigil and all the pilgrims stood there still just wanting to listen to the beloved Papa. The Pope stopped his speech and waited with us for the storm to pass by. I know very well, that at that moment of the storm, the Pope was just thinking of all us pilgrims who were right in the middle of the storm and were getting wet. He was shielded by the cardinals and guards with umbrella but I'm sure he was 'feeling' for us and he prayed for us all. There were a reason for the storm; it was to settle the hazardous sand dust at the venue which was even worst. Actually it was kinda fun, its been so long since I 'played' in the rain..hehehe.

During this WYD I had the opportunity to see the Pope just about 5 meters away. Here is the video clip I took of the Pope (for those reading this via facebook, you have to go to the original post to view the clip):-



It is indeed a privilege, an honor to represent the many Malaysian youths who were not able to go for such an event; to listen and pray with the Pope who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. I prayed for you all, our Papa the Pope prayed for you.
I thank God for this opportunity, I thank the many who made it possible for me to be part of this event. God bless you all.

To view more of my photos of the WYD @ Madrid, please click here.