By Jenny Koch
Connecting Liturgy and Life
Editor’s note: For 2026, the weekly “Connecting Faith and Life” column has been renamed “Connecting Liturgy and Life.” The column consists of reflections on Part Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), which focuses on the Liturgy and the Sacraments.
cf. CCC 1499-1513
St. John Henry Newman once said, “To live is to change. And to be perfect is to have changed often.” His ideas have influenced millions, and he was declared a Doctor of the Church last year. One of his contributions to theology is his commentary on the development of doctrine. Like a sapling becomes a tree or a stream leads to a river, so too our articulation of the faith must develop over time to properly serve the Church. A recent example of this can be seen in the revised rites for the Anointing of the Sick. The new instructions have a renewed reverence and remind the faithful that the sacrament is for both physical and mental illness.
Established by Jesus — just like all of the sacraments — the Anointing of the Sick has its roots in Sacred Scripture. Matthew tells us, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people (Matthew 4:23-25). The Apostles were a part of this healing ministry too: “They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them” (Mark 6:13). Lastly, the letter of James gives followers clear directions: “Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.” Today — just like in Jesus’ day — the Catechism reminds us, “The Church believes in the life-giving presence of Christ, the physician of souls and bodies” (CCC 1509).
Over time, the term “last rites” was used because people delayed anointing until their deathbed. Msgr. Edward Buelt comments that this often “caused people to see the priest as a death sentence or angel of death rather than Christ’s minister of grace.” Another popular term for the sacrament was “extreme unction.” However, this notion of only receiving the sacrament once and in extreme, deadly situations was certainly not linked to the original intent of Christ and His Church. Vatican II teaches that it is “not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death.” Pope St. Paul VI reminded the faithful that we “should not follow the wrongful practice of delaying the reception of the Sacrament.” The Catechism also makes clear that despite the changing terms and phrases, the Church “has never failed to beg the Lord that the sick person may recover his health if it would be conducive to his salvation” (CCC 1512). And with this we also remember that not all are cured. While the sacrament may lead to healing, we must also remember that Jesus’ healings were signs of the coming of the Kingdom of the Lord, announcing a more radical healing. In this same light, we are reminded that the sacrament may indeed heal the illness, but it can also prepare the faithful for death.
Just this year, priests are now equipped with a new, revised edition of the Rites of the Anointing of the Sick. With these revisions, pastors will return to a more “ordinary rite” that includes a litany, prayers and perhaps a homily. Another notable change is the more prominent recognition of mental illness. Using this new format will help those suffering to unite themselves to the Passion and Death of Christ” (CCC 1499). And this is the core of the sacrament. Faced with suffering, surgery, impending death or severe mental illness, the Church offers a chance to “acquire a new outlook on illness and the sick” (CCC 1506). We are given a priceless opportunity, as we glimpse death and face our own mortality, to take advantage of the redemptive meaning of suffering. Aligning ourselves to Christ, enduring our suffering and seeing our situation as an offering instead of anguish can lead to conversion. “Very often illness provokes a search for God and a return to Him” (CCC 1501).
Father Mike Schmitz says it best. When faced with illness, suffering or death, we have a choice. We can be bitter, or we can be better. We are blessed as Catholics to be able to call on the priest to help us in our time of need, who can encourage us to be better imitators of Christ as we unify suffering with his. As our faithful priests roll out the new revised rite this year, let us pray that more and more seek out this sacrament.