Anointing of the Sick Gives Strength to the Seriously Ill and Elderly: Pope

Pope Francis reminded Catholics that one does not have to wait until someone is in a state of death to receive the sacrament of anointing the sick. Source: Central nervous system.

In his prayer intention for this month, he emphasized the importance of the sacrament for the seriously ill and elderly.

“Let us remember that the anointing of the sick is one of the sacraments of healing, of renewal, which heals the spirit,” the pope said in a video message released yesterday by the Pontifical World Prayer Network.

The network publishes a short film in which the Pope presents his specific prayer intention each month. In July, the Pope dedicated his prayer intention to the pastoral care of the sick.

“The anointing of the sick is not a sacrament intended only for those who are at the point of death,” the Pope said, emphasizing that “it is important to make this clear.”

He added that the administration of the sacrament by a priest does not necessarily mean “saying goodbye to life.”

“To think this way is to abandon all hope.”

“When someone is very sick, it is good to give them the anointing of the sick. And when someone is older, it is good for them to receive the anointing of the sick,” Pope Francis said, emphasizing that it is not necessary to wait until a person experiencing a serious illness is at the point of death to receive the sacrament.

“Let us pray that the sacrament of anointing the sick may impart God’s power to those who receive it and to their loved ones, and that it may become for all an increasingly visible sign of compassion and hope,” he said.

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Pope: Anointing of the Sick gives strength to those who are seriously ill and elderly (Author: Carol Glatz, Central nervous system)