DAY 15
CHALLENGE
“The sacrament of the anointing of the sick has no biblical basis; it is a human invention.”
DEFENSE
The anointing of the sick is recorded in the Bible.
The practice of anointing the sick as a means of miraculous healing was already part of the Christian movement during the earthly ministry of Christ. Jesus performed many exorcisms and healings, and he commissioned the apostles to continue this miraculous ministry, us- ing anointing as one of their methods. Thus in Mark we read how Jesus sent the Twelve on a preaching and miracle-working mission and “they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them” (Mark 6:13).
The anointing of the sick continued to be used later in the apostolic age. Thus in the letter of James we read: “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14–15).
It is this passage in particular from which the Church draws its understanding of the anointing of the sick: “The first grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening, peace, and courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age. This grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews trust and faith in God and strengthens against the temptations of the evil one, the temptation to discouragement and anguish in the face of death. This assistance from the Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God’s will. Furthermore, ‘if he has committed sins, he will be for- given’” (CCC 1520).
Note that James says that the sick person is to call for “the elders [Greek, presbuteroi] of the Church.” Presbuteros is the Greek word from which the English word “priest” is derived. Since the anointing of the sick is part of the ministry of the presbuteroi, “only priests (bishops and presbyters) are ministers of the anointing of the sick” (CCC 1516).