RCIA Resource – Session 35

Anointing of the Sick — Strength, Healing, and Hope

RCIA – Session 35
This session forms part of a structured introduction to the Catholic Faith used in parish RCIA. It is intended to be read slowly and prayerfully, alongside participation in the life of the Church. This material is offered for formation and reflection. Reception into the Catholic Church always involves personal discernment and parish accompaniment.

Aim of this session

By the end of this session, participants should understand that:

  • sickness and suffering are part of human life after the Fall
  • Christ instituted a sacrament for the sick and dying
  • Anointing gives grace, strength, and peace
  • the sacrament is not only for the moment of death
  • suffering united to Christ has meaning

This session asks:

How does Christ care for us in sickness and at the approach of death?

1. The Reality of Sickness and Suffering

Sickness reminds us that:

  • human life is fragile
  • we are not self-sufficient
  • death is real

The Church does not deny this reality.
She faces it honestly.

Suffering is not:

  • a punishment in itself
  • proof of God’s absence

It is a consequence of a wounded world.

Christ does not remove all suffering.
He enters it.

2. Christ’s Compassion for the Sick

During His earthly life, Christ:

  • healed the sick
  • comforted the suffering
  • showed compassion

These actions were not only signs.
They revealed God’s concern for the whole person.

Christ’s care for the sick continues in the Church.

3. What the Anointing of the Sick Is

The Anointing of the Sick is:

The sacrament by which the sick receive special grace to strengthen them in illness, suffering, and the danger of death.

It is not:

  • only for the dying
  • a sign of giving up
  • merely psychological comfort

It is a real sacrament instituted by Christ.

Penny Catechism

Q. What is the Anointing of the Sick?
A. The Anointing of the Sick is the sacrament which gives health and strength to the soul, and sometimes to the body, when we are in danger of death from sickness.

4. When the Sacrament Is Given

The Anointing is given:

  • to those seriously ill
  • to the elderly when health declines
  • before serious surgery

It should not be delayed until the final moments.

Receiving it earlier allows:

  • conscious participation
  • fuller grace
  • peace rather than fear

5. The Effects of the Sacrament

The Anointing of the Sick gives:

  • strength to endure suffering
  • peace of soul
  • courage against fear

It may also:

  • forgive sins if confession is not possible
  • restore health if God wills

The primary effect is spiritual strengthening.

Penny Catechism

Q. What are the effects of the Anointing of the Sick?
A. The effects of the Anointing of the Sick are the strengthening of the soul, the forgiveness of sins, and sometimes the restoration of bodily health.

6. Union with the Suffering of Christ

This sacrament unites the sick person:

  • to Christ’s suffering
  • to His Cross
  • to His saving work

Suffering is not meaningless when united to Christ.

It becomes:

  • prayer
  • offering
  • participation in redemption

This gives dignity even in weakness.

7. Anointing and Preparation for Death

When illness leads toward death:

  • Anointing prepares the soul
  • fear is replaced by hope
  • trust is strengthened

It reminds us that:

  • death is not the end
  • Christ has gone before us
  • eternal life is promised

The Church accompanies her children to the end.

8. Common Difficulties Addressed

“Does this mean death is near?”

No — it means Christ’s care is near.

“Why not wait until the last moment?”

Grace strengthens; delay deprives.

“What if healing doesn’t happen?”

The deeper healing is always given.

9. What Is Being Asked of You Now

At this stage, you are not asked to:

welcome suffering

ignore fear

You are asked to consider this:

If Christ offers strength in weakness, do I trust Him in my vulnerability?

That question prepares the way for the final sacramental teaching.

10. Questions for the Week

Reflect quietly during the week:

  • How do I respond to illness or weakness?
  • Do I see suffering as meaningless or as something Christ can transform?
  • How do I face the reality of death?

11. Closing Summary

Christ does not abandon us in suffering.

Through the Anointing of the Sick:

  • grace is given
  • peace is restored
  • hope is strengthened

This sacrament reveals Christ’s compassion until the end.

Next week we will ask:

How does Christ continue His mission through Holy Orders and Matrimony?

Optional Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
You are close to the sick and the suffering.
Give us trust in Your care,
strength in weakness,
and hope in the face of death.
Amen.