This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square. The Holy Father, Pope Francis met there with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy and from every corner of the world.
During his catechesis, spoken in Italian, the Pope, continuing the cycle of teachings dedicated to the Sacraments, presented his mediation on the Anointing of the Sick.
After having delivered his catechesis, the teaching was summarized in various languages and the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of pilgrims that was present. He then made a special appeal for the cessation of violence and hostility in Venezuela.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
Today I would like to speak to you about the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, which enables us to touch God's compassion for mankind with our own hands. In the past it was called Extreme Unction, because it was understood as spiritual comfort in the imminence of death. To speak, instead, of the Anointing of the Sick, helps us to widen our look at the experience of sickness and suffering, and at the horizon of God’s mercy.
There is a biblical icon that expresses in all its depth the mystery that shines in the Anointing of the Sick: it is the parable of the Good Samaritan, in Saint Luke’s Gospel (10:30-35). Every time we celebrate this Sacrament, the Lord Jesus, in the person of the priest, comes close to the one who suffers and is gravely ill or elderly. The parable says that the Good Samaritan takes care of the suffering man, pouring oil and wine on his wounds. Oil makes us think of the oil that is blessed every year by the Bishop during the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, precisely in view of the Anointing of the Sick. The wine, instead, is the sign of the love and grace of Christ that gushes forth from the gift of his life for us and is expressed in all its richness in the sacramental life of the Church. Finally, the suffering person is entrusted to an innkeeper, so that he can continue to take care of him, regardless of the associated expense. Now, who is this innkeeper? It is the Church, the Christian community; it is we to whom every day the Lord Jesus entrusts those who are afflicted, in body and spirit, so that we continue to pour on them, without measure, all his mercy and salvation.
This mandate is confirmed explicitly and precisely in the Letter of James, where he recommends: 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 (5:14-15). Therefore, it is a practice that was already being observed at the time of the Apostles. Jesus, in fact, taught his disciples to have the same attitude of compassion for the sick and suffering, and he transmitted to them the capacity and the task to continue to give freely, in his name and according to his heart, relief and peace through the special grace of this Sacrament. This, however, must not make us fall into the obsessive search for a miracle or into the presumption of being able to obtain healing always and in every case. But it is the assurance of the closeness of Jesus to the sick and also the elderly, because every elderly person, every person over the age of 65, can receive this Sacrament, through which Jesus Himself brings us closer.
But when there is a sick person, sometimes we think: let us call the priest so he will come; No, then he’ll bring bad luck, don’t call him, or perhaps then the sick person will be frightened. Why does one think this? Because there is a bit of this idea that after the priest comes the funeral home. And this isn’t true. The priest comes to help the sick or the elderly; this is the reason why the visit of the priest to the sick is so important. You need to call the priest and say: Come, give the anointing, bless him. It is Jesus Himself who comes to relieve the suffering of the sick, to give them strength, to give them hope, to help them, even to forgive them of their sins. And this is beautiful! And we shouldn't think that this is taboo, because it is always beautiful to know that in our moments of pain and sickness, we are not alone: the priest and those who are present during the Anointing of the Sick represent the whole Christian community that, like one body stands around those who suffer and around their relatives, nourishing faith and hope in them, and sustaining them with prayer and fraternal warmth. But the greatest comfort derives from the fact that it is the Lord Jesus Himself who is present in the Sacrament, who takes us by the hand; it is He who caresses us as he did with the sick and reminds us that now we belong to him and that nothing - not even evil or death - can separate us from Him. Let us develop a habit of calling the priest so that our sick - and I’m not speaking of those who are sick with the flu for three or four days, but those with a serious illness - and also our elderly, so that he may come and give them this Sacrament, this comfort, this strength of Jesus to go forward. Let us do this!
When this catechesis had been pronounced in its entirety, synopses of it were also spoken in various languages. The Holy Father then greeted various groups of pilgrims who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, His Holiness said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Denmark, Canada and the United States. I greet in particular the participants in the World Congress of SIGNIS and the pilgrimage group of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter from the United States. With affection I greet the alumni and friends of the Pontifical Canadian College on the 125th anniversary of the College’s establishment. Upon all present I invoke joy and peace in Christ our Lord!
At the end of the greetings offered to pilgrims in various languages, the Pope also issued a special appeal for Venezuelans who have been experiencing violence and hostilities in recent days.
I am following with particular concern what is happening these days in Venezuela. I hope profoundly that the violence and hostilities will cease as soon as possible and that the whole Venezuelan people, beginning with political and institutional leaders, will use the time to foster national reconciliation through mutual forgiveness and sincere dialogue, respectful of truth and of justice, capable of addressing concrete topics for the common good. While I assure my constant and fervid prayer, in particular for all those who lost their life in the clashes and for their families, I invite all believers to raise supplications to God, through the maternal intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto, so that the country will soon find peace and concord again.
During his catechesis, spoken in Italian, the Pope, continuing the cycle of teachings dedicated to the Sacraments, presented his mediation on the Anointing of the Sick.
After having delivered his catechesis, the teaching was summarized in various languages and the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of pilgrims that was present. He then made a special appeal for the cessation of violence and hostility in Venezuela.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
Today I would like to speak to you about the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, which enables us to touch God's compassion for mankind with our own hands. In the past it was called Extreme Unction, because it was understood as spiritual comfort in the imminence of death. To speak, instead, of the Anointing of the Sick, helps us to widen our look at the experience of sickness and suffering, and at the horizon of God’s mercy.
There is a biblical icon that expresses in all its depth the mystery that shines in the Anointing of the Sick: it is the parable of the Good Samaritan, in Saint Luke’s Gospel (10:30-35). Every time we celebrate this Sacrament, the Lord Jesus, in the person of the priest, comes close to the one who suffers and is gravely ill or elderly. The parable says that the Good Samaritan takes care of the suffering man, pouring oil and wine on his wounds. Oil makes us think of the oil that is blessed every year by the Bishop during the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, precisely in view of the Anointing of the Sick. The wine, instead, is the sign of the love and grace of Christ that gushes forth from the gift of his life for us and is expressed in all its richness in the sacramental life of the Church. Finally, the suffering person is entrusted to an innkeeper, so that he can continue to take care of him, regardless of the associated expense. Now, who is this innkeeper? It is the Church, the Christian community; it is we to whom every day the Lord Jesus entrusts those who are afflicted, in body and spirit, so that we continue to pour on them, without measure, all his mercy and salvation.
This mandate is confirmed explicitly and precisely in the Letter of James, where he recommends: 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 (5:14-15). Therefore, it is a practice that was already being observed at the time of the Apostles. Jesus, in fact, taught his disciples to have the same attitude of compassion for the sick and suffering, and he transmitted to them the capacity and the task to continue to give freely, in his name and according to his heart, relief and peace through the special grace of this Sacrament. This, however, must not make us fall into the obsessive search for a miracle or into the presumption of being able to obtain healing always and in every case. But it is the assurance of the closeness of Jesus to the sick and also the elderly, because every elderly person, every person over the age of 65, can receive this Sacrament, through which Jesus Himself brings us closer.
But when there is a sick person, sometimes we think: let us call the priest so he will come; No, then he’ll bring bad luck, don’t call him, or perhaps then the sick person will be frightened. Why does one think this? Because there is a bit of this idea that after the priest comes the funeral home. And this isn’t true. The priest comes to help the sick or the elderly; this is the reason why the visit of the priest to the sick is so important. You need to call the priest and say: Come, give the anointing, bless him. It is Jesus Himself who comes to relieve the suffering of the sick, to give them strength, to give them hope, to help them, even to forgive them of their sins. And this is beautiful! And we shouldn't think that this is taboo, because it is always beautiful to know that in our moments of pain and sickness, we are not alone: the priest and those who are present during the Anointing of the Sick represent the whole Christian community that, like one body stands around those who suffer and around their relatives, nourishing faith and hope in them, and sustaining them with prayer and fraternal warmth. But the greatest comfort derives from the fact that it is the Lord Jesus Himself who is present in the Sacrament, who takes us by the hand; it is He who caresses us as he did with the sick and reminds us that now we belong to him and that nothing - not even evil or death - can separate us from Him. Let us develop a habit of calling the priest so that our sick - and I’m not speaking of those who are sick with the flu for three or four days, but those with a serious illness - and also our elderly, so that he may come and give them this Sacrament, this comfort, this strength of Jesus to go forward. Let us do this!
When this catechesis had been pronounced in its entirety, synopses of it were also spoken in various languages. The Holy Father then greeted various groups of pilgrims who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, His Holiness said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Denmark, Canada and the United States. I greet in particular the participants in the World Congress of SIGNIS and the pilgrimage group of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter from the United States. With affection I greet the alumni and friends of the Pontifical Canadian College on the 125th anniversary of the College’s establishment. Upon all present I invoke joy and peace in Christ our Lord!
At the end of the greetings offered to pilgrims in various languages, the Pope also issued a special appeal for Venezuelans who have been experiencing violence and hostilities in recent days.
I am following with particular concern what is happening these days in Venezuela. I hope profoundly that the violence and hostilities will cease as soon as possible and that the whole Venezuelan people, beginning with political and institutional leaders, will use the time to foster national reconciliation through mutual forgiveness and sincere dialogue, respectful of truth and of justice, capable of addressing concrete topics for the common good. While I assure my constant and fervid prayer, in particular for all those who lost their life in the clashes and for their families, I invite all believers to raise supplications to God, through the maternal intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto, so that the country will soon find peace and concord again.
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