The noted
author and doctor, Oliver Wendell Holmes, said,
"So far as I have observed persons nearing the end of life,
Catholics understand the business of dying better than Protestants. I have seen a good
many Catholics on their dying beds, and it always appeared to me that they accepted the
inevitable with the composure which showed that their belief, whether or not it is the
best to live by, was a better one to die by than most of the harder ones that have
replaced it."
This has been noted by many non-Catholics, though they
often fail to realize that the Catholic religion is the best to die by because it is the
best to live by. What Dr. Holmes witnessed was due in part to the Sacrament of Extreme
Unction. It was so named because it is given to Catholics "in extremis," at the
end, at the approach of death. Unction, as you know, signifies the act of anointing, as
with oil, a symbol of spiritual strength.
It is not necessary to say much about this sacrament, as it does not meet
with objection on the part of Jews. The sick and dying among religious Jews are encouraged
to pray, to recite the Psalms, etc. with the Rabbi, relatives and visiting friends. Also
to make pious exhortations, the primary one being the Sh'ma,
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One."
I have often read with spiritual satisfaction the
prayers of sick and dying Jews, especially the one in which they confess their sins, which
is in part as follows,
"I confess to Thee, O Lord my God and the God of my fathers,
both my cure and my death are in Thy hands. May it be Thy will to send me a perfect
healing. O may my death be an atonement for all my sins, iniquities and transgressions of
which I have been guilty against Thee...."
Part of this laudable prayer is inserted in this letter because its
spirit is like that of Catholic prayers for the sick and dying.
The efficacy of Extreme Unction comes from the same source as the efficacy of
other sacraments, the merits of Jesus Christ, its Author, gained for us through His
passion. St. James, one of the Twelve Disciples of the Lord, who was the first bishop of
Jerusalem, who knew from association with Christ the teachings He commanded to be taught,
says in his Epistle,
"Is any one among you sick? Let him bring in the presbyters
(priests) 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 be in sins, they shall be forgiven them" (5:14-16).
Many prayers are said by the priest, relatives and
friends at the bedside of the patient while the last rite is being administered. One of
them said before the patient is anointed with the sacred oil, shows spiritual fellowship
with the holy in Israel, whose heavenly aid is invoked along with the aid of the saints of
Christendom. Making the sign of the cross, the priest says,
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, may all the power of the devil be extinguished in thee, by the imposition of our
hands and by the invocation of all the holy Angels, Archangels, Patriarchs, Prophets,
Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins, and all the Saints, Amen."
While, as I said, the quality of the Jewish and
Christian prayers for the sick and dying are of the same spiritual nature, Extreme
Unction, being a sacrament, has a characteristic not found in prayer alone. It has a
grace-conferring power in itself, due to the merits of Christ, its Author. It forgives
sinners who receive the sacrament. It gives spiritual health and renewed moral vigor; it
gives the sick and dying the fortitude with which to meet death; it strengthens the
patient for suffering, and against evil temptations, and has very often been the means of
restoring the anointed to physical health. Extreme Unction is a divine consoler of the
sick and dying. It lays its hand, so to speak, upon soul and heart and heals them for a
better life here, or an eternity in the Land of Sublime Love.
A word in conclusion regarding the sacramental system dealt with in my recent
letters. Words cannot adequately tell of the blessings it has conferred on those persons
who have been privileged to enjoy its fruits. Only Christ as God could institute such a
soul-sustaining system. The seven sacraments that compose the system are channels through
which grace flows into the soul.
Baptism regenerates, making the recipient an
adopted child of God and brother of Jesus Christ.
Confirmation strengthens the soul for the battle of
life. Holy Eucharist, as a sacrament, feeds the soul with the Body and Blood of Christ. As
a Sacrifice homage is paid to God, and blessings received, in an infinite degree.
Penance restores man to the friendship and favor of
God.
Holy Orders furnishes priests to continue Christ in
the world. They administer the sacraments that give the graces necessary for the soul in
its journey to God, the source from which it came.
Matrimony sanctifies and unifies husband and wife
in Christ.
Extreme Unction gives the sick and dying the
consolation of being prepared to meet its God.
The sacraments form a perfect soul-salvaging system. They displaced the
Mosaic practices of Israel. With the institution of them, by the Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, the Messianic Era our fathers of old in Israel longed for became a reality.