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Faith unlocks the spiritual power of the sacrament of anointing Print E-mail
By Father Michael Van Sloun   
Thursday, 08 October 2009
The following is the third in an 11-part series on anointing.

Faith is crucial in unlocking the spiritual power of the sacrament of anointing.

van_slounbw.jpgAnointing
Father Michael Van Sloun
Jesus explains the importance of faith. When Jesus worked his healing miracles, faith played a major role. Frequently, it was the faith of the sick persons themselves. After Jesus cured the woman who suffered from hemorrhages for 12 years, he told her, “Your faith has saved you” (Luke 8:48); after he cured a leper, he told him, “Your faith has saved you” (Luke 17:19); and after he cured the blind beggar of Jericho, he said, “Your faith has saved you” (Luke 18:42).

The faith of family and friends. Other times, it was the faith of those who requested the healing for someone else. For the paralytic who was brought to Jesus on a mat, it was the faith of the four men who carried him (Matthew 9:2); for the slave who was deathly ill, it was the faith of his centurion master (Matthew 8:10); for the girl who was tormented by a demon, it was the faith of her Canaanite mother (Matthew 15:28); and for the boy who was possessed by a mute spirit, it was the faith of his father (Mark 9:24).

Jesus is able to perform great miracles when people put their faith in him. But when faith is low, as it was in Nazareth where the people rejected him, “he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith” (Matthew 13:58).

A major lesson on faith for a fledgling new priest. About two months after I was ordained, I was summoned to the hospital by a faith-filled wife to administer the sacrament of anointing to her dear husband who was precariously near death, suffering from emphysema, terribly aggravated by pneumonia, in ICU, intubated, and severely weakened. He was in terrible discomfort, but alert. His doctors said his outlook was grim with only hours to live. The new priest believed in Jesus and his healing power — sort of.

When I arrived, the wife grabbed me by the arm and rushed me to her husband’s bedside. The husband was unable to speak, but his eyes said he devoutly believed and greatly desired to receive the sacrament. I followed the prescribed ritual. The prayer was beautiful. Upon departing, I gave the wife my business card and telephone number, fully expecting to receive a call to arrange the funeral.

The next afternoon the wife called me and reported, “My husband has made a miraculous turn-around. His doctors tell me that they think he is going to make it!”

Shocked, I asked, “When did he get better?”

“Shortly after you departed,” she replied.

The situation was incredibly similar to the royal official who was informed about his son’s recovery: “his fever left him yesterday about one in the afternoon” (John 4:52), and the official realized that it was just at that time that Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live” (John 4:53). It was the same with this anointing.

I was moved by the couple’s deep faith, and I had to humbly admit that it was their faith, not mine, that opened the door to Jesus’ healing power. I witnessed a miracle. I came to believe in a new, deeper way. My faith moved from my head to my heart. I presided for his funeral 10 years later. Never ever underestimate the healing power of our Lord, Jesus Christ!

14b_lock.jpgA faith-filled happy death. Not every anointing ends with a physical healing. Eventually we all die, as Lazarus demonstrated. Even though he had been raised, he finally succumbed to death. Therefore, spiritual healing is a more urgent matter, and the healing of the paralytic reflects Jesus’ priorities. He put first things first when he said, “Child, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5).

The sacrament of anointing im­parts the forgiveness of sins, so it is a matter of utmost importance before death. Aware of this, an 85-year-old woman from our parish who had a deep faith in Jesus and great devotion to Mary, who wanted to be in the state of grace when she met her maker, made her son promise that he would call a priest so she could be anointed before she died. The woman was precipitously near death. The son delayed until the last minute and called me during the wee hours of the night.

When I arrived, the woman was in severe respiratory distress, thrashing in her hospital bed, “hanging on for dear life.” We began the sacrament without delay.

Aware that she had been anointed, suddenly, calm came over her. The thrashing stopped. Her breathing slowed ever so gradually.  In faith, she let go, fully at peace, and within five minutes she passed into the Lord’s embrace.

She had prayed thousands of Hail Marys over her lifetime, “pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death,” and through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, and with the grace of the sacrament of anointing, in faith, she was blessed with a happy death.

Please, make no mistake: Jesus has the power to heal our bodies, and Jesus has the power to heal our souls. It was her faith that saved her.

Father Michael Van Sloun is pastor of St. Stephen in Anoka.

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