Already in the Old Testament, those afflicted by illness recognized their finitude (that is, the limits of their existence) and reflected on how physical illness was related to sin. (Christ – Our Pascha, 463)
In illness, people turned to the Lord, seeking healing from him and confessing their sins before him (see Ps 6:3, 8; Ps 102[103]). (Christ – Our Pascha, 463)
In the New Testament, through his suffering and life-giving death, Jesus gives our suffering a new meaning: joined to his sufferings they become a means of purification and a path of salvation for ourselves and others. (Christ – Our Pascha, 463)
Sending the twelve apostles to preach the Gospel, Jesus “gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness” (Mt 10:1). He promised that healings would accompany their preaching: “They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mk 16:18). (Christ – Our Pascha, 464)
In the Mystery of Holy Anointing, by the prayer of the Church, the sick person receives forgiveness of sins. This Mystery, however, does not replace the Mystery of Confession. Nonetheless, if the one anointed repents but for some reason does not have an opportunity to approach the Mystery of Confession, they receive forgiveness of sins. (Christ – Our Pascha, 467)
The celebration of the Mystery of Holy Anointing takes place in the church or where the sick person lies. (Christ – Our Pascha, 468)
The Rite of Holy Anointing includes the consecration of oil, readings from the Epistles and the Gospels, and anointing of the afflicted. (Christ – Our Pascha, 468)
As he anoints the sick person (on the forehead, eyes, nostrils, ears, lips, cheeks, breast, hands, and feet), the priest pronounces the solemn supplicatory prayer to God the Father. (Christ – Our Pascha, 468)
Readings from the Epistle Book and the Gospel Book during the celebration of this Mystery speak to us about the power of God and his love for his creation. (We Walk with Christ: Youth Catechism, p. 109)
The rite concludes with the placing of the Gospel Book on the head of the afflicted, as a sign that Christ the Lord himself places his holy hand on the sick person for healing and the forgiveness of sins. After the conclusion of the Rite of Anointing the sick person receives Communion of the Holy Gifts, the “medicine of immortality.”349 Those present at the celebration of this Mystery pray for the sick person, fulfilling the apostolic injunction: “pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” ( Jas 5:16). (Christ – Our Pascha, 469)