We can adore the Father because he has caused us to be reborn to his life by adopting us as his children in his only Son: by Baptism, he incorporates us into the Body of his Christ; through the Anointing of his Spirit who flows from the head to the members, he makes us other "Christs."

In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum. Communion in the body and blood of Christ, received at this moment of "passing over" to the Father, has a particular significance and importance. It is the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection, according to the words of the Lord: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." 140 The Sacrament of Christ once dead and now risen, the Eucharist is here the sacrament of passing over from death to life, from this world to the Father. 141

A preparation for the final journey. If the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given to all who suffer from serious illness and infirmity, even more rightly is it given to those at the point of departing this life; so it is also called sacramentum exeuntium (the sacrament of those departing). 138 The Anointing of the Sick completes our conformity to the death and Resurrection of Christ, just as Baptism began it. It completes the holy anointings that mark the whole Christian life: that of Baptism which sealed the new life in us, and that of Confirmation which strengthened us for the combat of this life. This last anointing fortifies the end of our earthly life like a solid rampart for the final struggles before entering the Father's house. 139

Like all the Sacraments the Anointing of the Sick is a Liturgical and communal celebration, 131 whether it takes place in the family home, a hospital or Church, for a single sick perSon or a whole group of sick persons. It is very fitting to celebrate it within the Eucharist, the memorial of the Lord's Passover. If circumstances suggest it, the celebration of the Sacrament can be preceded by the sacrament of Penance and followed by the sacrament of the Eucharist. As the sacrament of Christ's Passover the Eucharist should always be the last sacrament of the earthly journey, the "viaticum" for "passing over" to eternal life.

Only Priests (Bishops and presbyters) are ministers of the Anointing of the Sick. 130 It is the duty of pastors to instruct the Faithful on the benefits of this Sacrament. the faithful should encourage the sick to call for a Priest to receive this sacrament. the sick should prepare themselves to receive it with good dispositions, assisted by their pastor and the whole ecclesial community, which is invited to surround the sick in a Special way through their Prayers and fraternal attention.

If a Sick perSon who received this Anointing recovers his health, he can in the case of another grave illness receive this Sacrament again. If during the same illness the person's condition becomes more serious, the sacrament may be repeated. It is fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. the same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced.

The Anointing of the Sick "is not a Sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the Faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived." 129

From ancient times in the Liturgical traditions of both East and West, we have testimonies to the practice of Anointings of the Sick with blessed oil. Over the centuries the Anointing of the Sick was conferred more and more exclusively on those at the point of death. Because of this it received the name "Extreme Unction." Notwithstanding this evolution the liturgy has never failed to beg the Lord that the sick perSon may recover his health if it would be conducive to his salvation. 125

The Church believes and confesses that among the seven Sacraments there is one eSpecially intended to strengthen those who are being tried by illness, the Anointing of the Sick:

However, the apostolic Church has its own Rite for the Sick, attested to by St. James: "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders [presbyters] 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." 122 Tradition has recognized in this rite one of the seven Sacraments. 123

"By the sacred Anointing of the Sick and the Prayer of the Priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. and indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ." 97

The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, 3 has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two Sacraments of healing: the Sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

Thus, just as the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist form a unity called "the Sacraments of Christian initiation," so too it can be said that Penance, the Anointing of the Sick and the Eucharist as viaticum constitute at the end of Christian life "the sacraments that prepare for our heavenly homeland" or the sacraments that complete the earthly pilgrimage.

In Baptism and Confirmation, the handing on (traditio) of the Lord's Prayer Signifies new birth into the divine life. Since Christian prayer is our speaking to God with the very word of God, those who are "born anew". . . through the living and abiding word of God" 20 learn to invoke their Father by the one Word he always hears. They can henceforth do so, for the seal of the Holy Spirit's Anointing is indelibly placed on their hearts, ears, lips, indeed their whole filial being. This is why most of the patristic commentaries on the Our Father are addressed to catechumens and neophytes. When the Church prays the Lord's Prayer, it is always the people made up of the "new-born" who pray and obtain mercy. 21

The Holy Spirit, whose Anointing permeates our whole being, is the interior Master of Christian Prayer. He is the artisan of the living tradition of prayer. To be sure, there are as many paths of prayer as there are perSons who pray, but it is the same Spirit acting in all and with all. It is in the communion of the Holy Spirit that Christian prayer is prayer in the Church.

For the Christian the day of death inaugurates, at the end of his Sacramental life, the fulfillment of his new birth begun at Baptism, the definitive "conformity" to "the image of the Son" conferred by the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, and participation in the feast of the Kingdom which was anticipated in the Eucharist - even if final purifications are still necessary for him in order to be clothed with the nuptial garment.

As in all the Sacraments additional Rites surround the celebration. Varying greatly among the different Liturgical traditions, these rites have in common the expression of the multiple aspects of Sacramental grace. Thus in the Latin Church, the initial rites - presentation and election of the ordinand, instruction by the Bishop, examination of the candidate, litany of the saints - attest that the choice of the candidate is made in keeping with the practice of the Church and prepare for the solemn act of consecration, after which several rites syrnbolically express and complete the mystery accomplished: for bishop and Priest, an Anointing with holy chrism, a sign of the Special anointing of the Holy Spirit who makes their ministry fruitful; giving the book of the Gospels, the ring, the miter, and the crosier to the bishop as the sign of his apostolic Mission to proclaim the Word of God, of his fidelity to the Church, the bride of Christ, and his office as shepherd of the Lord's flock; presentation to the priest of the paten and chalice, "the offering of the holy people" which he is called to present to God; giving the book of the Gospels to the deacon who has just received the mission to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.

"Because it is joined with the episcopal order the office of Priests shares in the authority by which Christ himself builds up and sanctifies and rules his Body. Hence the Priesthood of priests, while presupposing the Sacraments of initiation, is nevertheless conferred by its own particular Sacrament. Through that sacrament priests by the Anointing of the Holy Spirit are signed with a Special character and so are configured to Christ the priest in such a way that they are able to act in the perSon of Christ the head." 45

When, in the Ordinary's judgment, a grave necessity arises, Catholic ministers may give the Sacraments of Eucharist, Penance, and Anointing of the Sick to other Christians not in full communion with the Catholic Church, who ask for them of their own will, provided they give evidence of holding the Catholic Faith regarding these Sacraments and possess the required dispositions. 238

The essential Rite of the Sacrament follows. In the Latin rite, "the sacrament of Confirmation is conferred through the Anointing with chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the hand, and through the words: 'Accipe signaculum doni Spiritus Sancti' [Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.]." 113 In the Eastern Churches, after a Prayer of epiclesis the more significant parts of the body are anointed with myron: forehead, eyes, nose, ears, lips, breast, back, hands, and feet. Each anointing is accompanied by the formula: "The seal of the gift that is the Holy Spirit."

The whole Liturgical life of the Church revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the Sacraments. 29 There are seven Sacraments in the Church: Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. 30 This article will discuss what is common to the Church's seven sacraments from a doctrinal point of view. What is common to them in terms of their celebration will be presented in the second chapter, and what is distinctive about each will be the topic of the Section Two.

The Christian who unites his own death to that of Jesus views it as a step towards him and an entrance into everlasting life. When the Church for the last time speaks Christ's words of pardon and absolution over the dying Christian, seals him for the last time with a strengthening Anointing, and gives him Christ in viaticum as nourishment for the journey, she speaks with gentle assurance:

On entering the People of God through Faith and Baptism, one receives a share in this people's unique, Priestly vocation: "Christ the Lord, high priest taken from among men, has made this new people 'a kingdom of Priests to God, his Father.' the Baptized, by regeneration and the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood." 209

The People of God is marked by characteristics that clearly distinguish it from all other religious, ethnic, political, or cultural groups found in history: - It is the People of God: God is not the property of any one people. But he acquired a people for himself from those who previously were not a people: "a chosen race, a royal Priesthood, a holy nation." 202 - One becomes a member of this people not by a physical birth, but by being "born anew," a birth "of water and the Spirit," 203 that is, by Faith in Christ, and Baptism. - This People has for its Head Jesus the Christ (the anointed, the Messiah). Because the same Anointing, the Holy Spirit, flows from the head into the body, this is "the messianic people." - "The status of this people is that of the dignity and freedom of the Sons of God, in whose hearts the Holy Spirit dwells as in a temple." - "Its law is the new commandment to love as Christ loved us." 204 This is the "new" law of the Holy Spirit. 205 - Its Mission is to be salt of the earth and light of the world. 206 This people is "a most sure seed of unity, hope, and salvation for the whole human race." -Its destiny, finally, "is the Kingdom of God which has been begun by God himself on earth and which must be further extended until it has been brought to perfection by him at the end of time." 207

Because the Holy Spirit is the Anointing of Christ, it is Christ who, as the head of the Body, pours out the Spirit among his members to nourish, heal, and organize them in their mutual functions, to give them life, send them to bear witness, and associate them to his self-offering to the Father and to his intercession for the whole world. Through the Church's Sacraments, Christ communicates his Holy and sanctifying Spirit to the members of his Body. (This will be the topic of Part Two of the Catechism.)

The seal is a symbol close to that of Anointing. "The Father has set his seal" on Christ and also seals us in him. 50 Because this seal indicates the indelible effect of the anointing with the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, the image of the seal (sphragis) has been used in some theological traditions to express the indelible "character" imprinted by these three unrepeatable Sacraments.

Anointing. the symbolism of anointing with oil also Signifies the Holy Spirit, 30 to the point of becoming a synonym for the Holy Spirit. In Christian initiation, anointing is the Sacramental sign of Confirmation, called "chrismation" in the Churches of the East. Its full force can be grasped only in relation to the primary anointing accomplished by the Holy Spirit, that of Jesus. Christ (in Hebrew "messiah") means the one "anointed" by God's Spirit. There were several anointed ones of the Lord in the Old Covenant, pre-eminently King David. 31 But Jesus is God's Anointed in a unique way: the humanity the Son assumed was entirely anointed by the Holy Spirit. the Holy Spirit established him as "Christ." 32 The Virgin Mary conceived Christ by the Holy Spirit who, through the angel, proclaimed him the Christ at his birth, and prompted Simeon to come to the temple to see the Christ of the Lord. 33 The Spirit filled Christ and the power of the Spirit went out from him in his acts of healing and of saving. 34 Finally, it was the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. 35 Now, fully established as "Christ" in his humanity victorious over death, Jesus pours out the Holy Spirit abundantly until "the saints" constitute - in their union with the humanity of the Son of God - that perfect man "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ": 36 "the whole Christ," in St. Augustine's expression.

Jesus is Christ, "anointed," because the Spirit is his Anointing, and everything that occurs from the Incarnation on derives from this fullness. 11 When Christ is finally glorified, 12 he can in turn send the Spirit from his place with the Father to those who believe in him: he communicates to them his glory, 13 that is, the Holy Spirit who glorifies him. 14 From that time on, this joint Mission will be manifested in the children adopted by the Father in the Body of his Son: the mission of the Spirit of adoption is to unite them to Christ and make them live in him:

Mary Magdalene and the holy women who came to finish Anointing the body of Jesus, which had been buried in haste because the Sabbath began on the evening of Good Friday, were the first to encounter the Risen One. 497 Thus the women were the first messengers of Christ's Resurrection for the apostles themselves. 498 They were the next to whom Jesus appears: first Peter, then the Twelve. Peter had been called to strengthen the Faith of his brothers, 499 and so sees the Risen One before them; it is on the basis of his testimony that the community exclaims: "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 500

Jesus' messianic consecration reveals his divine Mission, "for the name 'Christ' implies 'he who anointed', 'he who was anointed' and 'the very Anointing with which he was anointed'. the one who anointed is the Father, the one who was anointed is the Son, and he was anointed with the Spirit who is the anointing.'" 35 His eternal messianic consecration was revealed during the time of his earthly life at the moment of his Baptism by John, when "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power", "that he might be revealed to Israel" 36 as its Messiah. His works and words will manifest him as "the Holy One of God". 37

The celebrating assembly is the community of the Baptized who, "by regeneration and the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy Priesthood, that . . . they may offer spiritual sacrifices." 9 This "common priesthood" is that of Christ the sole priest, in which all his members participate: 10

Inasmuch as they are creatures, these perceptible realities can become means of expressing the action of God who sanctifies men, and the action of men who offer worship to God. the same is true of signs and symbols taken from the social life of man: washing and Anointing, breaking bread and sharing the cup can express the sanctifying presence of God and man's gratitude toward his Creator.

By this Anointing the confirmand receives the "mark," the seal of the Holy Spirit. A seal is a symbol of a perSon, a sign of personal authority, or ownership of an object. 105 Hence soldiers were marked with their leader's seal and slaves with their master's. A seal authenticates a juridical act or document and occasionally makes it secret. 106

Anointing with oil has all these meanings in the Sacramental life. the pre-Baptismal anointing with the oil of catechumens Signifies cleansing and strengthening; the anointing of the Sick expresses healing and comfort. the post-baptismal anointing with sacred chrism in Confirmation and ordination is the sign of consecration. By Confirmation Christians, that is, those who are anointed, share more completely in the Mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may give off "the aroma of Christ." 104

In treating the Rite of Confirmation, it is fitting to consider the sign of Anointing and what it Signifies and imprints: a spiritual seal. Anointing, in Biblical and other ancient symbolism, is rich in meaning: oil is a sign of abundance and joy; 102 it cleanses (anointing before and after a bath) and limbers (the anointing of athletes and wrestlers); oil is a sign of healing, since it is soothing to bruises and wounds; 103 and it makes radiant with beauty, health, and strength.

A custom of the Roman Church facilitated the development of the Western practice: a double Anointing with sacred chrism after Baptism. the first anointing of the neophyte on coming out of the baptismal bath was performed by the Priest; it was completed by a second anointing on the forehead of the newly Baptized by the Bishop. 101 The first anointing with sacred chrism, by the priest, has remained attached to the baptismal Rite; it Signifies the participation of the one baptized in the prophetic, priestly, and kingly offices of Christ. If Baptism is conferred on an adult, there is only one post-baptismal anointing, that of Confirmation.

Very early, the better to signify the Gift of the Holy Spirit, an Anointing with perfumed oil (chrism) was added to the laying on of hands. This anointing highlights the name "Christian," which means "anointed" and derives from that of Christ himself whom God "anointed with the Holy Spirit." 99 This Rite of anointing has continued ever since, in both East and West. For this reaSon the Eastern Churches call this Sacrament Chrismation, anointing with chrism, or myron which means "chrism." In the West, Confirmation suggests both the ratification of Baptism, thus completing Christian initiation, and the strengthening of baptismal grace - both fruits of the Holy Spirit.

In the liturgy of the Eastern Churches, the post-Baptismal Anointing is the Sacrament of Chrismation (Confirmation). In the Roman liturgy the post-baptismal anointing announces a second anointing with sacred chrism to be conferred later by the Bishop Confirmation, which will as it were "confirm" and complete the baptismal anointing.

The Anointing with sacred chrism, perfumed oil consecrated by the Bishop, Signifies the Gift of the Holy Spirit to the newly Baptized, who has become a Christian, that is, one "anointed" by the Holy Spirit, incorporated into Christ who is anointed Priest, prophet, and king. 41

Christ instituted the Sacraments of the new law. There are seven: Baptism, Confirmation (or Chrismation), the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. the seven Sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: 1 they give birth and increase, healing and Mission to the Christian's life of Faith. There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life.

The tabernacle is to be situated "in Churches in a most worthy place with the greatest honor." 61 The dignity, placing, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle should foster adoration before the Lord really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. 62 The sacred chrism (myron), used in Anointings as the Sacramental sign of the seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally reserved and venerated in a secure place in the sanctuary. the oil of catechumens and the oil of the Sick may also be placed there.

Signs of the covenant. the Chosen People received from God distinctive signs and symbols that marked its Liturgical life. These are no longer solely celebrations of cosmic cycles and social gestures, but signs of the covenant, symbols of God's mighty deeds for his people. Among these Liturgical signs from the Old Covenant are circumcision, Anointing and consecration of kings and Priests, laying on of hands, sacrifices, and above all the Passover. the Church sees in these signs a prefiguring of the Sacraments of the New Covenant.

All the Faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them 53 and guides them into all truth. 54