THE SACRAMENTS
SESSION 3: SACRAMENTS OF HEALING
WELCOME!
How does God respond
to human suffering in
the Sacraments of
Reconciliation and
Anointing of the Sick?
Session Schedule
 Opening Prayer
 Paired Activity
 Theme #1: Reconciliation
 Standing Activity
 Theme #2: Forgiveness and Anointing
 Small Group Activity
 Closing Prayer
Opening Prayer:
The Confiteor: “I Confess”
I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done
and in what I have failed to do,
[All strike their breast]
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Paired Activity
HOW DO YOU SEE HEALING IN
T H E S A C R A M E N T O F R E C O N C I L I AT I O N ?
W H AT R O L E H A S R E C O N C I L I AT I O N P L AY E D
I N Y O U R FA I T H J O U R N E Y, A N D / O R W H AT
W O U L D H E L P I T P L AY A G R E AT E R R O L E ?
HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THE
S A C R A M E N T O F R E C O N C I L I AT I O N ?
Theme #1: Reconciliation
 How might Reconciliation be even
greater than Confession and Penance?
 What grace does God offer to each of
us in this great Sacrament?
 How can the experience of confessing one’s sins
be one of liberation? Why is penance a good and just gift?
 Why did Jesus give his Apostles the power
to forgive sins? “Whose sins you forgive
are forgiven them… ” (Jn 20:23)
“Welcome Home”: About Confession
What strikes you about this analogy?
The Forgiveness of Sins
 "The Lord Jesus Christ,
physician of our souls and
our bodies … has willed that
his Church continue, in the
power of the Holy Spirit, his
work of healing and
salvation." (CCC, n. 1421)
 Key Scriptural themes:
Divine Mercy, conversion
from sin, return to God
 “Whose sins you forgive are
forgiven them…” (Jn 20:23)
 God’s grace empowers a
change of heart and a
change of actions
Jesus invites conversion,
longs to forgive
"That night Jesus gave the Church the
ministry of the forgiveness of sins
through the Apostles (cf. CCC, no. 1461).
By the Sacrament of Holy Orders,
bishops and priests continue this
ministry to forgive sins 'in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.' In this Sacrament, the
priest acts in the person of Christ, the
Head of the Church, to reconcile the
sinner to both God and the Church.”
The Liturgy of Reconciliation
Scripture
Jn 20:23; Mt 16:18-19;
Mt 18:15; Jas 5:14-15
Form
Absolution: “God, the Father of mercies...”
(CCC, n. 1449)
Matter
The acts of penitent:
contrition, confession, and penance
Effect
Forgiveness of sin: reunion with Christ and the
Church; restoration of grace
(CCC, nn. 1468-1470)
Words of Hope,
Healing & Wholeness
“God the Father of mercies,
through the death and resurrection of his Son,
has reconciled the world to himself,
and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins
in the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.”
Effects of the Sacrament
 “…restoring us to God’s grace
and joining us with him in an
intimate friendship.” (CCC,
1468)
 Liberating us to forgive,
as we have been forgiven…
 Embracing the reality of
Redemption, the crucifixion of
Christ
 Confronting a culture which
downplays sin and tends to
ignore evil.
Embracing the Gift
 Confronting contemporary confusion about sin:
“If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us
from every wrongdoing.” (1 Jn 1:8-9)
 Accepting the gift of God’s mercy:
Don’t we all long to hear the words,
“Welcome home”—particularly when
we know we haven’t earned it and
know we don’t deserve it?
Standing Activity: “Improvising” Conversations
Create a scene in which a conversation arises regarding
the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Include the following:
What questions or issues do many
people have with Reconciliation?
• How can we, as Catholics, respond
to the concerns and invite people to
(re)discover this spiritual treasure?
•
Consider one of the following settings:
**Friends at a party
**Family members at a reunion
**Neighbors at a cookout **Colleagues on a coffee break
Theme #2: The Anointing of the Sick
• “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I
am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf
of his body, which is the church” (Col 1:24).
• Forgiveness and healing go hand in hand.
• Jesus wants to give us his Heart,
so we can be instruments
of his healing and merciful love.
• “Christ’s compassion toward the sick and his healings
of almost every kind of infirmity are a resplendent sign
that ‘God has visited his people’.” (CCC, n. 1503, citing Lk 7:16)
Christ’s Compassion
& the Church’s Healing Ministry
 The Cross bears the weight
of evil and gives suffering a
redemptive power.
 Jesus healed 2000 years
ago and heals today—
through the ministry of the
priest in the Sacrament.
 Countless baptized
disciples also carry forth
Christ’s healing work
Anointing of the Sick
 Not just for those at the
point of death
 Not left to face illness
and infirmity alone
 Christ provides a spiritual
and corporal remedy for our illness,
a personal and communal response
Form, Matter & Effect
of the Sacrament
Scripture
Mk 6:13; Jn 20:23; Mt 16:18-19;
18:15-18; Jas 5:14-15
Form
Prayer of the priest over the sick person
(CCC, nn. 1513; 1519)
Matter
Anointing with Oil; Imposition of Hands
(CCC, nn. 1513; 1519)
Effect
Gift of Spirit to face difficulty of illness;
forgiveness of sin;
union with the passion of Christ;
ecclesial grace (CCC, nn. 1520-1523)
Sharing the Gift of Anointing of the Sick
 "This Sacrament also prepares us for our final
journey when we depart from this life…
[it] completes our identification with Jesus
Christ that was begun at our Baptism.”
 “In any illness, particularly one as we near the
end of our lives, we should never have to stand
alone….[nor] face infirmity without the
consolation of others.”
 Sacraments 101: Anointing of the Sick
Small Group Activity:
Embracing the Mystery of Suffering and Death
 How do secular views challenge and the Church's
teachings about physical illness, suffering, and death?
 What are the key elements of a Catholic
perspective on these mysteries?
 Who comes to mind as a witness to or
personal example of how we might
approach suffering and death in a
distinctively Christian way?
How does God respond
to human suffering in
the Sacraments of
Reconciliation and
Anointing of the Sick?
Follow-up Reflection and Resources
1) Session Evaluation & Feedback
2) Recommended follow-up:
US/CCA, ch. 18:
“Sacraments of Penance and Reconciliation”
US/CCA, ch. 19:
“Annointing of the Sick”
3) For Catechists & Catholic School Teachers:
“Record of Formation,” including
required reflection & documentation
4) Session Guide and Powerpoints are available at:
www.dioceseofjoliet.org/layformation/
Rite of Anointing of the Sick
Let us pray and beseech our Lord Jesus
Christ to bless this dwelling more and
more and all who live in it.
May He give them an able guardian angel.
May He prompt them to
serve Him and to ponder the wonders of
His law.
May He ward off all diabolical powers
from them, deliver them from all fear and
anxiety, and keep them in good health in
this dwelling; He who lives and reigns with
the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and
ever.
Rite of Anointing of the Sick
Lord God, who spoke through your apostle James,
"Is anyone of you sick? He should call in the priests
of the Church, and have them pray over him,
while they anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
That prayer, said with faith, will save the sick person,
and the Lord will restore him to health.
If he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him."
( Jas 5:14-15)
Rite of Anointing of the Sick
We beg you, our Redeemer, to cure by the grace
of the Holy Spirit the sick. Heal their wounds,
and forgive their sins.
Rid them of all pain of body and mind.
Restore them, in your mercy, to full health of body and soul,
so that having recovered by your goodness,
they may take up their former duties.
We ask this of you who live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen!
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.