Theology 3: Celebrating God’s Presence as a Christian Community [1]
Topic 7: The Church as God’s Comforter and Consoler; The Sacrament of
Student’s Copy
TH221 E CELEBRATING GOD’S
PRESENCE
AS A CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
Topic 7:
The Church as God’s Comforter and Consoler;
the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick as God’s
Healing through Love, Care and Concern
Objective: At the end of this session the student is able to visit a sick
or dying person, and show God’s comfort and consolation by giving
the sick person his love, care and concern and spending time with
the sick or dying person.
Let us “See”
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Anointing of the Sick as God’s Healing through Love, Care and Concern
Situation-Recall: Recall the last time you where seriously sick
and confined to bed either at home or in a hospital. Then answer the
following questions:
1. What was your sickness? How many days were you sick at
home or at the hospital? What did you feel?
2. Besides doctors and medicines, food and other supplies,
what do you think was your “other human needs” during
that time? Were such “other human needs” responded to?
3. How did being responded to or not getting any response in
terms of your “other human needs” affect your over-all
recovery?
Class Discussion:
Synthesis: (by the professor)
Serious Sickness or Illness or near-death can be considered a
“crisis” in life. It can either “Break a person” or “Make a person”.
“Illness, sickness or near-death can lead to anguish, self-absorption,
sometimes even despair and revolt against God (CCC#1501). On the
other hand it can also make a person more mature, stronger, and
more discerning on what is really important in life. When one is
seriously ill, sick or near-death everything comes to a halt. All
activity is on standstill. At least until you recover. Sickness, illness or
near-death gives one a feeling of powerlessness, a feeling of
weakness, a feeling of being useless, unable to continue to pursue
one’s goals, dreams and directions in life. “Illness and sickness
makes us see our finitude and limitation” (CCC#1500). That is why

nobody wants to get ill or sick. At the same time when somebody we
love gets ill or sick such experience gives us a sense of worry, feeling
of restlessness, and sleepless nights. Added to that is the feeling of
apprehension, fear and doubt: When will the person get well? Will
the person ever recover from the illness or sickness? Is the person
going to die? Illness can also give us a glimpse of death.
In the face of such experience of sickness the person who is
ill or sick needs more than just medicines, doctors, supplies, hospital,
etc. More than anything else the person needs support and
understanding. As we usually say the person needs “tender, loving
care.” In times of sickness, illness or near-death, we need the help of
Christ and other Christians to help us get though the illness, sickness
or near-death. Sometimes, the recovery or recuperation is enhanced,
facilitated or even made faster by such love, care, and concern that
the person receives from others. The family or the people who love
the person are also adversely affected by the illness or sickness of the
person they love and care for. They missed his/her happy
companionship, presence and influence. In a sense, serious sickness
can also be a crisis for the family or for the people who love the sick
person. They also need support and understanding. The family, as
well as the sick person need other people’s support and
understanding. Both the sick person and the family need the love,
care and concern of people around them. They need the love, care
and concern of the community.
Let us “DISCERN”
In the topic on the Eucharist we reflected upon the
virtue of selfless giving of oneself for others because of love of
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First Semester, 2o14-2015
Theology 3: Celebrating God’s Presence as a Christian Community [2]
Topic 7: The Church as God’s Comforter and Consoler; The Sacrament of
Anointing of the Sick as God’s Healing through Love, Care and Concern
God as shown in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We
saw that based on Jesus’ example we need to die to our own
self-centeredness and that it is only through this process of
“dying” that we can conquer our pride and selfishness and
begin to think of others and live our life for others. Like Jesus
we are called to be “men/women for others.” In the Eucharist
Christians gather to celebrate the covenant-meal, to pledge
their being for one another as members of the one family, each
concern for the other as the “Body of Christ”.
In the topic of Reconciliation we presented the church
as “wounded healer” and the sacrament of reconciliation as
reconciliation with self, others and God. As Christians we are
called to exercise a certain kind of ministry; the ministry of
love and service. We are called to continue what Jesus began
during his public ministry. We are called by Jesus to reconcile
and to heal: to overcome sin and make people whole again in
their humanity.
1. The Church-Community Remembers: God-in-
Jesus’ Healing- Sign that God’s Kingdom has
Come
It was a common belief at the time of Jesus that people get
sick and suffer because of their sins. That’s why in Jesus’ time
the sick can be considered victims of society’s “double
jeopardy.” They are ostracised because they are sick and at the
same time ostracized because people look at them as sinners.
Often times when the disciples or other people saw the sick or

the infirmed the question that is always ask (of Jesus) is
“whose fault or sin is it that a person is blind, or that a person
is crippled, or a deaf/mute? Is it his sin or that of his
parents?” (Cf. Jn 9:1-41; Mt 9:1-7; Mt 7:31-37, Mk 7:1-7) Jesus
went against the commonly held belief of the people of his
time. He told them that it was neither because of the person’s
sins or the sins of his parents that the person is born blind, or
crippled, or deaf-mute. And then to show that God has power
over sin and death, Jesus’ healed them.
God’s power was at work in Jesus. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus
entered and stood in the synagogue to proclaim his mission. Jesus
quoting the prophet Isaiah declared:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed
me to preach the good news to the poor, he has sent me to
proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to
the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to
proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.(Luke 4:17-21)
When Jesus was asks by the followers of John the baptiser (Cf. Mt
11:3-6)”Are you the one who is to come or should we look for
another?” Jesus answered them: “Go and tell John what you hear
and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the
good news proclaimed to them.”
As God’s incarnate Word, we can say that whatever Jesus
say or does embodies What God wants to say and to do for humans.
God’s dealing with us humans is one of creative love and self-giving
as shown by Jesus’ own creative self-giving to us. In fact we can say
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First Semester, 2o14-2015
Theology 3: Celebrating God’s Presence as a Christian Community [3]
Topic 7: The Church as God’s Comforter and Consoler; The Sacrament of
Anointing of the Sick as God’s Healing through Love, Care and Concern
that such divine self-giving shown through the life and ministry of
Jesus is what provides the most basic source of healing for us
humans. One striking revelation is quite clear in Jesus’ public
ministry: The Father is interested in healing the whole person; and
only God can heal. Only God can make humans whole again.
Healing and reconciliation is what God wills and desires for us
humans. Healing and Reconciliation is at the root of Jesus ministry.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that
“Christ’s compassion toward the sick and his many healings
of every kind of infirmity are a resplendent sign that God
has visited his people and that the kingdom of God is close
at hand. Jesus had the power to heal and to forgive sins. He
has come to heal the whole man, soul and body.”(CCC
#1503)
“Beyond Jesus action of bodily healing was his action of
healing people’s spirit; beyond his bodily feeding was the nourishing
of people’s lives as persons. Jesus wants to heal the whole person.
Jesus wants to make people whole again as persons created in the
image and likeness of God.” (De los Santos: 1986: 104) Jesus healing
is a sign that the kingdom of God has come. As a sacrament of Jesus
the church is also called and challenged to be a sacrament of the
coming of God’s kingdom of love, truth, justice, freedom and peace
on earth. What the church is and should be is to be a sign that God’s
kingdom has come and that healing and reconciliation are now
realities taking place in our ordinary everyday life in the world. The
church is called to be a sign of Christ’s love, comfort and consolation,
a sign of humans’ healing and reconciliation through the power of
God.

2. The Church-Community Believes: the God-in-Jesus Gave
the Power to Heal to the Church
The same power and authority to reconcile and to heal, Jesus
gave to his followers the church. The truth is that like Jesus we can
be spirit-filled healers. And like Jesus, we, Christians are called and
are challenge to heal one another through our service and love for
one another through the power of the spirit. Christians are called to
be healers, helping one another become whole again as persons. This
we can do through our active and sincere love, care, and concern for
others. As Christians, Jesus calls us to “forget ourselves, carry our
cross and follow him” (Mt 8:34) in our loving service to one another.
Only God’s love can heal. Such love is given to the church through
the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians must be motivated by a
genuine personal concern for people and must grow out of keen
sensitivity to people’s real need. Only when we take this reality
seriously and sincerely can we most fully “sacramentalize” the
divine concern for the ultimate well-being of every human. To do
this we can learn much from St. Vincent de Paul in his virtue of
meekness. Meekness is gentleness and approachability. It is the
capacity to endure people with forgiveness and courage. In the
words of St. Vincent de Paul himself “We ought to deal kindly with
all and to manifest those qualities which spring naturally from a
heart tender and full of Christian charity: affability, love and
humility.”
A lot of people need a lot of things. They may be people who
are close to us, “our neighbor.” brotherly Christian life demands that
we open our eyes and our hearts to reach out to them in brotherly
love, care and concern. They need to know and feel that there are
friends who understand and care; and who are willing to share to
them the faith that can give them hope and courage to carry on with
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First Semester, 2o14-2015
Theology 3: Celebrating God’s Presence as a Christian Community [4]
Topic 7: The Church as God’s Comforter and Consoler; The Sacrament of
Anointing of the Sick as God’s Healing through Love, Care and Concern
life in the midst of suffering and pain. No Christian should suffer
alone. No human should be left to the bitterness of suffering alone.
God has chosen to be a “God-with-us.” Christians who call God
Father/Mother and who look at his/her neighbors as brothers and
sisters cannot but sacramentalize God’s love, care and concern for
others.
3. The Church-Community Celebrates: The Healing Hand and
Power of God-in-Jesus
The focus of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is not
sickness. We don’t celebrate sickness. But sickness is used as a sign
in the sacrament because sickness is the most obvious sign of an
urgent human need and the most obvious sign that evokes people’s
love, care and concern for others. Imagine for example that your
classmate enters the classroom in crutches and his whole body
practically wrapped in bandage. And he has a very hard time
walking and moving. What will you do? What will be your reaction?
I guess you will rush to the aid of that classmate, lend him/her your
arms and shoulders for support and help the classmate to the chair.
Your reaction will be almost spontaneous and quick. Why is that so?
Because the need of your classmate is so obvious and so urgent: the
classmate needs help and support to be able to move and seat. Illness
and sickness challenges us to the deepest level of our being and
person. Illness and sickness evokes in us a deep human (and divine)
response of active and sincere love, care and concern for others. This
is what we celebrate in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick:
Christian love, care, and concern for others.
Different people have different needs. Some people’s needs
might not be as obvious as the need of that classmate in crutches.
Healing extends beyond purely bodily ailment. Healing people is a
 Theology 3: Celebrating God’s Presence as a Christian Community [5]
Topic 7: The Church as God’s Comforter and Consoler; The Sacrament of
Anointing of the Sick as God’s Healing through Love, Care and Concern

matter of nourishing life and healing must come from within. Most
peoples’ need for healing is not physical. Some need psychological
healing: restoring the capacity to hope, to believe, to trust, and to
love. Others need spiritual healing: freedom from guilt, remorse,
anger, hatred, desire for revenge or vengeance, and bitterness.
Whatever be the need, we as Christians are have the duty and
responsibility in love to minister to one another; to help heal one
another, to make each and every person we meet along the way
whole again.
Such responsibility is so important that the church choose to
consider love, care, and concern for others as a sacrament and to
celebrate them in the Sacrament of Anointing of the sick. Through
this sacrament the church’ extends the healing hand and power of
Christ to those who are sick, afflicted with illness, suffering from all
age and those near-death. The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
“unite the sick person to the passion of Christ, strengthen the person
to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness and old age,
forgiveness of sins, restoration of health if it is for the good of the
person, and prepares the person for passing over to eternal life.”
(CCC # 1532)
public ministry. All of us are called to live the spirit of the sacrament
of anointing of the sick. We are all called to love and serve the Lord
by serving our brothers and sisters, especially the poor, the sick and
every one in need. At the end it becomes the test of whether we are
authentic Christians or not. In the gospel of Mathew we read the
following:
“For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and
you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked
and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and
you visited me...Amen, I say to you whatever you did for
one of these least brothers(sisters) of mine, you did it for
me...
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty
and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no
welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in
prison and you did not care for me...Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not
do for me. And these will go off to eternal punishment, but
the righteous to eternal life.” (Mt 25: 35-46)

4. The Church-Community Lives/Loves: God-in-Jesus’ Active

Love, Care and Concern for Others

Christians are initiated into the church not only for their own Let us “ACT/PRAY”
sake but to be part of a community that carries on with the risen
Christ the work of bringing humanity to its destiny. Any authentic
Christian Ministry must be a continuation of what Jesus began in his
Assignment/Personal Project:
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First Semester, 2o14-2015
 Theology 3: Celebrating God’s Presence as a Christian Community [6]
Topic 7: The Church as God’s Comforter and Consoler; The Sacrament of
Anointing of the Sick as God’s Healing through Love, Care and Concern

Visit a relative or family member who is sick, suffering from

illness, old age or near-death. Bring some snacks or merienda for both
of you. Spend at least 1-2 hours with the person. Entertain the person
with your stories, song or other entertainment talent. Do your best to
make the other person happy.

Personal reflections:

Write a short reflection on your experience

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References:
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_______________________________________________________ Bausch, William J. A New Look at the Sacraments. Notre
_______________________________________________________ Dame, Indiana: Claretian,1997.
_________________________

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First Semester, 2o14-2015
 Theology 3: Celebrating God’s Presence as a Christian Community [7]
Topic 7: The Church as God’s Comforter and Consoler; The Sacrament of
Anointing of the Sick as God’s Healing through Love, Care and Concern

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2:00am
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 Theology 3: Celebrating God’s Presence as a Christian Community [8]
Topic 7: The Church as God’s Comforter and Consoler; The Sacrament of
Anointing of the Sick as God’s Healing through Love, Care and Concern

Maloney, Robert. The Way of St. Vincent de Paul. Virtue”. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press,
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Gabriel M. de los Santos

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Lessons for the Church From MacInthyre’s “After

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