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Esther
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Kansas City, Kansas USA |
| Posts: | 144 |
| First Name: | Esther | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist to Roman Catholic 11/26/06 |
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Posted: Tue May 15th, 2007 02:21 pm |
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| I was reading in the CC about when you can have this sacrament, but the part that I was confused about was major surgery. I am having surgery in a couple weeks, and although this is not a complicated surgery and only an overnight stay I was wondering if I could have the sacrament. I definitely do not want to if it isn't serious enough, but it would be kind of nice to have with the ramifications this surgery may possibly have on my life. I think it would help give me peace of mind. I feel very selfish asking this, because I know there are many people that are much worse off then me and I am worrying about this kind of surgery. I'm trying to offer it up, but I guess I just don't do it well. Sorry I am ranting now...
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2034 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Tue May 15th, 2007 02:35 pm |
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Esther, all surgery is invasive and potentially dangerous. People have died having their tonsils out. It is not a “kind of nice” thing to receive a sacrament, but something vital to your eternal well-being. If you have any doubt about your situation, consult a priest.
David
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Esther
Member
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Kansas City, Kansas USA |
| Posts: | 144 |
| First Name: | Esther | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist to Roman Catholic 11/26/06 |
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Posted: Tue May 15th, 2007 02:57 pm |
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David W. Emery wrote: Esther, all surgery is invasive and potentially dangerous. People have died having their tonsils out. It is not a “kind of nice” thing to receive a sacrament, but something vital to your eternal well-being. If you have any doubt about your situation, consult a priest.
David
Ok thanks... I didn't mean to put "kind of nice" so flippantly, I guess I didn't think about the possibility of death with this surgery. I'm trying not to allow myself to get panicked over it. But I see your point, I will go to the next Mass that has it. Yes I probably should have asked my priest, but getting a hold of him is next to impossible (no fault of his own... just very busy). Thanks for explaining it though. Makes a lot more sense when you put it like that. 
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5310 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Tue May 15th, 2007 03:27 pm |
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Esther wrote: David W. Emery wrote: Esther, all surgery is invasive and potentially dangerous. People have died having their tonsils out. It is not a “kind of nice” thing to receive a sacrament, but something vital to your eternal well-being. If you have any doubt about your situation, consult a priest.
Ok thanks... I didn't mean to put "kind of nice" so flippantly, I guess I didn't think about the possibility of death with this surgery. I'm trying not to allow myself to get panicked over it. But I see your point, I will go to the next Mass that has it. Yes I probably should have asked my priest, but getting a hold of him is next to impossible (no fault of his own... just very busy). Thanks for explaining it though. Makes a lot more sense when you put it like that.
The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (from Vatican II) sets the basis for celebration of the sacrament:
73. "Extreme unction," which may also and more fittingly be called "anointing of the sick," is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as any one 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.
Canon law envisions the sacrament for any serious illness:
1004 The anointing of the sick can be administered to a member of the faithful who, having reached the use of reason, begins to be in danger due to sickness or old age.
The Catechism clarifies further in 1515:
It is fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation.
So the only real questions are (a) have you reached the age of reason, and (b) is the operation serious? Medically, I believe "major surgery" is anything that requires general anesthesia or is invasive. Especially with the current propensity to staph infections in hospitals, I believe any use of a scalpel is pretty serious.
Canon 1003 further specifies:
All priests to whom the care of souls has been entrusted have the duty and right of administering the anointing of the sick for the faithful entrusted to their pastoral office.
So if you consider the surgery "serious" (and you do or you wouldn't ask), your priest has a duty to administer the sacrament. Shortly before your surgery is scheduled, you may ask any priest to administer the sacrament, or simply approach him after mass and tell him you're getting ready to have surgery and would like to be anointed. If your hospital has a Catholic priest as chaplain, he may perform the anointing; if a deacon, he can arrange it for you. The Anointing of the Sick, especially in connection with confession, forgives sins and remits temporal punishment, so it is better to wait until as close to your surgery as possible.
If the surgery is the result of an ongoing serious health condition, and if the surgery will not be scheduled right away, it is not inappropriate to attend a healing mass and be anointed for the illness, and then request the sacrament again just prior to the surgery.
Keep in mind also that the condition and/or the surgery do not have to be immediately life-threatening. Advanced age or chronic, serious health conditions such as diabetes, lung or circulatory problems, etc., are all sufficient to request the Anointing of the Sick. The Constitution quoted above says when a member 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." So any condition which may ultimately lead to death, even if many years in the future, makes one a candidate for the anointing.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2034 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Tue May 15th, 2007 03:55 pm |
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cajunrick wrote:Any condition which may ultimately lead to death, even if many years in the future, makes one a candidate for the anointing.
This is true. My wife suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, and she was anointed several years ago simply because the disease is in fact terminal, even if the person should continue to live for many years. I felt that it was better for her to receive the sacrament at a time when she at least had some consciousness of its significance and was still able to repent of her sins and respond by reciting the prayers rather than waiting until she was too far gone to know what was happening.
David
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Darlene
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 868 |
| First Name: | Darlene | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Christian, trusting His love and forgiveness |
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Posted: Wed May 16th, 2007 04:34 pm |
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What would considered the age of reason? Why is this needed for the anointing of the sick? If a young child or baby is sick, can the parents or guardians ask for extreme unction for their child?
Darlene
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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5310 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Wed May 16th, 2007 06:00 pm |
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Darlene wrote: What would considered the age of reason? Why is this needed for the anointing of the sick? If a young child or baby is sick, can the parents or guardians ask for extreme unction for their child?
The age of reason is generally considered to be around 7, which is the age of First Penance and First Communion. Prior to that time, children are not capable of serious (mortal) sin. Remember the three conditions necessary for a mortal sin: It must be a grave evil that the sinner commits willingly and knowingly. A younger child is not capable of knowing that something is gravely evil and doing it willingly.
Anointing of the Sick (along with Penance for those who are conscious) forgives sin. Like Penance, it is not needed for those who have not reached the age of reason.
No, children who have not reached the age of reason will not be anointed under normal circumstances. If a family is insistant, a priest might well perform the anointing as a form of healing for the parents, even though he knows full well there will be no real effect for the child, just as hearing the child's confession might reassure the parents but would be meaningless from a sacramental standpoint. "Age of reason" leaves a little wiggle room for a priest to anoint a younger child. He should also administer the Sacrament of Confirmation, First Penance and First Eucharist, if the child is old enough to be anointed (say, an extremely mature five or six year old). Church law allows this discretion:
Can. 1005 This sacrament is to be administered in a case of doubt whether the sick person has attained the use of reason, is dangerously ill, or is dead.
I have been present during an anointing when the patient clearly died in the middle of the sacrament. The priest completed the rite, and properly so.
As for "Extreme Unction" that means "Last Anointing" and refers to an earlier time when the sacrament was reserved only to those in immediate danger of death. At one time priests earned their living by charging for sacraments, so the anointing was reserved until the last possible moments of life, and that became the customary time of administration. Thank God the Church no longer waits until the last moments to offer the healing strength of the anointing (and no longer charges for sacraments!), so the names "Extreme Unction" and "Last rites" should never be used because they imply that the sacrament should not be requested until the last moments. The proper term is "Anointing of the Sick".
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5310 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sat May 19th, 2007 05:41 pm |
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Esther wrote: I was reading in the CC about when you can have this sacrament, but the part that I was confused about was major surgery.
I have done some research in the Ritual, and it actually says that the Anointing of the Sick is appropriate for those about to undergo surgery if it is the result of a serious illness. Elective surgery not due to a serious illness, such as cosmetic surgery, lap band surgery, etc., would not qualify, but any surgery that is the result of a serious illness, does qualify.
For example, I would think (purely my opionion) that removing the tonsils of a child would not qualify for the Anointing, while removing the tonsils of an adult would. The later is a more serious procedure caused by a more serious illness. The former is more routine due to the immaturity of the child, faster healing, differences in bone structure, etc. Likewise, surgery to repair a broken bone in a child is a much less serious procedure than the same surgery in an elderly person.
So it is a judgement call. If in doubt, ask your priest.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Ray2007
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| Joined: | Fri May 11th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 8 |
| First Name: | Xpi | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Sun May 20th, 2007 07:05 am |
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| It is perfectly fine and appropriate to ask for this sacrament prior to surgery.
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