The sacrament of the anointing of the sick in the catholic church

However, the Jewish religious movement has a slightly different point of view because they do not have sacrament per se, in as much as the ancient Greeks used oil in the anointing. Therefore, a study of the Catholic point of view and a counterargument from the Jewish standpoint gives an outline of how the anointing of the sick is regarded amongst the Catholics and the Jewish people. A sacrament is a ritual or ceremony, which is religious and is considered to embrace divine grace. 1 The Catholic doctrine stipulates that when an individual becomes sick they are bound to undergo the anointing. This ensures that they get strength, courage, and peace during their difficult moments of being unhealthy. The anointing of sick was not really carried out as much as the Catholics do.

The Old Testament of the Bible can greatly give an account of the Jewish anointing of the kings and those who were sick with a good example being the cleansing of the leper. The Jewish religious movement has a special prayer called the Mi Shebeirach that is recited in the synagogue whenever people get sick. This clearly contrasts with the Catholics belief of conducting an anointing of the sick. They strongly believe that this prayer has an impact on the state of health of the affected person and that it offers divine intervention to the ill or those who may need divine grace. An example of discipline, on the other hand, is saying the Mass in Latin. This is something that is bound to change depending on the prevailing circumstances.

Disciplines are often set by the church authority to offer guidance to the Catholic believers in their journey as Christians. 3 The Catholic doctrine has developed over the centuries to become one of the most adhered to, with over 1. 1 billion believers across the world. According to the scripture in the Old Testament, anointing of the sick is an act that was very commonly used by the Christians at that time. In the book of Leviticus 14:14-18 the scripture talks about the anointing of the leper. These Bible verses explain the procedures that priests in those would follow to ensure a leper was cleansed. This is biblical evidence that the anointing of the sick by the Catholics is based on Christian beliefs. The New Testament also has enough proof to back the Catholic doctrine on matters regarding anointing the sick people.

From this book it can be deduced that anointing the sick helps in conveying fortitude, peace, and also it aids in strengthening the Holy Spirit against temptation, discouragement, and anxiety. The presence of all these pieces of evidence in the Bible confirm the idea that the Catholic doctrine is worth adhering to for the Christian believers, to some extent, because there is proof that even Old and New Testaments in the Bible witnessed a period where this act was very important. The Jewish Religious Movement, however, does not put too much concentration on anointing the sick because they have a different means they attend to the ill persons, as is going to be discussed later in this paper. Much of the activities carried out using the anointing oil under the Jewish Religious Movement ought to be in respect with the ascending to power by a king.

They believe that when a king is taking over the duty to rule people the act of anointing is a way of blessing that individual so that as they take on the responsibility of ruling others they execute their mandate in the best way possible. The Old Testament proves that the Jewish beliefs in the prayer for healing is effective. 7 In the book of 1 Samuel chapter 16, the anointment of David is talked about. This only serves to further prove that the Jewish Religious Movement values the anointing of kings more than it does the anointing of the sick. Contrary to the Catholics, Jews find an anointing to be more essential in cases where a king has to take over the mantle of leadership.

In David’s case, he went on to fight Goliath and win the battle. A relative may be called upon in honor of the diseased. For complicated diseases, the prayer is said before and after surgery has been performed. Therefore, it is clear that the Jewish Religious Movement is more inclined to, doing a special prayer for the sick than performing an anointing. In defense of the Catholic doctrine, those who believe in the anointing of the sick urge that it is an ordained act and stems from the practices that are recommended by God through His word in the Bible. The Mi Shebeirach prayer, on the other hand, cannot be traced as such in the Bible in as much as the anointing of kings is present in the same holy book.

The New Testament, on the other hand, anointing the sick with oil is something that was very common and this is in line with the Catholics’ beliefs. In Mark 6:12 and 13, Jesus Christ sent his twelve disciples out to g and preach the message of repentance and they anointed the sick with oil, who consequently, recovered. In the Book of James 5:14, the Bible reassures believers that the anointing of the oil on the sick people, with the help of the elders’ prayers, actually heals. This version of events of the New Testament rhymes with what the Catholics believe and practice. In as much as there is a slight difference between the way the healing happened in the Old and New Testaments, the point remains that in both cases God is the common divine power who the human beings seek when in need of healing.