Grim Reaper or Miracle Max

Seeing the full effects of the Anointing of the Sick

08/23/2024

Ez 37:1-14 The hand of the LORD came upon me, and led me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the center of the plain, which was now filled with bones. How dry they were! He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come to life? I answered, “Lord GOD, you alone know that.” Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life. Then the LORD said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life. Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel.

Probably the most underrated of the seven sacraments is Anointing of the Sick. Everyone loves to receive Baptism, and come to Holy Communion, and of course Holy Matrimony. But everyone dreads the Anointing of the Sick. You know, sometimes when I visit a patient at the hospital and people see me walking by, their worried looks seems to say: “Oh no, some poor soul is about to leave this earth. There goes the Grim Reaper!” And there’s some truth to that because the traditional name for the Anointing of the Sick is Extreme Unction or “Last Rites.” So, you had to be practically on your deathbed to receive it.

But that is not the case today. The purpose of the Anointing of the Sick is to provide healing and hope, strength and peace. For example, earlier this week I anointed a man who had some serious heart issues. His calcium levels were extremely high, so he was going to the Heart Hospital in Little Rock for a heart catheterization. After the procedure yesterday, though, his wife texted me very excited to report, “Great news! I just spoke to the doctor and Kevin has NO BLOCKAGE!”

She sent another text a little later to add: “The doctor told me that is not what he was expecting at all and was pleasantly surprised.” And by the way, that is not the first time the Anointing of the Sick has resulted in a miraculous healing. So don’t call me the “Grim Reaper,” instead call me “Miracle Max,” from the movie “The Princess Bride,” who healed the Dread Pirate Roberts who was only “mostly dead.” The Anointing of the Sick, therefore, is a sacrament of peace and strength, healing and hope.

Today’s first reading is taken from the marvelous 37th chapter of Ezekiel and I believe it can shed a lot of light on the Anointing of the Sick. Ezekiel beholds a valley of dry bones, and he wonders if there is any hope of recovery for those bones. And like Miracle Max, God answers, “See, I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.” And so it happens: the bones are brought back to life.

But then God says to Ezekiel: “Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit…come O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.” Such prophesying is exactly what the priest does when he extends his hands over the sick persons’ head. He calls forth the life-giving Holy Spirit into the sick person.

That is what I did (imitating Ezekiel) last Tuesday evening with Kevin Hesslen when I laid my hands on his head. In other words, the priest who administers the Anointing of the Sick is not like the Grim Reaper coming to cut down a human life. But rather like Miracle Max who sees people as “only mostly dead,” and announcing how the Holy Spirit can restore us to life.

Now, even though the Anointing of the Sick sometimes produces a miracle of physical healing, it nonetheless retains its chief purpose, namely, to prepare us for eternal life. That is, there is healing with a small “h” and then there is Healing with a capital “H”. What do I mean?

Well, every time someone is healed, like Kevin was of his heart issue, we know that there will be some other health crisis to face in the future. Such healing is temporary, a stop-gap measure, we’re just stemming the hemorrhage for a while. Sometimes I am called to the hospital when a patient is about to die and I administer Extreme Unction, the Last Rites.

But that tear-filled moment is when our eyes of faith should open as wide as possible in order to see the ultimate Healing (with a capital H). Like Ezekiel prophesied as well: “Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I hope your graves and have you rise from them, O my people!” That ultimately Healing will occur on the great day of resurrection when God will raise our bodies from our graves.

In other words, true healing is not when we enjoy earthly life, but when we finally enjoy eternal life. And that is the really healing wrought by the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and how it gives peace and strength to those who suffer. Put differently, the Anointing of the Sick transforms the Grim Reaper into Miracle Max.

Praised be Jesus Christ!