Edward McNamara, LC
(ZENIT News / Rome, 06.01.2025).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and sacramental theology and director of the Sacerdos Institute at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: Recently, a parishioner approached me for a blessing with the oil of the sick as he was traveling abroad. I had to catechize him that this oil is reserved only for the gravely ill, the elderly, those facing serious medical surgery or those who are on their death bed. The parishioner kept on harping on the fact that some old priests in the parish used to bless with oil those people who were going for a long journey. Could you throw some light on the matter? — S.T., Mumbai, India
A: I have been unable to verify the possibility that certain local customs did exist that allowed for anointed people about to undertake a long journey or an emigration.
I can state that neither the Roman Ritual in place before the Second Vatican Council nor the current Book of Blessings foresees the use of anointing as part of the ritual blessing for those about to depart on a pilgrimage or on a long journey.
But there were some sources that suggested the possibility of this usage in several non-sacramental situations.
With respect to the holy oils blessed by the bishop during the Chrism Mass, there are clear indications regarding their use issued by bishops’ conferences and individual dioceses all over the world. These all have some version of the following norm:
“The oils are NOT to be employed for non-sacramental use. The holy oils which must be renewed each year are for sacramental use only. They are sacred and should be treated with dignity and respect and not be subjected to nonsacramental uses.”
By “sacramental use” should be understood use for the administration of the sacraments such as anointing of the sick and confirmation but also employed as part of other liturgical rites such as anointing the hands of a priest during ordination or upon the altar during the consecration of a church.
In the light of the above, it is clear that the oil of the sick may not be used in the context of other blessings under any circumstances whatsoever.
If someone were about to embark on a long journey to receive necessary medical assistance, then the sacrament of the anointing of the sick could be administered as warranted.
There are other kinds of blessed oils which are blessed by priests for use in popular piety using the formulas in the Book of Blessings. These are sacramentals in the same way as holy water, blessed salt, medals and crucifixes.
We usually find two types of these blessed oils.
There are blessed oils associated with shrines and saints, such as the Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto in Italy, the Shrine of Our Lady of Laus in southeastern France, and the blessed Oil of St. Genesius of Arles.
This custom of blessing oil in honor of certain saints seems to have emerged from the practice of lighting oil lamps at the tombs of the martyrs and saints. These lamps were maintained in honor of the saint, and large sums of money were often donated as votive offerings to keep them burning.
Sometimes this oil would have been placed in the lamps at the tomb for a period of time before being distributed to pilgrims or sent to the sick who were unable to come in person to the shrine.
In some cases, the oil associated with certain saints became associated with the healing of specific illness. Although many were moved by sincere faith, a certain degree of superstition cannot be totally excluded.
Likewise, one must be wary of Internet sites offering such blessed oil for sale. It must be remembered that, in accordance with canon law, any blessed object loses its blessing the moment it is subject to a commercial transaction.
The second type comprises oils which are blessed by a priest using the rite in the Book of Blessings for devotional purposes.
In 2021 the bishops of Southern Africa offered the following pointers:
“As a sacramental, the blessed oil indicates strengthening, protection and healing similar to holy water.
“When blessing the oil, the prayer of blessing recommended by the conference is found below. The oil thus blessed will be brought to the level of other sacramentals such as medals, crucifixes and holy water which have their own blessing formulas.
“It will be necessary and important to instruct people that the oil thus blessed by the priest or bishop is for them to use on themselves or within their families.
“In the case of healing liturgies when the Oil of the Sick is not used by the priest, oil can be blessed using the same formula as below. The priest using it has the responsibility of catechizing the people in terms of the reasons why on that particular occasion blessed oil and not the Oil of the Sick is being used.
“In the main the reason is that the oil for the Sacrament of the Sick is used to confer the sacrament on those who are physically ill, whereas healing liturgies invite people with all kinds of ailments, physical, mental, emotional, to come to be prayed over and anointed with the blessed oil. Holy water, blessed salt, blessed candles, and incense could also be used as alternatives in such prayer rituals.
“This blessed oil is also used in circumstances of deliverance as holy water would be used.
“Groups such as Youth Encounter in Spirit (YES), Education for Life and others coming from a charismatic background, using the blessed oil, are asked to understand that the bishops are from now on limiting the blessing and use of this blessed oil to priests alone.
“The promotion and use of holy water is an alternative to blessed oil, and equivalent to it.
“There is a special prayer provided for the blessing of ordinary oil and it is to be used by a priest when blessing oil at someone’s request.
“The priest, after blessing the oil, will anoint the person with a simple sign of the cross on the forehead, in silence, and entrust the oil to the person for his/her own use, or for use in the family.
“He reminds the person that this oil is only a sacramental which points to the much more important encounter with Christ the healer in the sacraments of confession and holy communion.
“The bishops also desire that blessed oil be used by the priest or a number of priests at pilgrimage sites where large numbers of the faithful are gathered whose needs for healing are much wider than physical illness which is the reason for the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.”
The above guidelines that limit the use of anointing to bishops and priests is, among other things, a practical application of an official stance of the Holy See. In the inter-dicasterial instruction, «On Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of the Priest» (1997), Article 9 states:
«The non-ordained faithful particularly assist the sick by being with them in difficult moments, encouraging them to receive the Sacraments of Penance and the Anointing of the Sick, by helping them to have the disposition to make a good individual confession as well as to prepare them to receive the Anointing of the Sick. In using sacramentals, the non-ordained faithful should ensure that these are in no way regarded as sacraments whose administration is proper and exclusive to the bishop and to the priest. Since they are not priests, in no instance may the non-ordained perform anointings either with the Oil of the Sick or any other oil.»
That said, however, what the above pastoral pointers say regarding the use of other oils could be used by our priest correspondent from India to respond to his parishioner’s desires.
He could first bless oil using the formula found in the Book of Blessings and then use this blessed oil to anoint his parishioner after having imparted the special blessing for those about to undertake a journey.
The Book of Blessings issued in various countries has slightly different arrangements according to the pastoral needs of each place. In the U.S. version the “Order for the Blessing of Travelers” is found in Chapter 9 pages 271-278. The “Order for the Blessing of Food or Drink or Other Elements Connected with Devotion” is found in Chapter 59, pages 751-759.
It is necessary to ensure that the recipient of the blessing is aware that he or she is receiving a sacramental and not a sacrament and that the blessed oil is not that of the anointing of the sick.
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Readers may send questions to [email protected]. Please put the word «Liturgy» in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the great number of questions that arrive.
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