And the fever left her

The other day I had gone to the hospital to visit a woman who a heart attack hat morning.  One of the daughters was there, and was very anxious concerning her mother.  She decided to call her sister and have her come to the hospital too.  Listening to the conversation I heard the first woman implore her sister to come to the hospital, "Father is here to give mom 'the last rite.'"  Then for the next several minutes she tried to calm her sister who now believed that death was imminent. 

Despite our best catechesis we still use terminology that does not exist.  We have no problem using words like, 'car.' 'cell phone,' 'laptop,' but we still reach into the far away history to describe a rite which the Church has seen as part of it's healing ministry.   The introduction to the sacrament says it best as it instruct us from St. James, "Are there sick among you, send for the priests of the Church..."  More so as Jesus sends his disciples out on mission, healing the sick is one of the basic instructions that they are given.

Sadly we have relegated this Sacrament to the end of ones life.  In today's Gospel, after a day of teaching, preaching, and sanctifying, Jesus and the Apostles are going to Peter's house.  We are told that Peter points out the fact that his mother-in-law has been sick.  There is a great amount of trust and openness that is shown here.  But this is what communities of faith do.  With faith and confidence in Jesus Christ they bring to him the sick, suffering, anxious, and afraid.  They believe that Jesus can and does bring healing to people/

The early Church also understood this remarkable care that Jesus left for the Church.  The Church continued to pray with, anoint, and pray over the sick and elderly.  The revised ritual insists that this is not an 'end of life' ritual but an action that can be repeated throughout an infirmity. 

The sacraments continue to be signs of God's love for us through Jesus Christ.  God does not desire sickness and brokenness to drive us o despair, so it is through these rituals we are brought healing through the ongoing saving action of Jesus.  Remember though:  there is no such thing as 'Last Rites.'