Comments on: Anointing Someone Just Baptized?

By: Dylan

Dylan — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:35:32 +0000

Our canon law professor pointed out, as some of us noticed, that this response was from the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith and not the Holy Office. This may be an example, then, of tutiorism, that is, in a doubtful situation do the safer thing.

Certainly, the effect of Anointing to strengthen one against temptations at the final hour could be beneficial here.

In terms of current practice, I don’t know of anything that spells it out definitively.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:26:49 +0000

Josh: Wow, 5 sacraments in an hour, is there a better way to go to the Father’s house?

Dylan: I would say baptism, followed by confirmation, they followed by the continuous rite of anointing which would include viaticum.

By: Josh Miller

Josh Miller — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:48:53 +0000

I’m not much of a canonist yet, but I do have an answer from sacramental theology.

From my understanding, the answer to your question is yes, certainly. As a matter of fact, this happened in my internship parish late last month; the guy was baptized, confirmed, received first communion, anointed, and then married, one after another, in about an hour. Heck of a day.

It’d be improper if all Anointing did was forgive sins, or if this was its primary effect. But the forgiveness of sins is a kind of secondary grace, and not the primary effect of the sacrament (which, as you know, can be conditional). As our friend the Catechism points out, the actual effect of Anointing is “the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church” (1525) healing the person spiritually and, by God’s will, physically. So its really this healing action which differentiates it from baptism.

Hope all is well down there.