Article II: On the Constitutive Parts

S. Th., Suppl., q. 29, a. 4-9; q. 32, a. 5-7.

692. The remote matter of Extreme Unction is oil blessed by a bishop, as the Council of Florence and the Council of Trent, c. 1, have it.

1. Oil, as is clear from the testimony of James and from tradition and the practice of the Church, and indeed oil of olives, for "oil is not properly said except of olive oil" (a. 4).

St. Thomas shows the fittingness:

"The spiritual healing which is applied at the end must be perfect, because after it no other remains; and gentle, so that hope, which is most necessary to those departing, may not be broken, but fostered. But oil is soothing and penetrative even to the inner parts, and also diffusive. And therefore as to both of the aforesaid things it is fitting matter of this sacrament. And because the liquor of the olive is principally named oil, while other liquors receive the name of oil only from likeness to it, therefore olive oil also must be that which is assumed as the matter of this sacrament" (a. 4).

2. Blessed, of which a threefold reason is assigned:

"The first is because every efficacy of the sacraments descends from Christ. And therefore those sacraments which he himself used have efficacy from his own use; as by the touch of his flesh he conferred regenerating power upon the waters. But he did not use this sacrament, nor any bodily anointing; and therefore in all anointings the sanctification of the matter is required.

"The second is on account of the fullness of grace which is conferred, not only that it may take away fault, but also the remnants of fault and the infirmity of the body.

"The third is from the fact that its bodily effect, namely, bodily healing, is not caused from a natural property of the matter; and therefore it is necessary that this efficacy be given to it through sanctification" (a. 5).

3. By a bishop, so that otherwise the sacrament cannot validly be administered, as the Holy Office says, Jan. 13, 1665, nor in a case of necessity can oil be blessed by a priest, as it has, Sept. 14, 1842. Nevertheless a priest can be specially delegated from apostolic authority to bless oil, even through the mediation of a bishop, as Clement VIII approved for the Greek Church (Aug. 31, 1595), and Benedict XIV confirmed, Const. Etsi pastoralis, May 26, 1742, and now the Code, can. 945.

St. Thomas shows the fittingness, a. 6: The "efficacy of a sacrament is first from Christ, and from him descends to others in order, namely, to the people through the mediation of ministers who dispense the sacraments, and to lower ministers through the mediation of superiors who sanctify the matter. And therefore in all sacraments which need sanctified matter, the first sanctification of the matter is done by a bishop, and the use sometimes by a priest, so that priestly power may be shown to be derived from episcopal power."

4. Indeed, probably, with a special blessing, namely, blessed for this (can. 945).

Yet in a case of necessity, if this special oil is lacking, it is lawful to use another oil, but one blessed by a bishop, such as the oil of catechumens or sacred chrism; but under condition.

693. The proximate matter is the anointing of the body of the sick person made with blessed oil. One anointing on the head or another principal part suffices for the essence of the sacrament and for validity, at least if the words of the form are general and not restricted to one or another bodily sense, as is now certain from can. 947; it is also implied by James, who requires only the presbyters anointing the sick man with oil; and it is clear from history, since in various times and in various regions there has been very great diversity concerning the number or place in the anointings. Yet other anointings, which in diverse rituals are prescribed for diverse Churches, pertain to the integrity of the sacrament and to the fuller signification of the sacramental sign.

1. Many also invoke the response of the Holy Office, Apr. 25, 1906: "in a case of necessity the form suffices: Through this holy anointing may the Lord forgive you whatever you have sinned. Amen." But the response is directly about the form: the aforesaid suffices, and it is not necessary to add: through the senses, or through sight... enumerating the individual senses; - it is not about the matter. Namely, in a case of necessity in which there is only time for making one anointing, the form stated is declared to be the one to be used. But it was not yet said that one anointing certainly sufficed for validity.

In the Latin Church anointings are made on the exterior senses, the fittingness of which St. Thomas shows, q. 32, a. 5 and 6:

"This sacrament is exhibited by way of healing. But bodily healing need not be made by medicine applied to the whole body, but to those parts where the root of the disease is. And therefore also sacramental anointing must be made only on those parts in which there is the root of spiritual infirmity... The principles of sinning in us are three: the first is directing, namely, the cognitive power; the second is commanding, namely, the appetitive power; the third is executing, namely, the motive power. But all our knowledge takes its origin from sense. And because where the first origin of sin is in us, there medicine must be applied, therefore the places of the five senses are anointed, namely: the eyes on account of sight, the ears on account of hearing, the nostrils on account of smell, the mouth on account of taste, the hands on account of touch, which flourishes especially in the tips of the fingers; and on account of the appetitive power the loins are anointed by some, but the feet are anointed on account of the motive power, of which they are the more principal instrument. And because the first principle of human operation is cognitive, therefore that anointing which is made at the five senses is observed by all, as if of the necessity of the sacrament; but some observe other anointings, while others observe that which is made at the feet, and not that at the loins, because the appetitive and motive powers are secondary principles."

In practice: 1) In a case of necessity let there be made "a single anointing in one sense, or more correctly on the forehead, with the prescribed shorter form" (can. 947); a case of necessity can be either on the part of the sick person because of death altogether imminent, or on the part of the minister because of danger of contagion, or from lack of time because of a multitude of sick persons, or on the part of the sacrament because of danger of profanation.

2. Nevertheless, if it is possible, the other anointings must be added under grave obligation, because they pertain to the integrity of the sacrament, and indeed absolutely, not under condition (Holy Office, Mar. 9, 1917); whence in can. 947 it is added: "with the obligation remaining of supplying the individual anointings when the danger has ceased," that is, when the reason because of which the sacrament was ministered under the shorter rite has ceased.

3. According to recent prescriptions, "the anointing of the loins is always to be omitted; the anointing of the feet can be omitted for any reasonable cause" (can. 947, § 2 and 3).

1. It should be noted that St. Thomas does not affirm that the anointing of the five senses is necessary, but that it is observed as if it were necessary.

4. As to the mutilated, "they must be anointed as near as possible to those parts on which the anointing should have been made; because although they do not have the members, nevertheless they have the powers of the soul, which are owed to those members, at least in their root, and they can sin interiorly through those things which pertain to those parts, although not exteriorly" (q. 32, a. 7). Likewise, if someone lacks the use of a sense, or even has always lacked it, nevertheless he is to be anointed in it.

694. The form is essentially deprecative, as is clear both from the words of James, in which the words: let them pray and prayer, from their native sense and from the context (v. 13 and 16), indicate prayer strictly so called; and from the nature of the sacrament, which seems to be nothing other than the commending of the sick person into the hands of divine mercy (q. 29, a. 8). Hence the form must be deprecative either expressly or at least equivalently, so that if grammatically and materially it is enunciative or imperative, nevertheless from the very tenor of the words, or from added words, or from the circumstances, it is recognized to be formally deprecative as to sense.

At diverse times and in diverse Churches there has been great diversity of forms, and several are found to be enunciative, optative, imperative, or mixed. This is easily understood from the fact that Christ did not wholly determine the sacrament. Hence can. 937: "the sacrament must be conferred through sacred anointings, with oil of olives duly blessed being used, and through the words prescribed in the ritual books approved by the Church."

In the Latin Church, according to the Roman Ritual, tit. 5, c. 1, n. 20, the form now to be used is: Through this holy anointing and his most loving mercy may the Lord forgive you whatever you have sinned through sight (hearing, smell, taste and speech, touch, walking). Amen. Of this St. Thomas says, a. 9:

"It is a fitting form of this sacrament, because a) it touches the sacrament in this, that it says: through this holy anointing; and b) that which works in the sacrament, namely, divine mercy; and c) the effect, namely, the remission of sins."

The shorter form, according to the Ritual, n. 21, to be used in a case of necessity, is: Through this holy anointing may the Lord forgive you whatever you have sinned. Amen. Here these are certainly essential: may the Lord forgive you whatever you have sinned, which indicate the principal effect of the sacrament.

695. Observations on the requisites for liceity. - 1. The oil to be used in the Latin Church must be pure, for, says St. Thomas, "it is not necessary that balsam be placed in the matter of this sacrament, because balsam, on account of odor, pertains to goodness of reputation, which henceforth those departing do not need on account of themselves, but they need only the brightness of conscience, which is signified by oil" (a. 4, ad 1). Nor is wine to be mixed with oil, because "wine heals by biting, but oil by soothing; and therefore healing through wine pertains more to penance than to this sacrament" (ad 2). Formerly, however, in certain Churches a little balsam was mixed with the oil; among certain Orientals there is still in force the use of mixing a little water or wine.

2. The oil must be blessed in the same year; yet in a case of necessity old oil can be used. But if it is foreseen that its quantity will be insufficient, unblessed oil can be added, even repeatedly, but always in a lesser quantity (can. 734 and Rit., tit. 5, c. 1, n. 3).

3. The oil to be used must be sufficient for anointing the sick person; for this, however, a great quantity is not required, because oil of itself is diffusive. Yet oil dripped upon the senses does not suffice, but the sick person is to be anointed. For greater security the thumb is to be dipped in oil for the individual senses.

4. The anointing is to be made with the right thumb, in the manner of a cross, on each organ, beginning from the right; the order prescribed in the Ritual being observed; and the priest should take care not to finish the form before he has anointed both paired members (Rit., n. 18). But on the mouth, or on compressed lips, only one anointing is to be made.

5. Outside a case of necessity, the anointings are to be made by the very hand of the minister, with no instrument used (can. 947, § 4); therefore the use of a brush or a little cloth is prohibited.

6. Even in the Latin Church there can be a legitimate special rite of ministering Extreme Unction. Thus in the Order of Preachers, for anointing a sick brother, as is found in the Processional according to the rite of the said Order.

696. Corollary. - As in the other sacraments, three things can be distinguished in Extreme Unction:

1. The sacrament only, or the external sign which signifies and is not signified, and this is the anointing made with oil duly blessed together with the prescribed words of the form.

2. The reality which does not signify but is only signified, namely, grace itself relieving and strengthening the soul and wiping away the remnants of sins, as will be explained in the following Question.

3. Reality and sacrament, which is signified by the external sign and at the same time signifies grace; and this is, says St. Thomas, "a certain interior devotion, which is a spiritual anointing," q. 30, a. 3, ad 3. These words do not seem to be understood of an act of devotion which is elicited by the sick person, but of the passive devotion by which the sick person is devoted by the minister to the kindness of God, or of the consignation by which he is placed back into the hands of divine mercy. Others, however, understand them of relief itself or strengthening, but this seems to be a mere reality which signifies nothing further; others hold for the strengthening of the body, but this is still less true, because that effect is only secondary and therefore derived from the principal one.