Mass for the Sick
Mass for the Sick is an authorized Mass for Various Needs in which the Church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice and prays particularly for those who are ill.
Prayer for the sick
The Roman Missal provides a Mass formulary for the sick among the Masses for Various Needs and Occasions. Its prayers ask God for strength, consolation, patience, recovery according to providence, and salvation. The formulary may be chosen when the calendar and liturgical law permit, especially when a real pastoral need gathers the faithful in prayer.[1]
A priest may apply any Mass for a sick person even when the special formulary cannot be used. The intention and the choice of liturgical texts are distinct. The Church asks confidently for bodily healing while entrusting the manner of God's answer to divine wisdom and giving first place to union with Christ and eternal salvation.[2]
Relation to Anointing
Mass for the Sick does not by itself administer the Anointing of the Sick. Anointing is a distinct sacrament for baptized members of the faithful who begin to be in danger due to sickness or old age, and it may be repeated when the person recovers and again becomes seriously ill or when the danger becomes more grave.[3]
When pastoral circumstances and the rites permit, Anointing may be celebrated within Mass. The sacrament must be administered individually by a priest with blessed oil and the proper sacramental form; a generalized invitation, emotional atmosphere, or prayer service cannot replace the Church's sacramental conditions.
References
- Back to citation General Instruction of the Roman Missal, chapter VIII — Norms for Masses for Various Needs and Occasions.
- Back to citation Instruction on Prayers for Healing — Doctrinal and disciplinary norms for liturgical prayers seeking healing.
- Back to citation Catechism: Anointing of the Sick — Purpose, recipients, celebration, and effects of the sacrament.