In July Pope Francis July, Pope Francis asks to pray for “the pastoral care of the sick,” so that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick may give those who receive it and their loved ones the strength of the Lord.
In a video, the Pope explains that the Anointing of the Sick “is not a sacrament only for those about to die.”
He then says, “when the priest approaches a person to give him the Anointing of the Sick, he is not necessarily helping him to say goodbye to life.”
According to the Holy Father, “thinking like this is giving up all hope” and also “taking for granted that after the priest comes the gravedigger.”
“Let us remember that the Anointing of the Sick is one of the sacraments of healing, of curing, which heals the spirit,” he says.
He also points out that when a person is very sick it is appropriate to provide him with this Sacrament and also when a person is already elderly.
“Let us pray that the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick may give the strength of the Lord to those who receive it and to their loved ones and may become more and more a visible sign of compassion and hope for all,” the Holy Father concludes.