THE LAST RITES – R.I.P.

The R.I.P. for the “last rites” occurred over fifty years ago, and I’ve written before about this in the past. But a recent request to give the “last rites” to someone who was already dead suggests that the message isn’t getting across very well. Perhaps every movie or TV show produced in the last five decades needs to be re-edited to exclude that deceased expression.

Vatican Council II made major revisions to every sacrament way back in the 1960’s, with what was then known as Extreme Unction—the final —being changed in 1966 to the . The final American English version of that sacrament wasn’t printed for more than a decade later under the title Pastoral Care of the Sick; but the so-called last rites were effectively laid to rest in 1966 and a provisional English version was in use until the American Bishops approved the final one in 1982. Yes, these things sometimes take time! But it’s clear that it’s also taking a LOT of time for Catholics to understand what changed way back then.

The other major theological change made by Vatican II was to emphasize that all sacraments are for the living only. Before the Council, the sacraments were divided into “Sacraments of the Living” and “Sacraments of the Dead”, with the latter including the , implying that a sinner was “dead in sin” until forgiven sacramentally. That sort of division that allowed for the anointing of someone who was deceased was abolished by the Council.

Bottom line, as I’ve emphasized often in the past: the Anointing of the Sick should be given as soon as someone enters the hospital—or before that happens if surgery or some other medical procedure is anticipated. The sacrament is in no way a preparation for death, but rather is meant to provide strength, healing and hope for one who is ill. If a sudden catastrophic event occurs, such as a stroke or heart attack, and the person is in danger of death, there are a few different prayers added to the Anointing, but it’s the same sacrament and is offered even if the person is unconscious. And as we emphasize every time we offer the Communal Anointing of the Sick at mass, anyone living with a chronic illness, whether physical or emotional, should be anointed at least once a year.

There is also a version of the Sacrament of the Sick called (literally “voyage”) which might be considered a remnant of the former Extreme Unction. This form is given when a person is on the verge of death, but the person must be conscious because Viaticum includes a spoken Profession of Faith followed by an Apostolic remitting all sins, and concluding with Communion, with the Sacrament of Anointing being an optional part of this form. There is also a Commendation for the Dying and Prayers for the Dead included in The Pastoral Care of the Sick, but these are offered for the comfort of the living and the repose of the deceased’s soul, and are not a sacrament.

I’d like to hope that the “last rites” would remain dead and buried, but the term and the idea seem to have more lives that the proverbial cat. So please, if you read this, pass it on to family and friends who might still be living in the distant past with regard to their understanding of our faith—possibly through no fault of their own if their pastors haven’t taken the time to provide this important faith formation. But the next time you see Barry Fitzgerald or Bing Crosby giving someone the “last rites”, remember that it only happens in the movies.

Fr. Bob