The Sacraments Session 3: Sacraments of Healing Welcome!

1. The Sacraments Session 3: Sacraments of Healing Welcome!

2. How does God respond to human suffering in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick?

3. Session Schedule • Opening Prayer • Paired Activity • Theme #1: Reconciliation • Standing Activity • Theme #2: Forgiveness and Anointing • Small Group Activity • Closing Prayer

4. Opening Prayer:The Confiteor: “I Confess” I confess to almighty Godand to you, my brothers and sisters,that I have greatly sinnedin my thoughts and in my words,in what I have doneand in what I have failed to do,[All strike their breast]through my fault, through my fault,through my most grievous fault;therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,all the Angels and Saints,and you, my brothers and sisters,to pray for me to the Lord our God.

5. Paired Activity How do you see healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? What role has Reconciliation playedin your faith journey, and/or what would help it play a greater role? How would you explain the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

6. Theme #1: Reconciliation • How might Reconciliation be even greater than Confession and Penance? • What grace does God offer to each of us in this great Sacrament? • How can the experience of confessing one’s sinsbe one of liberation? Why is penance a good and just gift? • Why did Jesus give his Apostles the power to forgive sins? “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them… ” (Jn 20:23)

7. “Welcome Home”: About Confession What strikes you about this analogy?

9. "The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and our bodies … has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation." (CCC, n. 1421) Key Scriptural themes: Divine Mercy, conversion from sin, return to God “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them…” (Jn 20:23) God’s grace empowers a change of heart and a change of actions The Forgiveness of Sins

10. Jesus invites conversion, longs to forgive "That night Jesus gave the Church the ministry of the forgiveness of sins through the Apostles (cf. CCC, no. 1461). By the Sacrament of Holy Orders, bishops and priests continue this ministry to forgive sins 'in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.' In this Sacrament, the priest acts in the person of Christ, the Head of the Church, to reconcile the sinner to both God and the Church.”

11. The Liturgy of Reconciliation

12. Words of Hope, Healing & Wholeness “God the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to himself, and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

13. “…restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship.” (CCC, 1468) Liberating us to forgive, as we have been forgiven… Embracing the reality of Redemption, the crucifixion of Christ Confronting a culture which downplays sin and tends to ignore evil. Effects of the Sacrament

14. Embracing the Gift • Confronting contemporary confusion about sin:“If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.” (1 Jn 1:8-9) • Accepting the gift of God’s mercy:Don’t we all long to hear the words, “Welcome home”—particularly when we know we haven’t earned it andknow we don’t deserve it?

15. Standing Activity: “Improvising” Conversations Create a scene in which a conversation arises regardingthe Sacrament of Reconciliation. Include the following: • What questions or issues do many people have with Reconciliation? • How can we, as Catholics, respondto the concerns and invite people to (re)discover this spiritual treasure? Consider one of the following settings: **Friends at a party **Family members at a reunion **Neighbors at a cookout **Colleagues on a coffee break

16. Theme #2: The Anointing of the Sick • “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church” (Col 1:24). • Forgiveness and healing go hand in hand. • Jesus wants to give us his Heart, so we can be instruments of his healing and merciful love. • “Christ’s compassion toward the sick and his healings of almost every kind of infirmity are a resplendent sign that ‘God has visited his people’.” (CCC, n. 1503, citing Lk 7:16)

17. The Cross bears the weight of evil and gives suffering a redemptive power. Jesus healed 2000 years ago and heals today—through the ministry of the priest in the Sacrament. Countless baptized disciples also carry forth Christ’s healing work Christ’s Compassion & the Church’s Healing Ministry

18. Anointing of the Sick • Not just for those at thepoint of death • Not left to face illness and infirmity alone • Christ provides a spiritual and corporal remedy for our illness, a personal and communal response

19. Form, Matter & Effectof the Sacrament

20. Sharing the Gift of Anointing of the Sick • "This Sacrament also prepares us for our final journey when we depart from this life… [it] completes our identification with Jesus Christ that was begun at our Baptism.” • “In any illness, particularly one as we near the end of our lives, we should never have to stand alone….[nor] face infirmity without the consolation of others.” • Sacraments 101: Anointing of the Sick

22. Small Group Activity: Embracing theMystery of Sufferingand Death How do secular views challenge and the Church's teachings about physical illness, suffering, and death? What are the key elements of a Catholic perspective on these mysteries? Who comes to mind as a witness to or personal example of how we might approach suffering and death in a distinctively Christian way?

23. How does God respond to human suffering in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick?

24. Follow-up Reflection and Resources www.dioceseofjoliet.org/layformation/ 1) Session Evaluation & Feedback 2) Recommended follow-up: US/CCA, ch. 18:“Sacraments of Penance and Reconciliation” US/CCA, ch. 19: “Annointing of the Sick” 3) For Catechists & Catholic School Teachers: “Record of Formation,” includingrequired reflection & documentation 4) Session Guide and Powerpoints are available at:

25. Rite of Anointing of the Sick Let us pray and beseech our Lord Jesus Christ to bless this dwelling more and more and all who live in it.May He give them an able guardian angel. May He prompt them to serve Him and to ponder the wonders of His law. May He ward off all diabolical powers from them, deliver them from all fear and anxiety, and keep them in good health in this dwelling; He who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.

26. Rite of Anointing of the Sick Lord God, who spoke through your apostle James, "Is anyone of you sick? He should call in the priests of the Church, and have them pray over him, while they anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. That prayer, said with faith, will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health. If he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him." ( Jas 5:14-15)

27. Rite of Anointing of the Sick We beg you, our Redeemer, to cure by the grace of the Holy Spirit the sick. Heal their wounds, and forgive their sins. Rid them of all pain of body and mind. Restore them, in your mercy, to full health of body and soul, so that having recovered by your goodness, they may take up their former duties. We ask this of you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen!

28. Hail Mary Hail Mary, Full of Grace,The Lord is with thee.Blessed art thou among women,and blessed is the fruitof thy womb, Jesus.Holy Mary, Mother of God,pray for us sinners now,and at the hour of death. Amen.