About Anointing of the Sick
The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is one of two sacraments of healing alongside Reconciliation. It is instituted to strengthen Christians in their conformity to the suffering Christ. When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God’s will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age – in conformity with the Crucified.
The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament – only a careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient. Any Catholic receiving this sacrament may do so more than once, on any such occasion, such as grave illnesses or amidst significant operations.