Zbawcze działanie Jezusa wobec chorych jako fundament ustanowienia sakramentu namaszczenia chorych

Abstract

For the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick no record in the Gospels can be found which would indicate clearly that Jesus instituted it directly. Hence the Reformation theologians questioned the sacramentality of this rite. The Council of Trent confirmed the Anointing of the Sick as a true sacrament, referring to the words of Mark 6:13 and James 5:14–15. This article attempts to provide a broader background for the institution of this sacrament, in the form of the entire Jesus’ activity toward the sick. The line of this reasoning is presented in three parts. The first one deals with the gestures and words of Jesus in the acts of healing as the original model for the sacramental service to the sick. The second part points to the spiritual aspects of Jesus’ healings, as an opening to grace. The third part, based on the material from the first two ones, is an interpretation of Mk 6:13 as a certain archetype of the practice of anointing the sick. In addition, the fourth part of the article indicates various other theories that attempt to solve this problem – they constitute a certain complement to the reasoning performed here, which sees in the salvific action of Jesus towards the sick the foundation of this sacrament’s institution.

Keywords

• anointing the sick
• sacraments
• instituting the sacrament of the sick
• the healings by Jesus