The teaching of St. James the Apostle on the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick in the Biblical Perspective
Illness and pain are in a natural way connected with human life. However, for those who believe in God, illness takes on a religious dimension. The older man affected by a physical disorder may associate his sufferings with those of Christ and offer them as penance for his sins and those of his fami...
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | Polish |
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Gdańskie Seminarium Duchowne
2015
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Online Access: | https://bibliotekanauki.pl/articles/559055.pdf https://bibliotekanauki.pl/articles/559055 |
Summary: | Illness and pain are in a natural way connected with human life. However, for those who believe in God, illness takes on a religious dimension. The older man affected by a physical disorder may associate his sufferings with those of Christ and offer them as penance for his sins and those of his family, or give them to God in a particular intention. For this to happen, the sick person must be aware of the Church’s concern for all the sick and elderly and its help which comes through the Sacrament of the Sick. This sacrament has its foundation in the Bible just as the other sacraments have. Both the Old and the New Testament urge us to care for those who suffer and not to leave them alone. St. James in particular writes in his letter: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the priests of the Church to pray over him, anointing him in the name of the Lord. And the prayer full of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5: 13-15). According to these words the Church has a special mission to proclaim the Good News and to comfort the sick and suffering on the model of Christ himself, who “came to those who are sick”. Choroba i związane z nią cierpienie należą w sposób naturalny do życia ludzkiego. Jednakże dla osób wierzących choroba przybiera wymiar religijny. Człowiek podeszły w latach, lub dotknięty niemocą na ciele, może swoje cierpienia łączyć z cierpieniami Chrystusa i ofiarować je jako wynagrodzenie za grzechy swoje, rodziny, lub oddać je Bogu w konkretnej intencji. Aby tak się stało, musi mieć świadomość, że Kościół ogarnia troską wszystkich - chorych i starszych, i przychodzi z pomocą poprzez sakrament chorych, który ma swoje podstawy w Biblii, jak zresztą i pozostałe sakramenty. Stary i Nowy Testament ukazuje troskę o tych, którzy dotknięci cierpieniem nie są pozostawieni sami sobie. Szczególnie św. Jakub w swoim Liście pisze: „Choruje ktoś wśród was? Niech sprowadzi kapłanów Kościoła, by się modlili nad nim i namaścili go ... |
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