April 26, 2026

Dear Parishioners,

I was recently interviewed about the Anointing of the Sick for a series being done on the sacraments. I was asked these questions:

What is it like to administer the Anointing of the Sick in moments of crisis?

How has accompanying the suffering shaped your priesthood?

What do you see in people when they are most vulnerable?

How does this sacrament reveal Christ’s tenderness to you personally?

How has this ministry changed the way you live your daily life?

To tell you the truth, I haven’t really reflected all that much on this sacrament. It’s quite shameful, especially given the frequency I administer this sacrament. But this interview prompted my reflection and I was surprised with the answers the Holy Spirit gave me in the moment.

One of the things I said in my response was that the sacrament is a showcase of a person’s authenticity. When a person is in the hospital and needs Last Rites, they don’t care about how they look or what impression they are giving. They are simply themselves. Other things, beyond their appearance, are on their mind. And they might not even be conscious or awake. Normally you wouldn’t want someone looking at you when you are sleeping, right? Well, that gets thrown out the window when we need to be anointed.

Or, when someone is not necessarily at the point of death but has a major surgery coming up and would like to be anointed, I can see their worry and their faith on full display. They aren’t hiding. There is no pretending in this sacrament. Whether it’s the person being anointed or the family around them, everyone is being themselves. They are carrying their crosses and owning it. And they believe, like Christ did, that God is with them and will raise them on the last day.

When Jesus carried the cross, it wasn’t like he was smiling and back-slapping people. The crowds in Jerusalem, particularly the women and children who encountered him, saw Jesus as he was. By the way, that’s why I think those women and children who met Jesus (the 8th Station), along with Veronica (the 6th Station) were so privileged. I get to see people as they are in their crosses, and it is a privilege.

In the other sacraments it is not always the case. People dress up for baptisms and weddings and might be preoccupied with the later parties. Penitents going to confession might just be reading a script and rotely confessing their sins. People receiving communion might not know exactly what they are doing or posturing for the people around them. Confirmandi might be intimidated in front of the bishop, and the man being ordained a priest might be recalling the proper moves in the rite. Sorry, that sounds like I’m trashing the other sacraments. I’m just saying that we can often focus on looking our best and performing in these six sacraments. They are generally happy moments, our high points, and we want to do well. In the Anointing of the Sick, on the other hand, we generally are at our low point. And in our low point we don’t care about how we look or what we are to say. All we know is that we are suffering and need Jesus.

As a priest, seeing people in their “low points” is a high point for me. I actually don’t see it as a person’s low point. As St. Paul would say, in their weakness they are strong and beautiful. Call me crazy, but I think the dying woman on the hospital gurney is as beautiful as the bride on the altar; the worried man diagnosed with prostate cancer as inspiring as the man walking down the aisle of the cathedral for his ordination.

It’s all to say that we don’t need to be afraid of being authentic and vulnerable. If we are preoccupied with looking good and succeeding, then trust that you look your best and you are most successful when you are real. And praise God when the cross comes your way, for that is the best opportunity to be real. The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is the sanctification of the cross.

This is Good Shepherd Sunday (always the 4th Sunday of Easter). Sometimes people focus on priests and pastors: how we are shepherds to you all. But I will say this, in the Anointing of the Sick, you all have been a shepherd to me. Seeing your authenticity and vulnerability has given me permission to be authentic and vulnerable myself. It has inspired me to be as real as possible before the Lord in prayer; to embrace my crosses and open my heart as fully as possible to God. And that has transformed my life. I wouldn’t be able to be the priest I am and preach the way I do without my prayer life, which is me being fully transparent before God and experiencing divine intimacy.

It is my prayer that you will be confident in yourself, even if you have your struggles, and from that confidence that you will be real before God. And when you are real before God, I pray that you experience his love for you. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is calling you to come to him. May you heed his voice.

I myself have actually never received the Anointing of the Sick. I’ve never had a serious illness that merited anointing. I hope I don’t have to anoint you. But, if I do, please be yourself and know that God loves you even more in your pain. And, in the meantime, be yourself and know you are loved.

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This weekend folks from Misericordia will be outside of church after Masses collecting donations for the annual Misericordia Candy Days. Thank you for your support of this fine institution.

We will have the first of our First Communion services this Saturday, May 2nd at 10am and 1pm. The next round of First Communion will be next Saturday, May 9th. We have over 200 First Communicants. Congratulations to all of our children and their families, and thank you to Anna Mae Parkhill and all the catechists and teachers for preparing our students.

Our gardening committee is looking to spruce up the area along the side of the church by the Mary statue. If you would like to help or make a donation, we would be more than grateful. Please see inside the bulletin for more information.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Wallace