Holy Wednesday
Evening
"Anointing him sick with oil in the name of the
Lord..."
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The primary theme of Holy
Wednesday is our human need for the healing and forgiveness that comes
into our lives when we establish a relationship with God through Jesus
Christ. We are reminded that the way to this relationship is to be
found, above all else, through the life of prayer. In the Sacrament of
Holy Unction, the faithful are anointed and thus, healed both
physically and spiritually. They are also reconciled to God and one
another so that they might receive the gift of the Holy Eucharist
instituted by Christ at the Last Supper.
Holy Unction is one of the seven
Sacraments of the Church, and it has its origin in the practice of the
early Church as recorded in the Epistle of James (5:14-15). At the end
of the service, the priest anoints the people with Holy Oil, the
visible carrier of the Grace of God.
The Gospel reading is St. Luke 22:1-39.
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