Category Archives: Rites

Care for people who are sick and dying has been part of Christianity from the time of Jesus. The Jewish tradition extends centuries into the past from there. The Bible has given solace and meaning to those burdened by illness … Continue reading →

Care for people who are sick was integral to the public ministry of the Lord. People think of Jesus as a teacher, and certainly texts like the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 through 7) establish this well in our … Continue reading →

One of the rarest Psalms in the Catholic liturgy is the 6th. You have to look deep into the Lectionary, to the ritual Mass for Anointing of the Sick, to find it. In the Liturgy of the Hours, one appearance … Continue reading →

Here is a short reading recommended for the end of a person’s life, and it comes from the end of the Christian Bible: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let the hearer say, “Come.” Let the one who thirsts … Continue reading →

In the rites for Pastoral Care, the Church gives four options from the acts of the Apostles. Three treat Peter’s experience with healing a man born with deformity in the feet and lower legs. The fourth, from Saint Paul, doesn’t … Continue reading →

At Easter Thursday Mass, the first reading continues the post-Pentecost narrative of the first healing miracle of Peter and his subsequent preaching on the Risen Christ. The people responsible for assembling Scripture readings for the sick chose to focus on the … Continue reading →