Friday, February 24, 2006

The end of James and the Beginning of Annointing

Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
http://www.usccb.org/nab/022506.shtml

Reflection:

The reading from St. James for Saturday contains what is commonly accepted (since the Council of Trent) as the promulgation of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick (formerly last rites or Extreme Unction). It is important for us to look closely at the language used here because this reading of the end of the Letter of St. James is really packed with dogmatic consequences for the new Church. It is important for instance that he couples healing and forgiveness which means what he is talking about here is more than just praying for healing in the charismatic sense. By including forgiveness, St. James automatically takes it to a new level, since only Jesus can forgive sins.

It is interesting that the Church, when compiling the Lectionary should place this initiation of a sacrament with the Gospel from Mark in which Jesus is asking that the children be allowed to come to him. Going further he enjoins us once again to have the innocent faith of a child. He tells us that if we cannot accept completely, unflinchingly, and innocently the Kingdom of God, we have no place in it.

This, coupled with what we have been reading in the miracle stories in Mark over the past weeks, brings us back to something we must pray for, faith in all its fullness. Without it there can be no miracle for us and no Kingdome to come. Pax

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Scripture from Jas 5:13-20
Jerome Biblical Commentary
13
Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise.

(XII) Directions for Various Circum­stances (5:13-15). There is no obvious connection of this section with the preceding. A unifying theme in 13-18 is prayer. Nouns and verbs for prayer occur nine times in six verses, with at least one occurrence in each verse.
13. is anyone cheerful?: Since suffering and cheerful­ness, as general terms, may be considered to include the vicissitudes of human life, and since "singing praise" is a form of prayer, the advice here corresponds to Paul's "Pray at all times" (Eph 6:18). Joy and prayer are associated in Rom-c 12:12; .1 Thes 5:16-17.
14
Is anyone among you sick? 6 He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord,
6 [14] In case of sickness a Christian should ask for the presbyters of the church, i.e., those who have authority in the church (cf Acts 15:2, 22-23; 1 Tim 5:17; Titus 1:5). They are to pray over the person and anoint with oil; oil was used for medicinal purposes in the ancient world (see Isaiah 1:6; Luke 10:34). In Mark 6:13, the Twelve anoint the sick with oil on their missionary journey. In the name of the Lord: by the power of Jesus Christ.

14. sick: The vb. asthene is sometimes used of those near death On 4:46-47; 11 :1,4,14; Acts 9:37). among you: The reference is to members of the Christian community. let him call for: The man is sick enough to be confined to bed, but not yet in extremis. elders of the church: In the early Christian community, the "elders" (presbyteroi) were closely associated with the apostles in authority (Acts 15 :2,4,6,22-23; 16 :4). Elders were likewise ap­pointed over the missionary churches (Acts 14:23 ;20:17; I Tm 5:17,19; Ti 1:5). Thus the term does not signify merely advanced age, but an official position of authority in the local church. let them pray over him: Prayer for healing in time of illness is recommended in Sir 38 :9-10, together with repentance for sin. anointing him with oil: The use of oil as a therapeutic agent is found in the OT as well as in rabbinic literature and among the Greeks. A NT instance occurs in Lk 10:34. in the name of the Lord: Thus the anointing is not a mere medical remedy, but as in Mk 6 :13, it symbolizes the healing presence and power of the Lord, i.e., of Jesus Christ. (Cf. the baptizing "in the name of the Lord," Acts 19 :5, etc.)
15
and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. 7
7 [15] The results of the prayer and anointing are physical health and forgiveness of sins. The Roman Catholic Church (Council of Trent, Session 14) declared that this anointing of the sick is a sacrament "instituted by Christ and promulgated by blessed James the apostle."

15. the prayer of faith." Here again, no mere medical treatment is envisaged. will save the sick man: Elsewhere in Jas "to save'.' (szein) refers to salvation of the soul (1:21; 2:14; 4: 12; 5 :20). In the Gospels it is used both of salvation of the soul and of restoration to health (cf. AG), and fre­quently in connection with "faith" (Mk 5.:34 par.; 10:52 par.; Lk 7:50; 17:19; c Ro~ 10:9). In the present, context, the emphasis is on restoration to health. the Lord. will raise him up: The same verb is used of Jesus, cures in Mk 1:31; 9:~7. As in v. 14, "the Lord" prob­ably refers to Christ, although in both cases the wording may have been adapted from Jewish expressions referring to God. if he has committed sins: In view of 3 :2, the sins are apparently something more than the unavoidable faults committed by all. will be forgiven him: Physical healing and forgiveness of sins are closely associated also in Mk 2:3-12, and Jn 5 :14. The wording of the former bears a strong resemblance to this passage of Jas.
(See Hoyos, P., "La extrema uncion en el primer siglo," RstaB 25 [1963] 34-42; Testa, E., L'huile de lafoi [Jerusalem, 1967]; Milik, J. T., Bib 48 [1'967] 450-51.)
The Council of Trent, Session XIV, defined Extreme Unction to be "truly and properly a Sacrament instituted by Christ our Lord and promulgated by blessed James the apostle" (DB 926; cf. 907-10; DS 1716; cf.1694-1700). This is not to say that all the precisions of later sacramental theology are to be found in Jas. How­ever, the following points are important with regard to the substantial identity of what James is here recommending with the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick in the Church: the distinction from. mere charismatic healing (1 Cor 12 :9,28,30), as evinced by the cultic role of the presbyteroi; the anointing with olive oil; the invoking of the name of the Lord and the. prayer of faith; the ensuing recovery and forgiveness of sins. It is also significant to note, as Dibelius points out that, in accordance with his paraenetic style, James is clearly not intending to introduce a new procedure, but presupposes its existence.
(Condon, K., "The Sacrament of Healing (Jas 5 :14-15)," Ser II [1959] 33-42. Kearns, c., "Christ and the Sick in the New Testament," Furrow 11 [1960] 557-71.)

16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.

(XIII) Confession of Sins; Prayer (5:16­18). The connection with the preceding is obscure. Having spoken of the forgiveness of the sick man's sins, James seemingly turns to the members of the community in general, to remind them of how their sins are to be forgiven. The ideas of prayer and healing provide further appearance of continuity with the preceding. 16. confess your sins: Confession of sins is an OT theme (Lv 5:5; NmS:7; PS31:5; Dn9:4-20; Ezr9:6-15); also known in the NT (Mt 3:6; Acts 19:18) and the Church (Didache 4:14; Ep. Barnabae 19:12; 1 Clem. 51:3). to one another: This probably means "in the liturgical assembly," as in the Didache. Since in the Didache and Ep Barnabae the confession of sins is considered a necessary preparation for effective prayer, the same relationship may be intended here. pray for one another: This basic Christian precept (implied in Mt 5 :44 and in the petitions of the second half of the Lord's Prayer [Mt 6:11-13] and exemplified in Acts 12:5; CoI 3:4; 1 Thes 5:25; 2Thes J:I; Heb 13 :18, as well as in .Paul's frequent assertions that he prays for his readers) is apparently given explicit formulation in Scripture nowhere outside of the present verse. In this context, mutual prayer is probably to be understood as being motivated by the mutual confession of sins (as is now exemplified in the recitation of .the Confiteor and Misereatur by both priest and people at Mass). that you may be healed: In accordance with the interpreta­tion that James is now addressing not merely the sick but the community in general, the word "heal" is to be understood in the spiritual sense of forgiveness of sins-a sense it bears elsewhere in the NT and in the Apostolic Fathers. A secondary reference to the healing of the sick may also be intended. the fervent prayer of a righteous man is very powerful: Others translate: "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful in its effects." The general idea is found in Ps 33 :16,18 and Prv 15 :29. The intent of the verse is both to encourage confidence in the power of Christian prayer, and to exhort to fervor in its practice.

17
Elijah was a human being like us; yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land.
18
Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.

17. Elijah: The OT examples of Abraham and Rahab were used as models of good works (2:21-25), and Job as one of patience (5:1 I); Elijah is now presented as a model of efficacious prayer (cf. I Kgs 17: 1,7; 18: I, 41-45). His role in connection with the famine is recalled also in Sir 48 :2-3 and 4 Ezra 109. a man like us: The
nuance of the Gk homoiopathes is well expressed by the
NEB paraphrase: "was a man with human frailties like our own." James anticipates the objection that the prayer of that heroic saint is to be admired rather than imitated. he prayed fervently: I Kgs narrates Elijah's prophecy of the drought and the rain, without stating that they were due to his prayer. James follows the tradition of Sir and 4 Ezra. three years and six months: This specification of the duration of the drought is more precise than I Kgs 18: I ;
it reflects a Jewish tradition found also in Lk 4:25, and probably connected with the apocalyptic "three and a half," the half of seven (Dn 7 :25; 12:7; Ap I 1:2,9; 12 :6, 14). Chaine, however, reckons the time according to the normal rainfall pattern of Palestine, as extending from April of the first pluvial year (the beginning of the normal dry season) to November (beginning of the normal rainy season) of the third year. "This passage supplies us with Biblical authority for prayers for changes of weather, and the like. . .." (A. Plummer).

19
My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back,
20
he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. 8
8 [20] When a Christian is instrumental in the conversion of a sinner, the result is forgiveness of sins and a reinstatement of the sinner to the life of grace.

(XIV) Conversion of Sinners (5:19-20).
This last short section of the letter again abruptly brings in a new topic, superficially connected with the preceding only by the catchwords "sinner" and "sins" (15-16). The terms used-"wander," "bring [turn] back," "truth," "error," "way"-are common in Jewish and Christian paraenesis. 20. let him know: Some mss. have "know [ye]." will save his soul: That of the erring brother ­although the Gk words could be understood to mean "his own soul." death: Eternal death, as in I: I 5. will cover a multitude of sins: The wording is so close to I Pt 4:8 (also I Clem 49:5) as to indicate some kind o literary connec­tion. A very similar expression occurs in Prv 10:12 (MT, not LXX). The figure of sins being "covered" probably comes from Ps 31:1, wherein the metaphor means "for­given"-i.e., the sin is not merely hidden, but no longer exists. Although some explain the phrase as referring to the sins of the erring brother, it is more probable that it refers to the one who converts him. The word "multi­tude" is not meant to imply that the latter is necessarily a great sinner himself, but is rather intended to emphasize the atonement value of this activity. The "epistle" ends with surprising abruptness.

Scripture from Mk 10:13-16
Jerome Biblical Commentary
13
And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

(D)Jesus and the Children (I0:I3-I6). I3. they were bringing children to him: A possible reference to the custom of bringing the young to the scribes to be blessed on the eve of the Day of Atonement. the disciples rebuked them: Perhaps because they objected to the parents treating Jesus as a mere scribe.
14
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

14. he was indignant: Jesus' reaction suggests that some important principle is at stake; perhaps it was that the children's parents "Under­stood his message better than the disciples" (J. Jeremias, Infant Baptism in the First Four Centuries [London, I960] 49). do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom q{ God: Because only children can "call God 'Abba' with childlike confidence, safe under his protection, and con­scious of his boundless love" (J. Jeremias, Parables, I9I). Jesus' saying is equivalently a word of repentance to his disciples; "only to those. whose whole life is a Day of Atonement, a becoming small before God, is entry under God's rule guaranteed" (J.Jerernias, Infant Baptism, 49-50). The vb. klyein (hinder), found in baptismal texts in Acts 8:36; I0:47; II :17; Mt:13-14; Gospel of the Ebionites (see Epiphanius, Panarion 30.13,8); Pseudo-Clementine Homilies 13.5,1; 13.11,2, may be taken from the ritual where the question was put, "What is to hinder this candidate from being baptized?" Its occurrence in Mk 10:14 suggests to some commentators that Jesus: desire to have the children come to him was an anticipatory ap­proval of infant baptism.
15
Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child 2 will not enter it."
16
Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
2 [15] Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child: i.e., in total dependence upon and obedience to the gospel; cf Matthew 18:3-4.

15. whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child: Variants of this saying are found in Mt I8:13; Jn 3:5; Justin, ApoI. 1.61,4; Apostolic Constitutions 6.15,5; the last three instances stress that the new beginning of life occurs in baptism. Originally, however, the saying may have been akin to Mk 9:42.

(Aland, K., Did the Early Church Baptize Infants? [London, 1963] 95-99. Cullmann, 0., Baptism in the New Testament [London, 1950] 71-80. Jeremias, J., "Mk 10:13-16 Parr. und die Obung der Kindertaufe in der Urkirche," ZNW 40 [1941] 243-45; The Origins of Infant Baptism [London, 1963] 54. Richardson, ITNT 360-61. Schilliug, F. A., "W;hat Means the Saying About Receiving the Kingdom of God As a Little Child?" ExpT 77 [1965] 56-58.)