Is anyone among you sick? Let him call in the presbyters of the Church and let them pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
​-James 5:14-15

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that the compassion of Jesus toward the sick and his many healings were a clear sign that He had victory over sin, over suffering, and over death. By his own passion and death he gave new meaning to our suffering which, when united with his own, can become a means of purification and of salvation for us and for others. 

Having received from the Lord the charge to heal the sick, the Church strives to carry it out by taking care of the sick and praying for them. Above all, the Church possesses a sacrament intended for the benefit of the sick. This sacrament was instituted by Christ and is attested by Saint James.

The celebration of this sacrament should, if possible, be preceded by individual confession on the part of the sick person. The anointing is on the forehead and on the hands of the sick person accompanied by the prayer of the priest who asks for the special grace of this sacrament.