Fr Stefan thought on Anointing of the Sick Extreme Unction and the Council of Trent..

About a year ago I tried reading the Council of Trent.. Got a good way through it..

I was thinking this morning of something that struck me.. about the chapter on Extreme Unction.. now called Anointing of the Sick.

If I recall Trent said that the person has to be sick.. no problem there with our understanding of the sacrament now.. But Trent gave this example if I recall and it struck me ‘that a priest is not to anoint say soldiers going into battle ‘ Idea that while war battle is a real proximate danger of death the soldier is not sick so ought not to be anointed according to Trent.

Which made me think today I often anoint people before going into surgery. In these surgeries the risk of death is much less than say a soldier going to storm the beach in France in WWII.

I think this change of practice of anointing people before surgery is another proof that anointing is more about healing, even preventive healing than about death. The anointing is meant to be medicine for body and soul..

I need to reread the chapter in Trent on Anointing.
If you find this reference in Trent that priests are not to anoint soldier before a battle put in comment. I am working from my recollection but it is something I remember when reading the catechism of Trent, chapter on Extreme Unction.

I think this is a subtle but real change in emphasis from Trent to Vatican II understanding of this sacrament…