There is no occasion in life when a person stands more in need of God's assistance and consolation than when his soul is about to take its flight into eternity. Remorse for the past, fear of what may lie before him, the last efforts of the devil to lead him into sin combine with his bodily weakness and pain to make those last hours on earth a time of dreadful anguish. Considering the tender mercy of Our Savior, we should expect that He would have established a special means of aiding the souls of His faithful followers in that dread hour. Our holy faith tells us that Christ did this, by instituting the sacrament of Extreme Unction for those who are in danger of death from sickness or accident or even old age. There is no reference in the Gospel to the establishment of such a sacrament by Our Lord, though one may say that it was foreshadowed in the anointing of the sick by the apostles in the course of Christ's ministry (Mark, 6: 13). However, St. James speaks plainly of this sacrament, saying: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him bring in the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him" (James: 5:14, 15).
This sacrament is called "Unction" because it is conferred through the anointing or unction of the sick person; it is called "Extreme" or "Last' " because it is usually given toward the end of a person's life, and also because it is the last of several unctions that the Christian receives in the course of his life, since he previously received anointings in Baptism and Confirmation, and if he is a priest or a bishop at Ordination.
This sacrament is intended to comfort the soul in the distress that normally accompanies weakened bodily powers; hence, it can be given only to one who is in danger of death from some cause actually afflicting his body. It cannot be given to one in danger of death from some cause that has not yet brought about serious bodily weakness for example, to a soldier on his way to a dangerous battle or to a criminal about to be executed. From this standpoint Extreme Unction differs from the Holy Eucharist as Viaticum which is intended for everyone in danger of death, whatever may be the cause.
The sacrament of Extreme Unction, worthily received, confers noticeable strength of soul and courage on the sick person, so much so that even non-Catholics are astonished at the beneficial effects of this sacrament on the sick. Sometimes it produces restoration to bodily health; however, this effect can be expected only if the sacrament is given before the person comes so near to death that nothing but a miracle can save him. Therefore, Catholics should be glad to receive Extreme Unction whenever there is any danger of death from sickness or accident or old age; above all, they should rid themselves of the erroneous notion that once a person has received the last sacraments he is sure to die. Moreover, in every Catholic household there should be available all that is necessary for the ceremonies of the last sacraments particularly, two blessed wax candles, a crucifix, holy water, and some cotton.
The sacrament of Holy Orders is mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, especially in the Epistles of St. Paul to Timothy, in which the apostle refers to the ceremony by which he communicated the priestly power to Timothy: "I admonish thee to stir up the grace of God which is in thee by the laying on of my hands" (2 Timothy, 1: 6). Down through the centuries this ceremony has been used to transmit the powers that Our Lord gave to His apostles, to make men priests and bishops. The ceremony of ordination nowadays is more elaborate than in the early Church, yet the rites of layingon of hands has always been used. We now know with certainty, by reason of a declaration of Pope Pius XII, that the ceremony by which the power and the grace of the orders of deacon, priest and bishop are conferred, is the imposition of the bishop's hands with the prayers that immediately follow. And so, the priests and bishops of today have received their supernatural powers from an unbroken chain of ordination ceremonies going back to the apostles, who received them from Christ Himself.
It is truly a wonderful privilege to be a priest; and any Catholic boy or young man who thinks that he has the qualifications for this sacred calling and a desire to serve God in this ministry should pray fervently that God may guide him aright in his choice of a state of life, and lead him to the priesthood if it be His holy will. However, no one should enter the priesthood for any human motive for example to please his parents but only out of the highest motive, to sanctify his own soul and to work faithfully for the spread of God's kingdom on earth.