Which items are considered the sacraments of healing?

• A. Penance and Reconciliation; Anointing of the Sick
• B. Baptism and Confirmation
• C. Eucharist and Anointing of the Sick
• D. Holy Orders and Matrimony

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is which sacraments are intended to heal the believer, either spiritually or physically. The two that fit this category are Penance (also called Reconciliation) and Anointing of the Sick. Penance focuses on healing the broken relationship with God caused by sin, offering forgiveness and reconciliation through confession, repentance, and absolution. Anointing of the Sick addresses illness and suffering by imparting grace, comfort, and strength to the seriously ill or elderly, and it may also prepare the soul for the possibility of death. The other sacraments address different aspects of Christian life: Baptism and Confirmation initiate a person into the church; the Eucharist sustains and nourishes the faithful; Holy Orders and Matrimony concern vocation and life’s calling. In medieval Europe, the healing role of these rites was especially visible during plagues and times of personal illness, when priests offered both spiritual relief and pastoral care through these sacraments.