Contextualizing the sacrament of anointing of the sick in the light of Vatican II

Abstract

The contextualization of the sacrament of the anointing of the sick in the light of Vatican II will form the corpus of part I. Here, an emphasis on inculturation of liturgical celebrations, the view of the Church as the People of God will be presented. This dimension of ecclesiology of Vatican II will confront us with the demands of active participation, and consider the identity of all Christians who, by virtue of their baptism, share in the triple function of the ministry of Jesus Christ. In Part II, I will epitomise a relevant celebration of this sacrament. Since contextualisation demands situatedness, I shall address myself to the pastoral situation of the community of the Luo of Western Kenya and North Western Tanzania. A reflection on their responses to the sacrament of the anointing of the sick and their reactions to some new developments will be introduced. A representation will be made of what the Luo consider as sickness and what is involved when somebody is healed. I shall take the communitarian social structure in their context and apply it to the Church in the process of fully establishing itself in the land. Dialogue with the culture will be emphasized.