The compassionate approach of Jesus to the sick is evident in all the gospels. For the sick Jesus was a healer (Mk. 2:27;Lk.4:24;8:17;9:35; 12:15;14:36; Lk. 4:40). Jesus appointed the apostles to continue this salvific work in the Church (Mt. 10:l; Mk. 6:13;Lk. 9:1- l 6;Mt. 16:17-18). They fulfilled the mandate while proclaiming the word of God (Acts. 3:1-11; 9:32;14:19-11). Christ again reminds us to continue this apostolic service through St. James (5: 14-15). The word of God from St Mark confirms this: "They cast out many demons who were sick and cured them"(6:13). In the Scriptures holy oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

It is through the Holy Spirit, the gift of Christ, that the experience of healing takes place in the believers (I Cor. 12:9). Healing the sick, one who has faith, the Spirit glorifies God the Father (Jn. 9:2). The Holy Spirit, moreover, makes the believer capable of facing life in all its fullness and gives wholesomeness to use one’s capabilities to the full. This act of Christian healing requires God’s entrance and the believer's response in faith. Other essentia1s for being healed,are a deep faith in God’s mercy and an open mind to one’s fellowmen and a forgiving attitude(Mk.9:33; Mt. 18;Lk. 5:19; Jn. 5:10). The basis of healing is the firm determination to hate and reject evil and accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, according to Antonio Mongillo.

The prayer and laying on of hands in the sacrament of anointing of the sick, the prayer for forgiveness of sins, and anointing with holy oil bring to the sick the presence of the Holy Spirit. In the anointing with oil, the Holy Spirit pierces and enters the joints, the marrow and the muscles (Jer. 20: 1- 7). At this time the Holy Spirit acts in the sick person in two ways: interiorly and physically. In the first place, he interiorly washes away the stains of sin and lifts him to divine holiness (Jam. 5:5). Secondly, according to God the Father’s will, the Holy Spirit either gives him perfect, complete healing or he takes on himself the suffering due to the sickness and makes him capable of offering it in reparation for his and others’ sins in union with Jesus Christ. According to the opinion of R A Doofy, it is the firm conviction of the Church that the Father, who created and ordered everything through his only Son and the Holy Spirit, is also healing and saving through them. This is the meaning of the anointing of the sick. It is the prayerful expression of the Spirit-inspired attention of mother Church in the pain and grief of her children. Besides this, the sacrament reminds us of the mandate of the faithful for the sick and suffering. As Alfredo Fierro states, anointing of the sick has the power of healing by its very nature. The very fact of the Church community approaching the sick person under the leadership of the priest, gives vigour to him. By their very presence he gets the awareness that he is wanted by the Church, the community and above all by God. This self-awareness that the sick person gets through the presence of the Church prepares the way for healing. When the power of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the Church are united, his soul and body receive a new vitality and fresh hope. "I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit" (Eph. 3: 16), says St. Paul. Then the sick man who receives the anointing of the sick can say:"For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain" (Phil. I :21).
 
 

The sacrament of holy orders in the Church is as old as Christ himself. The priesthood chosen by Christ for the glory of the Father and anointed by the Holy Spirit, is continued without a break in the Church . It is through the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost that the disciples of Christ became aware of the priestly ministry. This sacrament reminds us that all the services in the Church are guided by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The apostolic tradition is sustained in the Church through the laying on of hands at the time of ordination. Those, who are chosen by Christ to assume leadership of Christ-centred evangelization, are sanctified and strengthened by the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of holy orders. Paul reminds bishop Timothy, "Holy orders is, therefore, said to be the total gift of the Holy Spirit. (Tim. 1:6-7).

It is remarkable that the ceremonies, prayers and rubrics at the reception of holy orders are centred on the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit the candidate for the priesthood becomes another Christ.
 
 

We find in the Bible that new life, a new unity and hope are all the gifts of the Holy Spirit who is mysteriously present in all the universe (Gen 1:2; Ez36:24-28; Joel 2:28-30). A marital relationship that is soaked in love, strengthened in fidelity and grows in holiness is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes the hearts of an adult man and woman hearts of flesh, and by his mysterious presence enables them to live in the awareness that they are no more two but one. "So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate" (Mt 19:6). This union is the mysterious and free activity of the Holy Spirit. This mysterious activity is externalised and strengthened at the time the sacrament is administered. Thus the bride and bridegroom bear witness to the fact that the Holy Spirit fills their life and love. This presence is confirmed by subsequent prayers.

The sacrament of matrimony is not a discovery of the Church. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift is a means to express the Trinitarian life more fully. In this sacrament the creative, preserving, protecting, nurturing love of God is expressed in the world. At the same time, the partners are enabled to realise the self-emptying, patient, suffering, saving love of Christ. Through Christian couples, the constant presence, availability, help, strength and vitality of the Holy Spirit are manifested in the world. In short, the sacrament of matrimony manifests the natural life of the Triune God through the Holy Spirit. Matrimony, like holy orders, is a call from God. Its purpose is to fulfil the Father-Son relationship in all its wholeness in their mission-creative and salvific-in this world through the Holy Spirit.

The family, that is the fruit of the Spirit-inspired marriage, is a reflection of the Church. It is called the domestic Church. The Church acknowledges the reality of heaven and earth and witnesses to it. The marriage, that emerges through the Holy Spirit, spans heaven and earth; while marital life that is begun under the influence of consumeristic culture, plunges into disaster. Marriage, that is begun and nourished by the grace of the Holy Spirit, becomes heavenly.
 
 

The human body grows naturally. The mind slowly attains maturity. If that is so, man’s soul too has to grow. Else, man will not have an integrated, unified and harmoniously developed personality. A balanced diet appropriate to one’s age needs to be taken. For mental growth, knowledge is acquired step by step. The soul is the union of body and mind. The sacraments are the banquet and education of the soul on the path of life. Just as a balanced diet has to be given to the body and knowledge given to feed the mind for its growth, the human soul needs the sacraments to attain God-man relationship in its perfection. Yahweh, who created the universe for the body and knowledge for the mind, has also instituted the sacraments for the soul. Just as the body, mind and soul are intrinsically connected, all the three above-mentioned realities are essential for man’s harmonious development. Human life becomes blessed in this life and the next when we are receptive to the inspiration of the Spirit and duly accept it and embrace it.