The Healing Effect of Oil

Here’s a little tweak on the part of my lesson scheduled for tonight that focuses on the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and the healing effect of oil. I planned to show the healing effect that baby oil can have on a dried leaf. On my way to the train last week, I picked up a few dead leaves to bring home and allowed them to dry out for a day. Of course they all got very “crisp” which is what I wanted. However, when I tried to put baby oil on one of them, the leaf simply crumbled. So, instead I went to plan B and I soaked a leaf in baby oil for a few days. Now, it is pliable. So, tonight I plan to invite one of the children to come forward and I’ll explain that I picked up these 2 dead leaves last week, allowed them to dry out, and “treated” one of them with baby oil. I’ll have the volunteer pick up the dried leaf and crush it in his/her hand (it will break into a million pieces). Then, I’ll have the volunteer do the same with the treated leaf. While it will still crack in a few places, it will generally hold together.

I want to use this to show the healing effect that oil can have and explain that in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, the oil symbolizes the healing effect of Jesus’ grace.

Do you know of any other ways of demonstrating the healing effect of oil?

About Joe Paprocki 2758 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

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