Good News for the New Year

I want to wish everyone a blessed celebration of Mary, Mother of God and also a Happy New Year.

I'd also like to share some good news and thank everyone who has been praying for my close non-Catholic relative.

I'd also like to give a special thank you to SDG and Tim J, who have been providing their always-welcome contributions to the blog, and particularly while I've been dealing with my family situation and the on-top-of-it-all busy holiday season (December was already going to be a massively busy month for me even before the family situation arose).

The news is that, although my relative has a very unusual condition, whose cause is unknown, but which responds well to treatment.

Although my relative is still in a precarious position, and will need months to recover, my relative is no longer in imminent danger and is making steady if slow improvement. My relative has been moved from ICU in an acute care hospital to a physical therapy center. It is expected to be quite some time before the relative could go home, however, so prayers are still very much appreciated!

Best of all, after my relative regained consciousness I was able to explain the anointing of the sick, and my relative requested and received it.

I am very thankful to all who have been praying. Being able to make sure that my relative's sacramental needs are met is truly an answer to prayer, and I am profoundly grateful.

Praise God, and thank you all!

Up next . . . more good news

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

8 thoughts on “Good News for the New Year”

  2. Happy New Year Jimmy!
    Praise God! I am so happy for your relative, and your whole family. I will pray for your relatives continued progress to good health.

  3. Happy New Year, Jimmy.
    The improvement of your relative’s condition is doubtless a wonderful way for you to start the year, and your feeling happy enough to want to write about it here is great news for us, your readers.
    Still praying…

  4. That is wonderful news, Jimmy. Exciting, even! Know that your loved one continues to be in our prayers.

  6. Just an aside, wondering about the Annointing of the Sick, can that sacrament be given to someone who isn’t Catholic?

  7. Dear Peggy,
    Yes, the Annointing of the Sick can be given to non-Catholics if they are instructed and agree to recognize it as a sacrament, ad happened in this case.
    The Chicken

  8. Dear Peggy,
    The answer is, yes, if they are instructed and agree to receive the Annointing as a sacrament. The appropriate canon is 844.4:
    ยง4. If the danger of death is present or if, in the judgment of the diocesan bishop or conference of bishops, some other grave necessity urges it, Catholic ministers administer these same sacraments licitly also to other Christians not having full communion with the Catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who seek such on their own accord, provided that they manifest Catholic faith in respect to these sacraments and are properly disposed.
    The Chicken

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