Question: Recently, a parishioner approached me for a blessing with the oil of the sick as he was traveling abroad. I had to catechize him that this oil is reserved only for the gravely ill, the elderly, those facing serious medical surgery or those who are on their death bed. The parishioner kept on harping on the fact that some old priests in the parish used to bless with oil those people who were going for a long journey. Could you throw some light on the matter? — S.T., Mumbai, India
