By Christopher Wells
In his Message for the 33rd World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis grapples with the profound questions that confront those who are suffering and those who care for them. “How can we be strong when our bodies are prey to severe, debilitating illnesses that require costly treatment that we may not be able to afford? How can we show strength when, in addition to our own sufferings, we see those of our loved ones who support us yet feel powerless to help us?”
Although true hope “does not disappoint,” and in fact “strengthens us in times of trial,” this confidence can often prove perplexing in real situations of suffering. “In these situations,” the Pope says, we sense our need for a strength greater than our own. We realize that we need God’s help, His grace, His Providence, and the strength that is the gift of His Spirit.”
The Holy Father goes on to invite the faithful to reflect on three particular ways God remains close to those who are suffering: “encounter, gift, and sharing.”
Encounter
The Pope recalls that when Jesus sent the 72 disciples on mission, He told them to tell the sick, “The Kingdom of God has come near to you,” that is, “to help the sick see their infirmity… as an opportunity to encounter the Lord.”
This encounter, he explains, can be transformative, helping us to discover “a solid rock to which we can cling amid the tempests of life, an experience that… makes us all the stronger because it teaches us that we are not alone.”
Gift
This leads us to experience God’s closeness in our suffering as a gift, the Pope continues. “More than anything else, suffering makes us aware that hope comes from the Lord. It is thus, first and foremost, a gift to be received and cultivated, by remaining ‘faithful to the faithfulness of God’.”
The Pope goes on to explain that “only in Christ’s resurrection does our own life and destiny find its place within the infinite horizon of eternity.” The “great hope” that nothing can separate us from Christ “is the source of all those small glimmers of light that help us to see our way through the trials and obstacles of life,” Pope Francis explains, quoting his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
Sharing
Finally, God is close to us through sharing, which is often seen in places of suffering. “How often, at the bedside of the sick, do we learn to hope!” he writes. “How often, by our closeness to those who suffer, do we learn to have faith! How often, when we care for those in need, do we discover love!”
The Pope emphasizes the need “to learn how to appreciate the beauty and significance of these grace-filled encounters” between patients, doctors, caregivers, family and friends. “All these are rays of light to be treasured; even among the dark night of adversity, they give us strength, while at the same time teaching us the deeper meaning of life, in love and closeness.”
An important role in the Jubilee
Pope Francis concludes his Message with a special word for those who are sick and suffering, reminding them that they have an “especially important” part to play in the Jubilee. “Your journey together is a sign of hope for everyone, ‘a hymn of dignity, a song of hope’.”
And he thanks them for their witness, in the name of the whole Church and in his own name, assuring them that they are always in his prayers, and extending to them his blessing.
World Day of the Sick 2025
The World Day of the Sick is observed each year on Feb 11, the liturgical commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes, with an especially solemn celebration taking place every three years at a Marian shrine.
However, in view of the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis has chosen to delay for one year the solemn celebration that would normally occur in 2025. The solemn commemoration of the World Day of the Sick will now take place in 2026, at the Marian Sanctuary of the Virgin of Chapi of Arequipa in Peru.
The Pope’s decision was announced in a press release published on Monday morning by the Dicasteries for the Promotion of Integral Human Development and of Evangelization. The statement noted that for the Jubilee Year, the World Day of the Sick will be celebrated in the ordinary manner at the diocesan level, as usual on Feb 11; while at the same time noting the upcoming Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers, set for Apr 5-6; and the Jubilee of People with Disabilities on Apr 28-29. – Vatican News
