Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “This Day invites us to make sick people more intensely aware of the spiritual closeness of the Church...At the same time, today we have the opportunity to reflect on the experience of sickness and pain, and more generally on the meaning of life which must be lived to the full, even in suffering.” These were the words of the Holy Father Benedict XVI as he met with the sick gathered in the Vatican Basilica on February 11, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and 17th World Day of the Sick. After the Mass for the sick and pilgrims of UNITALSI (Italian National Union for Transport of the Sick to Lourdes and International Shrines) and of Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, celebrated by Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, President of the Pontifical Council Health Pastoral Care, the Pope visited the Basilica and gave an address in which he recalled the words of his message written for this Day, focusing on sick children. “If we remain speechless before the suffering of adults, what can we say when sickness strikes a young and innocent child? How can we, even in such difficult situations, see the merciful love of God, Who never abandons His children at their time of trial?"
Such questions, the Pope said, “are frequent and sometimes disquieting, and the truth is that on a merely human level they do not find adequate answers, because the significance of suffering, sickness and death remains unfathomable to our minds. However, the light of faith comes to our aid. The Word of God reveals to us that these evils are also mysteriously 'embraced' by the design of salvation. Faith helps us to uphold the belief that human life is beautiful and worthy to be lived to the full, even when undermined by sickness. God created man for happiness and for life, while sickness and death came into the world as a consequence of sin. But the Lord has not left us to ourselves. He, the Father of life, is doctor par excellence to man and never ceases His loving attentions to humanity.”
The conditions that Jesus presents in the Gospel, for obtaining healing of soul and body are conversion and faith. “However Jesus has not only spoken: He is the Word incarnate. He has suffered with us, and died. With His Passion and death, He has completely assumed and transformed our weakness. And this is why – according to what Servant of God John Paul II writes in his Apostolic Letter 'Salvifici doloris' - 'to suffer means to become particularly susceptible, particularly open to the working of the salvific powers of God, offered to humanity in Christ' (no. 23).”
Benedict XVI then continued: “ "We are achieving an ever greater awareness of the fact that the life of man is not a disposable product, but a precious casket to keep and safeguard with all possible care, from beginning to final and natural conclusion. Life is a mystery which, of itself, calls for responsibility, love, patience and charity on the part of each and every individual. Even more so, then, it is necessary to surround the sick and suffering with care and respect. This is not always easy, but we know where we can draw the courage and patience to face the vicissitudes of earthly life, in particular sickness and suffering of all kinds. For us Christians, the reply to the enigma of suffering and death is in Christ.”
The Pontiff then mentioned that “every Eucharistic Celebration is the perpetual memorial of Christ crucified and risen, who has overcome the power of evil with the omnipotence of His love. It is in the 'school' of the Eucharistic Christ that we are able to love life always and to accept our apparent impotence in the face of sickness and death.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 12/2/2009)
