WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE SICK
On this World Day of Prayer for the Sick we have a special occasion to express solidarity with those who suffer from illnesses by praying for them. This observance was instituted by St. John Paul II on this day back in 1992, to coincide annually with the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, patroness of the sick and the infirm.
It is also a good occasion to visit someone who is sick, perhaps at home, in a hospital or in a nursing home. Our empathy for them can be a soothing reflection of God’s compassion, a comforting instrument of his kindness amid their suffering.
Some people may wonder why God allows their suffering. If so, we can remind them that Jesus felt that way too when he agonized on the Cross and cried: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34)?” His was a very human cry that someone who suffers might well relate to. It showed how Jesus shared with us the full human experience to the bitter end, which had to include probably the worst possible human distress: a feeling of having been abandoned by God. But God is often closest to us in our moments of greatest suffering. God the Father suffered with Jesus, whose eventual resurrection proves that he had not been forsaken.
God’s closeness to us when we suffer most, his compassion and solidarity when we turn to him in our anguish, explains, I think, why my own father, who was suffering on his death bed, quoted St. André Bessette in saying that “If we only knew the true value of suffering, we would beg God for it on bended knees.” God can indeed use our suffering as a source of unexpected blessings, a fact that I have often witnessed as a hospital volunteer. For example, I once asked a dying man what was the best moment of his life. Surprisingly, he said it was since he had arrived in palliative care. He explained that he had never been surrounded by so much love from his close ones.
Let’s also remind those who are ill that, by offering up their suffering, and uniting them with the suffering of Christ, they participate in his redemptive work. There is something comforting about doing that, because it transforms weakness into strength. St. Paul wrote: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church (Colossians 1:24).” It can help us understand why he also said: “When I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).”
On this special day, let us pray for all those who are sick, and ask the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes for them. She always leads us to her Son, the Divine Physician, who looks with compassion upon those who are sick and suffer. She will ask Jesus to grant them his healing grace, his comfort and strength, and to renew their hope and peace.
Jesus came to heal the whole person, not just the body but the soul as well. So we also pray that those who care for the sick may be guided by his example in being attentive, gentle and generous with all those who are entrusted to them.
Eugene Aucoin is a retired human resources director and university professor. He spoke around the world about nurturing human potential, but his passion is sharing his love for the teachings of Jesus. His first book Has Science Killed God? won Asia’s best Catholic book of the year in theology in 2020. His next book, with Novalis, will focus on the Beatitudes for inner peace and happiness. Eugene also gives seminars about faith.
