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World Day of the Sick 2022

2/6/2022

2 Comments

 
Saint John Paul II established the World Day of the Sick in 1992 to invite the Church to be attentive to and to pray for the sufferings of the sick and those who care for them.
 
Institutions providing Catholic healthcare have long been a sign of the Church’s commitment to care for those who are sick and to accompany them in their suffering.  In fact, many religious congregations were founded to address the suffering of the sick, and in doing so, have established hospitals, promoted education in the medical sciences, and offered formation for those in the healthcare professions. This witness continues today around the world through the charisms of many religious congregations and Catholic lay faithful who serve as doctors, nurses, aids, and researchers.  This affirms in our world the Christian belief in the sacredness of human life from the moment of conception to a natural end, even with the challenges that illness and suffering can bring into the life of a person.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (“CCC”) recognizes that when we are afflicted with sickness, it is both a time of challenge and a time of grace:
Illness and suffering have always been among the gravest problems confronted in human life. In illness, man experiences his powerlessness, his limitations, and his finitude. Every illness can make us glimpse death." CCC #1500

"Illness can lead to anguish, self-absorption, sometimes even despair and revolt against God. It can also make a person more mature, helping him discern in his life what is not essential so that he can turn toward that which is. Very often illness provokes a search for God and a return to him." CCC #1501

When we become ill and more acutely aware of the fragility of our own good health and how this can change so quickly as demonstrated during the pandemic, it is understandable for some to be burdened with uncertainty, questions, and fear.  This can be an experience of desolation and for some, isolation.  The importance of our works of charity in caring for the sick cannot be overemphasized.  In the Message for the 2022 World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis describes the importance of our pastoral presence to the sick, “This helps us to see how important is the presence at our side of witnesses to God’s charity, who, following the example of Jesus, the very mercy of the Father, pour the balm of consolation and the wine of hope on the wounds of the sick.”

This presence or accompaniment of the sick happens in several ways. 
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I would like to remind everyone that closeness to the sick and their pastoral care is not only the task of certain specifically designated ministers; visiting the sick is an invitation that Christ addresses to all his disciples. How many sick and elderly people are living at home and waiting for a visit! The ministry of consolation is a task for every baptized person, mindful of the word of Jesus: 'I was sick and you visited me'" (Mt 25:36) - (Pope Francis, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36) - Standing beside those who suffer on a path of charity, Message for the World Day of the Sick 2022.)
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St. Francis de Sales writes, “The Prayer of the sick person is his patience and his acceptance of his sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. Make sickness itself a prayer.”  And St. Jane Frances de Chantal echoes this same belief, “Suffering borne in the will quietly and patiently is a continual, very powerful prayer before God.”
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Let us thank the Lord for the progress that medical science has made, especially in recent times; new technologies have made it possible to prepare therapies that are of great benefit to the sick; research continues to make a valuable contribution to eliminating old and new pathologies; rehabilitation medicine has greatly expanded its expertise and skills. (Pope Francis, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36) - Standing beside those who suffer on a path of charity, Message for the World Day of the Sick 2022.)
As we mark this 30th World Day of the Sick and the COVID pandemic continues to challenge the world let us be generous in our support and prayers for those who are suffering with physical and mental illnesses, their care-givers and especially our healthcare workers.
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Written by Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
​
​Feb. 6, 2022
2 Comments
Fiona Denhoed
2/7/2022 08:15:11 am

Jesus healed the sick who came to him, but in this letter there's no mention of the possibility of laying hands on the sick and having them recover. I thought Jesus said that would be a sign that follows those who believe?

Reply
Angela Castellarin
3/7/2022 03:17:48 pm

It baffles me at times that educated people, when speaking of lay medical people, forget paramedics. Just an FYI: paramedics function at a level just below a doctor. We have a larger scope of practice than nurses, have a regulatory college and don’t require a doctor’s orders to affect change in the health care field. We are also research oriented. All our protocols are research based so we know how to think critically both academically and clinically. It would be nice to have paramedics mentioned as lay medical people also. We aren’t “ambulance drivers” anymore. At least in Alberta, we haven’t been that, since the 1970’s.

As far as the first comment made, putting healing hands on someone; it doesn’t necessarily heal them. Sometimes the answer is still “no” and it is through the suffering that we are redeemed with Christ. We won’t always know, understand or accept the “no,” however, with faith, we can be sure that The Creator will give us the answers we seek at the right time. No doubt, He knows!

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