On April 5 and 6, together with the whole Church, we will celebrate the Jubilee of the Sick. What better opportunity for a profound reflection embracing a reality every human being knows: pain and illness. Within them lies a universal question that has always lived in the human soul. How many times, in fact, faced with our own or others' suffering, have we asked ourselves: «Why?» Bruno Forte, in one of his profound meditations, guides us along an illuminating path toward understanding the meaning of illness and suffering in the light of faith in Jesus Christ. As a bishop, Forte has met countless people tested by suffering, seen their wounds firsthand, and listened to their questions. Questions that often boil down to one single, piercing question: «Why suffering? Why me in particular? If God is just, why is there evil?».
The cross. A response of love to the cry of suffering
Faced with this mystery, the Christian faith does not offer easy answers, but points to a path: that of Jesus Christ. Bishop Forte emphasizes that for those who believe in Christ, the meaning of suffering and liberation from evil have been offered to us by him on the cross. In this sense, we are not alone in our suffering; the Son of God has drawn near to us, becoming «the great companion in our suffering».
Jesus made our suffering his own to help us bear its weight, inviting us: «Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest» (Mt 11:28). The cry of Jesus dying on the cross, «My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?», thus becomes the voice of all human suffering, but his offering of love opens up a horizon of life stronger than death.
The Trinity at the heart of suffering. A love that chooses to suffer
The Christian perspective goes beyond simple compassion. Bishop Bruno Forte invites us to consider the depth of divine love, revealed in the mystery of the Trinity. It is the Father who gives the Son for our sake, manifesting infinite love for humanity. The suffering of the Son corresponds to a suffering of the Father, likewise chosen and lived out of love: God suffers on the cross as the Father who offers his Only-Begotten Son, as the Son who gives himself over to death for us, and as the Spirit who is love in person, uniting them.
The cross is therefore not a banner of death, but the good news of death in God, so that humanity may live by the life of the immortal God. This divine suffering is a pain of love, freely accepted out of love.
From the cross to Easter. Love conquers death
The apparent triumph of pain is transformed into the joyful news of Easter. The love that unites the One Who Abandons and the Abandoned One is stronger than death. The Resurrection illuminates the cross, transforming death into new life in God. The abandonment of the cross is followed by the communion of the Resurrection. The cross thus becomes the place where God speaks in the silence of human finitude, a finitude embraced out of love. As Jacques Maritain writes: «If people knew… that God “suffers” with us and far more than we do from all the evil ravaging the earth, many things would undoubtedly change, and many souls would be set free».
The sacrament of Anointing. Divine closeness in illness
It is precisely within this context of divine love that bends over human suffering that the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick takes its place. Monsignor Forte emphasizes how the living God has drawn close to the weakness and fragility of His creatures, especially when they are afflicted by illness. The sacramental Anointing makes us participants in Christ’s victory over sin and its consequences. The anointing, conferred by the priest through the laying on of hands and prayer, is the sacramental sign of the divine gift that comes to the aid of the sick, supporting them and those close to them. It is an encounter between the Holy Trinity and human illness and suffering, revealing the possibility of redemptive pain. Monsignor Forte urges everyone to learn about the grace of this sacrament, a great gift from the Lord who comes to our aid in our weakness when we need Him most. Not an extreme remedy to be postponed, but a sign of hope and divine closeness to be welcomed with faith.
Ultimately, the path proposed by Monsignor Bruno Forte - which you can read in full in “Letters to the People of God” - invites us to view pain not as an absurd fate, but as a mystery revealed in the light of God’s love, a love that does not abandon us but becomes our companion in suffering, offering us in the sacrament of Anointing a tangible sign of His consoling and healing presence.
Don’t face pain alone! Discover how faith can bring comfort and hope in times of need. Speak with your priest and explore the meaning of this gift of love, and, if you wish, share your experience and that of the people you love in the comments.
