The World Day of the Sick invites us to pray and show closeness to those who suffer. But it also aims to raise awareness of the need to ensure the best possible care for the sick; to help those who are ill to appreciate suffering on a human and, above all, spiritual level, and to foster a better understanding of the importance of caring for those who live and work alongside people who suffer.
In his message for this day, Pope Francis reminds us that: «Illness is part of our human experience. But it can become inhuman if it is lived in isolation and abandonment, if it is not accompanied by care and compassion. When we walk together, it is normal for someone to feel unwell, have to stop because of tiredness or because of some obstacle along the way. It is at those moments that we see how we are walking. […] Therefore, on this XXXII World Day of the Sick, I invite you to reflect on the fact that it is precisely through the experience of fragility and illness that we can learn to walk together according to the style of God, which is closeness, compassion and tenderness».
The theme chosen by Pope Francis for the XXXII World Day of the Sick 2024 is: «It is not good that man should be alone». Healing the sick by healing relationships.
Drawing on a passage from Genesis (Gen 2:18), the Pope states: «It is good for us to hear that biblical word again: it is not good for man to be alone! God speaks it at the beginning of creation, thereby revealing to us the profound meaning of his plan for humanity but, at the same time, the mortal wound of sin, which enters by generating suspicion, fractures, divisions and, consequently, isolation. It affects the person in all their relationships: with God, with themselves, with others and with creation. This isolation makes us lose the meaning of existence, takes away the joy of love and makes us experience an oppressive sense of loneliness at all the crucial stages of life». God created human beings to live in communion and, for this reason, abandonment, isolation and loneliness are frightening and painful. This is even more true «in times of fragility, uncertainty and insecurity, often caused by the onset of any serious illness».
Many elderly people in residential care facilities are isolated and alone, but many sick people in our communities are also alone and often isolated with their families. «This sad reality - the Pope recalls - is above all a consequence of the culture of individualism, which exalts performance at all costs and cultivates the myth of efficiency, becoming indifferent and even ruthless when people no longer have the strength necessary to keep up».
The Holy Father recalls the model of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37), with «his ability to slow down and draw near, and the tenderness with which he soothes the wounds of his suffering brother», and reminds us that «the first care we need in illness is closeness filled with compassion and tenderness. Therefore, caring for the sick means first and foremost caring for their relationships, all of their relationships: with God, with others - family members, friends, healthcare workers - with creation, and with themselves».
Therefore, Pope Francis explains: «We are called to adopt Jesus' compassionate gaze. Let us care for those who suffer and are alone, perhaps marginalized and discarded. With the mutual love that Christ the Lord gives us in prayer, especially in the Eucharist, let us heal the wounds of loneliness and isolation. In this way, we cooperate in countering the culture of individualism, indifference, and disregard, and in fostering a culture of tenderness and compassion».
Drawing near, becoming a neighbor, is not easy, but the Day of the Sick reminds us that we are all called to follow the same path as Jesus the Good Samaritan, who never tires of loving us and caring for us, covering our wounds with the caress of his mercy. He never leaves us alone, never abandons us, and never tires of comforting us.
Comforted by Christ, we ourselves become a source of comfort for the afflicted.
On this day, let us join the Pope and say with him: «Let us entrust ourselves to Mary Most Holy, Health of the Sick, so that she may intercede for us and help us be artisans of closeness and fraternal relationships».
Prayer for the 32nd World Day of the Sick
Father, rich in mercy,
look upon our wounds,
heal afflicted hearts
and guide our steps.
Grant that in suffering
we do not feel alone,
that someone may take our hands
and grant us that peace which,
through Christ, comes from you.
Let us breathe it in already here on earth,
for the gift of the Holy Spirit,
that breath of heaven
that one day we will enjoy with you. Amen.
