The Mission of The Sick
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Faith on Thursday, February 11, 2010 8:30 PM
The Pope celebrated Mass for thousands of the sick in Rome this morning.
It was part of his observance of the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick.
Adding to the occasion, the relics of St. Bernadette were present.
His homily is just lovely, but this meditation on a line from St. Paul is amazing, I think:
From this text, which contains the foundation and practice of the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, is extracted at the same time a vision of the role of the sick in the Church: An active role as it “provokes,” so to speak, prayer made with faith. “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church.” In this Year for Priests, I wish to stress the bond between the sick and priests, a sort of alliance, of evangelical “complicity.” Both have a task: The sick person must “call” the presbyters, and they must respond, to bring upon the experience of sickness the presence and action of the Risen One and of his Spirit. And here we can see all the importance of the pastoral care of the sick, the value of which is truly incalculable, because of the immense good it does in the first place to the sick person and to the priest himself, but also to relatives, to friends, to the community and, through hidden and unknown ways, to the whole Church and to the world. In fact, when the Word of God speaks of healing, of salvation, of the health of the sick, it understands these concepts in an integral sense, never separating soul and body: A sick person cured by Christ’s prayer, through the Church, is a joy on earth and in heaven, a first fruit of eternal life.
What an encouragement both for those who suffer and their care-givers!
This evening the sick gathered in St. Peter’s for a candlelight rosary, and the Pope greeted them from his apartment window. See more photos here.
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