World Day of the Sick | From fear to sharing
On the occasion of the XXIII World Day of the Sick, let us practice the fifth work of mercy. Let us turn weakness into strength
Illness is part of our existences. It is a dimension in which, sooner or later, we are all involved: either because it touches us personally or because it comes sooner or later in the life of a family member, friend, etc.
Yet, our first reaction is always one of non-acceptance, rejection, as if we do not want to acknowledge our humanity and, therefore, fragility.
The truth is that illness frightens us. That is why we often avoid doing the fifth work of mercy: visiting the sick. Because they show us the weakest part of us, make us confront our finiteness, force us to admit that we are not immortal.
In his Message for the XXIII World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis helps us reflect on this theme and encourages everyone through St. Paul: “hope does not disappoint” (Rom. 5:5).
He affirms, further, that “places where people suffer are often places of sharing, where we enrich one another. How often, at the bedside of a sick person, do we learn to hope! How many times, standing near those who suffer, one learns to believe! How often, bending over those in need, one discovers love!”.
Alone, however, one does not always succeed, whether on one side or the other. Because, humanly, it is difficult to carry the burden and suffering of an illness on oneself, just as it is demanding and filled with sacrifice the everyday life of those who are next to someone who is sick. That is why “in all these circumstances we feel the need for support greater than ourselves: we need the help of God, of his grace, of his Providence, of that strength which is the gift of his Spirit.”
The Pope reminds us that no matter how difficult, disabling, hard, painful the state of illness may be, we are not alone, God is close to us: “we experience the closeness and compassion of God, who in Jesus shared our sufferings. He does not abandon us and often surprises us with the gift of a tenacity that we would never have thought we had, and that on our own we would never have found.”
And so it is that illness, lived in a Christian way, becomes “the occasion of an encounter that changes us, the discovery of an unshakable rock to which we discover we can anchor ourselves in order to face the storms of life: an experience that, even in sacrifice, makes us stronger” and becomes a gift “to be welcomed and cultivated.”
The “angels of hope,” in addition to doctors, nurses, health workers, can be us, to the extent that we learn to stand by the sick person, giving him or her time, love, energy.
So, let’s start today, this Day of the Sick: a visit, a smile, a word of comfort. And then, a glass of water, a chat, a prayer together.
Small steps, little by little, to discover that we can get in touch with what makes us afraid and turn weakness into strength.
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