The Church annually celebrates the World Day of the Sick on February 11, the liturgical Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. This year’s observance also significantly coincides with the 25th Anniversary of the Institution of the Pontifical Council for Health-Care Workers (PCHCW) by Pope John Paul II, with the apostolic letter “Motu Proprio Dolentium Hominum”of February 11, 1985.

The creation of the PCHCW shows the Church’s deep concern for the infirm and the suffering. The need for an “attentive and far-reaching ecclesial presence beside the sick, as well as a presence in society that can effectively pass on the Gospel values that safeguard human life in all its phases…” has become most pronounced in today’s period of the world’s history and culture.

The Holy Father exhorts the faithful to re-live the Parable of the Good Samaritan in our present times. Let us not allow ethnic, religious, or cultural differences to determine our response toward the sufferings of other people. We are urged to reach out and tend to the physical and mental wounds of so many of our brothers and sisters who we meet on the highways of the world, regardless of whether or not they share our faith.

Human suffering takes on a new meaning when viewed vis-à-vis the mystery of Christ’s passion and death on the Cross. By God’s grace, we can transform the experience of sickness and sufferings into a “school of hope,” through which healing will come as a natural by-product of our ability to find meaning in our sufferings. The Holy Father has called on the sick to pray and offer their sufferings for priests – especially as we celebrate the Year for Priests – that the latter may continue to be faithful to the invocation and their ministry may be rich in spiritual fruits for the benefit of the whole Church.

The day-long event focuses on the redemptive value of human suffering and on the important role of those who are sick in the work of spreading the Gospel. The Church reorganizes that those who are suffering because of some forms of illness and their relatives have a special bond with the Crucified Christ and with the suffering people of the Missions and those who serve them. This annual celebration will serve as a fitting opportunity to give a more generous apostolic impetus to the service of the sick and of those who provide care for them.

May those who daily care for the sick, the elderly, and the suffering draw strength, patience, and courage from an awareness of their being vital instruments of Christ’s compassion.