World Day of prayer for the Sick and Lent
A question we may ask is ‘Why are we here?’.
There may be many answers but one, I am sure of, is to be the body of Christ in the world. So often we hear that our mission is to fulfil Christ’s mission. How can we do this?
By doing what he did in a way that responds to this world at this time – being in relationship with people with whom we come in contact, by serving others, by feeding them, by walking with them, by praying with them, by taking time to be apart – to go to a desert to pray – to listen to others, to be just at all times, by accepting our illnesses and suffering, to be prepared to die.
Jesus always took time apart from others to pray before any important decision or action. Do we take time like this?
Thursday, February 11, is World Day of Prayer for the Sick. Next Wednesday (17 February) is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. I believe these days are interrelated.
How?
Pope Francis urges us to stop and listen, to establish a direct and personal relationship with others, to feel empathy and compassion, and to let their suffering become our own as we seek to serve them (cf. Lk 10:30-35)*.
He reminds us that The experience of sickness makes us realize our own vulnerability and our innate need of others. It makes us feel all the more clearly that we are creatures dependent on God. When we are ill, fear and even bewilderment can grip our minds and hearts; we find ourselves powerless, since our health does not depend on our abilities or life’s incessant worries (cf. Mt 6:27). Sickness raises the question of life’s meaning, which we bring before God in faith. In seeking a new and deeper direction in our lives, we may not find an immediate answer. Nor are our relatives and friends always able to help us in this demanding quest*.
Lent is a time to stop, reflect, to listen to the many ways He speaks to and through us, to take time to be in a desert place and all it offers us, accept our suffering in whatever form it may be, to ask ourselves how we are in relationship with others, experience the love of Christ as He stands with us at all times. Pope Francis again reminds us:
The Gospel frequently makes clear that Jesus heals not by magic but as the result of an encounter, an interpersonal relationship, in which God’s gift finds a response in the faith of those who accept it. As Jesus often repeats: “Your faith has saved you”.*
As Lent approaches, what will I give attention to this year?
(* Pope Francis World Day of Sick 2020)
Published: 10 February 2021
Author: Sr Anne Hannigan RSM
