On the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes (11 February this year), the 34th World Day of the Sick will be celebrated. In his letter entitled “Take care of him”, Pope Francis wrote: “We are never ready for illness. Often, we are not even ready to admit that we are growing older. We fear vulnerability, and the pervasive market-driven culture pushes us to deny it. There is no place for fragility. And evil, breaking into our lives and attacking us, strikes us down, leaving us stunned on the ground. It may then happen that others abandon us, or that we think we must abandon them so as not to feel like a burden to them. This is how loneliness begins and poisons us with a bitter sense of injustice, to the point that even Heaven seems to close its doors. Indeed, it is difficult for us to remain at peace with God when our relationships with others and with ourselves are broken. For this reason, especially in relation to illness, it is so important that the whole Church confront the evangelical example of the Good Samaritan, so as to become a worthy ‘field hospital’: for her mission, especially in the historical circumstances we are experiencing, is expressed in providing care. We are all fragile and vulnerable; we all need that compassionate attention which knows how to stop, draw near, heal and lift up. The situation of the sick is therefore an appeal that interrupts indifference and slows the steps of those who move forward as if they had no sisters or brothers.”

At the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków–Łagiewniki, on 11 February at 12:00 noon, Holy Mass will be celebrated for those suffering from illness, disability, and old age. The Mass will be broadcast on the Sanctuary Rectorate’s website: www.misericordia.eu