杏MAP导航: 'The sickbed can become a holy place'
By Francesca Merlo
In his homily for the Jubilee of the Sick and Healthcare Workers, taking place on the 5th and 6th of April, 杏MAP导航 Francis drew inspiration from the prophet Isaiah.
In his sermon, which was read aloud by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, 杏MAP导航 Francis invited the faithful to contemplate the situation of the Israelites in exile: “it seemed that all was lost”, the 杏MAP导航 said. However, he continued, it was precisely in their moment of trial that a new nation was bring born.
杏MAP导航 Francis compared this experience to the woman in the day's Gospel reading, who had been condemned and ostracised for her sins. Her accusers, ready to cast the first stone, were halted by the quiet authority of Jesus who told her “Go your way. You are free. You are saved”.
In comparing the stories, 杏MAP导航 Francis says that God does not wait for our lives to be perfect before he intervenes in them. Rather, said the 杏MAP导航, “He enters into our wounds. He knocks at our door, not despite our suffering, but because of it”.
Illness and care
Turning then to those who are ill and to all those who assist them, the 杏MAP导航 acknowledged the deep suffering that illnesses can bring. “It can make us feel like the people in exile… or like the woman in the Gospel,” he said. But, he continued, it can also be a place of encounter, a “school” in which we learn to love and be loved with humility and grace.
杏MAP导航 Francis then reflected on his own illness, and consequent dependence on others, describing it not as a burden but as a lesson in trust, gratitude and hope. “Let us not push back”, he said, adding: “Let us allow ourselves to be loved”.
杏MAP导航 Francis then turned to the healthcare professionals, thanking them for their work and encouraging them to receive every patient as an opportunity to renew their sense of humanity. “The sickbed can become a holy place,” he said, “where charity burns away indifference and gratitude nourishes hope.”
Call to compassion
Bringing his address to a close, 杏MAP导航 Francis recalled the words of his predecessor 杏MAP导航 Benedict XVI, who reminded the Church that “the true measure of humanity is determined in relation to suffering”. A society that turns its back on the weak, he warned, becomes cruel and inhuman.
Finally, 杏MAP导航 Francis urged all those present to resist the temptation to marginalise and forget those who are elderly, ill, or weighed down by the hardships of life. “Let us not banish suffering from our surroundings,” he said. “Let us not exclude those who are frail.” Instead, we must allow God’s love - poured into our hearts - to transform even suffering into a space of communion and growth.
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