Hope amid suffering leads to God

Feb 07, 2025

VATICAN: Pope Francis has acknowledged the challenge of embracing the Holy Year 2025 refrain, “Hope does not disappoint,” especially for those suffering from illness. Yet, he emphasises that Christians are called to recognise God’s closeness even in moments of weakness and despair.

Sickness, the Pope wrote, can become “an occasion for a transformative encounter” with God when one remains open to His presence. This was shared in his message for the 33rd World Day of the Sick, observed on February 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Typically, a solemn celebration of the World Day of the Sick takes place every three years at a Marian shrine. However, in light of the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis has decided to delay the solemn celebration that would have taken place this year. Instead, the commemoration will take place in 2026 at the Marian Sanctuary of the Virgin of Chapi in Arequipa, Peru. The decision was announced in a recent press release from the Dicasteries for the Promotion of Integral Human Development and of Evangelization. The statement clarified that, for this Jubilee Year, the World Day of the Sick will be observed in the usual manner at the diocesan level on February 11. It also highlighted two significant upcoming events: the Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers on April 5-6, and the Jubilee of People with Disabilities on April 28-29.

In his message, Pope Francis addresses the deep and difficult questions faced by those who suffer and those who care for them. “How can we be strong when our bodies are ravaged by severe, debilitating illnesses that demand costly treatments, which we may not be able to afford? How can we show strength when, in addition to our own suffering, we see our loved ones who support us yet feel powerless to help?” While true hope “does not disappoint” and strengthens us in times of trial, the Pope acknowledges that this confidence can often feel distant in the face of real suffering. “In these moments,” he says, “we become aware of our need for a strength greater than our own. We recognise that we need God’s help, His grace, His Providence, and the strength that comes as a gift from His Spirit.”

The Pope continues by reflecting on the deeper meaning of suffering. He writes that suffering “always brings with it a mysterious promise of salvation,” as it allows us to experience the closeness and reality of God’s consoling presence. Despite the frailty felt on the p h y s i - cal, psychological, and spiritual levels during illness, “we also experience the closeness and compassion of God, who, in Jesus, shared in our human suffering.” Pope Francis reminds us that “God does not abandon us and often amazes us by granting us a strength that we never expected and would never have found on our own.”

The Pope also highlights that Christians can accept suffering as a gift, for it “makes us aware that hope comes from the Lord.” He points out that, ultimately, “only in Christ’s resurrection does our own life and destiny find its place within the infinite horizon of eternity.”

In his message, Pope Francis compares the journey of the ill to the experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. By sharing their anxieties and disappointments with Jesus, the disciples came to recognise His presence, which allowed them to “sense that ‘greater reality’ which, by drawing near to us, restores our courage and confidence.” Suffering, the Pope says, helps develop a profound sense of sharing and encounter. Those who care for the sick realise that they are “angels of hope and messengers of God for one another,” whether at home, in a clinic, nursing home, or hospital.

“We need to learn how to appreciate the beauty and significance of these grace-filled encounters,” Pope Francis writes. “We need to learn how to cherish the gentle smile of a nurse, the gratitude and trust of a patient, the caring face of a doctor or volunteer, or the anxious and expectant look of a spouse, a child, a grandchild, or a dear friend.” Such gestures, he adds, are “rays of light to be treasured” that provide strength and teach us the deeper meaning of life in love and closeness, even amid adversity.

Pope Francis emphasises that those who care for the sick during the Jubilee year “play an especially important part.” Their dedication impacts “far beyond the rooms and beds of health facilities,” promoting charity and “bringing light and warmth wherever they are most needed.” The Pope concludes with a heartfelt message of gratitude: “The whole Church thanks you for this! I do as well, and I remember you always in my prayers.” --Agencies

To read the full message, go to: https://shorturl.at/w6Bb0