World Day of the Sick was first introduced in 1992 by St. Pope John Paul II as a time of prayer and sharing of one’s suffering. On Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018, the Church will commemorate the 26th annual World Day of the Sick.

It coincides with the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes because of the association of Lourdes with countless miraculous healings of the sick and disabled, which have taken place in Lourdes, France, on the site of the 18 apparitions of the Blessed Mother to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis recently wrote about how Bernadette felt that “Mary was looking at her as a person. The Lovely Lady spoke to her with great respect and without condescension.” His Holiness reflects that, “this reminds us that every person is, and always remains, a human being, and is to be treated as such. The sick and those who are disabled, even severely, have their own inalienable dignity and mission in life. They never become simply objects. If at times they appear merely passive, in reality that is never the case.”

World Day of the Sick has become a day when we remember not only those among us who are suffering with illness or disability, but also those who offer care. From family caregivers to medical professionals, from chaplains and social workers to volunteers who visit the sick in hospitals or in their own homes, from mental health care providers to nurses, from hospital administrators to those who bring Holy Communion to the sick, all are part of the tapestry of care for the sick, responding to our calling as Christians to do so. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:35-37)

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., wrote in his 2017 World Day of the Sick statement, “Christians have always been encouraged by the compassion of the Lord Jesus toward the sick in the Gospels. The Church has carried on his ministry from its earliest days, offering healing, strengthening faith, inspiring hope, sharing love following his example. That ministry continues to be a work of Mercy for all believers.”  Bishop O’Connell leads by his own example, as he is often found at the bedside of the sick and dying, sharing his priestly gifts, offering the Sacrament of the Sick, as well as his prayers and his pastoral presence. 

As Catholics, we can share in fulfilling the works of Mercy by contacting our own parishes to ask about volunteering to visit the sick in local hospitals or nursing homes, or bringing Holy Communion to the homebound. Many parishes offer outreach to those in need of meals during a time of illness or after a loss; others try to find parishioners who can offer rides to Mass to their neighbors who no longer drive.  “Seek, and you shall find” ways to serve! 

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, writes on this occasion, “To Mary, Mother of tender love, we wish to entrust all those who are ill in body and soul, that she may sustain them in hope. We ask her also to help us to be welcoming to our sick brothers and sisters. The Church knows that she requires a special grace to live up to her evangelical task of serving the sick … May the Virgin Mary intercede for this twenty-sixth World Day of the Sick; may she help all those who care for them. To all, the sick, to health care workers and to volunteers, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.”