Draw on Encounter, Gift, Sharing in SufferingRead Time 11 min

One of my responsibilities as a bishop is to serve as the Episcopal Liaison of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to the National Association of Catholic Chaplains.

The NACC is an organization of almost 2,000 members whose mission is to serve as advocates for the profession of spiritual care and to educate, certify and support chaplains, clinical pastoral educators and all members who continue the healing ministry of Jesus in the name of the Catholic Church. The organization has been preparing, forming and supporting chaplains and pastoral care ministers since 1965. Its headquarters has been located in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for many of those years.

While the members of the NACC serve in a variety of roles of chaplaincy and pastoral care in parishes, schools, universities, correctional facilities and the service of first responders, most of them minister in the field of health care. And it is because of the prominence of this vocation that I would like to bring to mind a celebration of the Church which has significant importance to the members of the NACC, the recent World Day of the Sick, which took place Feb. 11. This year marks the 33rd commemoration of this day of prayer instituted by St. John Paul II as pope as an annual celebration on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes to serve as “a special time of prayer and sharing, of offering one’s suffering for the good of the Church and of reminding everyone to see in our sick brother and sister the face of Christ.” (Letter Instituting the World Day of the Sick, May 13, 1992) And I do not want this solemn and sacred recognition of the ministry to the sick and the holy witness of the courage and faith of those suffering frailty and illness to pass by without proper attention. After all, caring for the sick is a manifestation of one of the acts of charity designated as a Corporal Work of Mercy.

Pope Francis emphasized the importance of the World Day of the Sick and this Corporal Work of Mercy by promulgating a message with the theme “Hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5), but strengthens us in times of trial.” Through this theme, our Holy Father is seeking to unite this commemoration of the World Day of the Sick with the focus of the celebration of the Jubilee Year of 2025 upon the theological virtue of hope, as he offers us encouragement and strength while inviting us all to become “pilgrims of hope.”

Yet, Pope Francis is realistic in recognizing that his offering of hope can seem perplexing when we often have to deal with real life situations of suffering which cause comfort to dissipate — situations such as striving to cope with the ravage of debilitating diseases, costly medical treatments which are unaffordable, and watching loved ones facing painful trials while feeling powerless to help them. The Holy Father longs to reach out to those facing such trials by reminding us that even in such difficult moments, God remains close to those who are suffering in three particular ways: Encounter, Gift and Sharing.

Encounter

Pope Francis recalls the Biblical passage from the Gospel of Luke (10:1-9) when Jesus sent the 72 disciples out on mission, telling them to proclaim to the sick “The Kingdom of God has come near to you.” What he asks of the disciples — which also includes us — is to help the sick see their infirmity as an opportunity to encounter the Lord. We are to accompany the sick and assist them in seeking to penetrate the painfulness of their frailty on the physical and psychological levels to a transformative spiritual awareness of the presence of Jesus Christ, as we help them realize that he is the one who shared in and yet persevered through human suffering, thus opening a new horizon of “a strength that we never expected and would never be found on our own.” The Holy Father compares this experience as a “discovery of a solid rock to which we can hold fast amid the tempests of life, an experience that, even at great cost, makes us all the stronger because it teaches us that we are not alone. Suffering always brings with it a mysterious promise of salvation, for it makes us experience the closeness and reality of God’s consoling presence.”

As an aid to assist in helping to facilitate such an encounter with the Lord, I would like to share with you “A Prayer for the Sick,” written by Chaplain Moira Reilly, a member of the NACC:

“God of all, we wonder at the beauty you create. We are awed by this life you give to each of us: The ability to run, jump, play, laugh and love. And we mourn when these abilities are interrupted: by illness, aging or tragedy. Yet, we know you remain. Always steadfast. Help us to remain in you, to rest in you. In times of challenge, injury and illness, help us to see the beauty and promise of each new day. Help us to trust in your abiding love. Amen.”

Gift

Pope Francis reminds us that, more than anything else, suffering makes us aware that hope comes from the Lord. Hope is, first and foremost, a gift to be received and cultivated, by remaining “faithful to the faithfulness of God,” a poignant insight attributed to the Ven. Madeleine Delbrêl, a 20th century writer, poet, essayist, social worker and mystic, who sometimes is called “the French Dorothy Day.” The Holy Father highlights the source of this giftedness by noting that “In Jesus’ Paschal Mystery alone do we attain the certainty that ‘neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God.’ (Romans 8:38-39)”

Sharing

Pope Francis assures us of God’s third way of being close to us by relating “Places of suffering are frequently also places of sharing and mutual enrichment. How often, at the bedside of the sick, do we learn hope! How often, by our closeness to those who suffer, do we learn to have faith! How often, when we care for those in need, do we discover love! We realize that we are ‘angels’ of hope and messengers of God for one another, all of us together: whether patients, physicians, nurses, family members, friends, priests, men and women religious, no matter where we are, whether in the family or in clinics, nursing homes, hospitals or medical centers.”

As an aid to assist in helping to facilitate the sharing which brings mutual enrichment in hope, faith and love, I would like to share with you “A Prayer for the Caregiver” or the “angels” of hope, written by Chaplain Judy Zeringue, a member of the NACC:

“Dear Heavenly Father, we give you thanks and praise for the many gifts you have given us. Help us to use those gifts with wisdom and compassion. Help us to humbly and lovingly serve those entrusted to our care. To follow your will and see with eyes of faith. To feel peace beyond understanding, which lovingly comes from you. Let us embrace each day and find moments of joy to share with our beloved. Give us the grace to be gentle on ourselves as with those we serve. Let us remember to care for ourselves in health, mind and spirit in order that we may bring the best of our gifts to serve with love and grace. Help us to find the balance to meet our needs and fill our souls, that we may pour out our gifts and graces in the care we lovingly provide. All these things, we humbly ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”