On the 32nd World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis invites us to reflect on the fundamental importance of caring for the sick through caring for relationships. Under the motto “It is not fitting that man should be alone” (Gen 2:18), the Holy Father offers us valuable teachings on the need to embrace communion and fraternity, especially in times of frailty and sickness.
From the beginning of creation, God designed us for communion and relationships. The Pope’s message highlights how our lives, shaped in the image of the Trinity, find their full meaning in the dynamics of relationships, friendship and mutual love. In this context, the experience of abandonment and loneliness becomes a painful challenge, especially when illness is added to the equation.
The Holy Father makes us reflect on the experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, where many found themselves terribly alone. Patients who could not receive visitors, overwhelmed health care personnel and, painfully, those who faced the hour of death without the comforting presence of their loved ones. In addition, the message extends to those affected by war, highlighting how loneliness hits the most fragile the hardest.
Francis also addresses the sad reality of loneliness in times of old age and illness, often fueled by the culture of individualism. The obsession with performance and efficiency can turn into indifference and cruelty when people can no longer keep up. This individualism leads to a throwaway culture, where the elderly and infirm are seen as expendable.
In this context, the Pope’s message reminds us that the first care that the sick person needs is a closeness full of compassion and tenderness. Caring for the sick implies caring for all their relationships: with God, with family, with friends, with health personnel and with oneself. The call is clear: to build a culture of tenderness and compassion. Inspired by the image of the Good Samaritan, we must slow down, become neighbors and soothe the wounds of the suffering.
From the Sisters Hospitallers, we echo the message of the Holy Father on this 22nd World Day of the Sick and we ask our founders, St. Benedict Menni, the Venerable Maria Josefa Recio and Maria Angustias Gimenez to accompany us in this hospitaller mission with renewed commitment, remembering that we were created for love and communion. Let us follow, as we did 143 years ago, the compassionate gaze of Jesus, healing the wounds of loneliness and isolation, and building together a culture where hospitality reigns.
