On the World Day of the Sick, the message of Pope Leo XIV invites us once again to contemplate the image of the Good Samaritan, “always timely and necessary for rediscovering the beauty of charity and the social dimension of compassion, so as to focus our attention on those in need and those who suffer, such as the sick.”
In his message, the Pope emphasizes that Jesus does not simply teach who our neighbor is, but how to become a neighbor—that is, how to truly draw close to others. This Gospel call is embodied in an exemplary way in our Founder, Saint Benito Menni, who was always the first to “make himself a neighbor.” He assisted all kinds of people and exercised charity even in the most humble tasks, often forgetting his own dignity in order to come to the aid of others, not only spiritually, but in everything that poor and sick persons needed.
In harmony with this perspective, and cited in this message for the XXXIV World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis recalled in his encyclical Fratelli tutti that it is love which breaks the chains that isolate and divide us, builds bridges, and enables us to form one great family in which everyone can feel at home.
However, this call to love is challenged by a culture marked by urgency, immediacy, and depersonalization. Faced with this reality, Pope Leo XIV warns us of the risk of becoming so immersed in this rhythm that we no longer know how to stop, draw near, and attentively look at the needs and suffering around us.
The parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us that, upon seeing the wounded man, he did not “pass by on the other side.” Love is not passive; it goes out to meet the other. Becoming a neighbor does not depend on physical or social proximity, but on the decision to love. For this reason, the Christian becomes a neighbor to those who suffer by following the example of Christ, the true divine Samaritan, who drew near to wounded humanity.
This way of “becoming a neighbor” lies at the very heart of the hospital charism. When drafting the first Constitutions, Saint Benito Menni clearly stated the aims of the Congregation: “the greater honor and glory of God Our Lord, the sanctification of the persons who belong to it, and contributing to the good of society; therefore, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart shall strive, in the care of the sick… to assist them not only in their bodily needs but also in their spiritual ones.”
The strength of this charism carried our Founder much further than he himself could have imagined, giving rise to unexpected fruits through a life devoted to hospitality, capable of responding to the concrete needs of the most vulnerable. As Father Menni himself expressed it: “This supernatural love, born in the Heart of Jesus and communicated by the Holy Spirit to my poor heart, has been the foundation of your Congregation; this love of charity is what today wishes to extend far more than we ever thought possible.”
The principal aim is the greater honor and glory of God Our Lord, the sanctification of the persons who belong to the Congregation, and contributing to the good of society; therefore, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart strive, in the care of the sick… to assist them not only in what concerns the body but also the spirit.
On this day, and in communion with the prayer that Pope Leo XIV offers us in his message, we entrust in a special way all those who are ill and all who accompany and care for them each day: healthcare professionals, pastoral workers, volunteers, and families. We place their lives and their mission in the hands of Mary, our Mother, the first woman of hospitality, who knew how to draw near, remain present, and care with tenderness.
Sweet Mother, do not part from me.
Turn not your eyes away from me.
Walk with me at every moment
and never leave me alone.
You who always protect me
as a true Mother,
obtain for me the blessing of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit.
