At tomorrow's 12 noon Mass, we will be celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The anointing of the sick will be given during the Mass.
February 11th is an important day for the church. In addition to being the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, it is the 30th annual observance of the World Day of the Sick. Saint Pope John Paul II began the observance of the World Day of the Sick, in conjunction with the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, to raise the level of awareness of the sick and the role to which Christ calls each of us to be His instruments of mercy for the sick and suffering.
Here is Pope Francis' letter regarding the 30th year celebration of the World Day of the Sick
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
FOR THE THIRTIETH WORLD DAY OF THE SICK
February 11, 2022
“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36).
Standing beside those who suffer on a path of charity
Dear brothers and sisters,
Thirty years ago, Saint John Paul II instituted the World Day of the Sick to encourage the people of God, Catholic health institutions and civil society to be increasingly attentive to the sick and to those who care for them. [1]
We are grateful to the Lord for the progress made over the years in the particular Churches worldwide. Many advances have been made, yet there is still a long way to go in ensuring that all the sick, also those living in places and situations of great poverty and marginalization, receive the health care they need, as well as the pastoral care that can help them experience their sickness in union with the crucified and risen Christ. May the Thirtieth World Day of the Sick – whose closing celebration, due to the pandemic, will not take place as planned in Arequipa, Peru, but in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican – help us grow in closeness and service to the sick and to their families.
1. Merciful like the Father
The theme chosen for this Thirtieth World Day of the Sick, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36), makes us first turn our gaze towards God, who is “rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4); he always watches over his children with a father’s love, even when they turn away from him. Mercy is God’s name par excellence; mercy, understood not as an occasional sentimental feeling but as an ever-present and active force, expresses God’s very nature. It combines strength and tenderness. For this reason, we can say with wonder and gratitude that God’s mercy embraces both fatherhood and motherhood (cf. Is 49:15). God cares for us with the strength of a father and the tenderness of a mother; he unceasingly desires to give us new life in the Holy Spirit.
2. Jesus, the mercy of the Father
The supreme witness of the Father’s merciful love for the sick is his only-begotten Son. How often do the Gospels relate Jesus’ encounters with people suffering from various diseases! He “went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people” (Mt 4:23). We do well to ask ourselves why Jesus showed such great concern for the sick, so much so that he made it paramount in the mission of the apostles, who were sent by the Master to proclaim the Gospel and to heal the sick (cf. Lk 9:2). Read more:
Here is more information about Our Lady of Lourdes, click here
