Since 1993, the Catholic Church has observed the World Day of the Sick on Feb. 11, the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. This non-liturgical observance was initiated by Pope John Paul II shortly after receiving his own diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
Long devoted to Mary, Saint John Paul chose this Marian feast because of Lourdes’ association as a place of pilgrimage and healing whereby the sick and infirm travel by the thousands every year.
Dozens of miraculous cures at Lourdes have been authenticated after vigorous medical testing. Countless spiritual healings also have been received by the faithful who have flocked to Lourdes to seek Mary’s intercession ever since she appeared to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 and revealed to her the hidden spring whose waters have been associated with healing ever since.
Saint John Paul was no stranger to sickness and human suffering and reflected deeply upon this common human experience. He dedicated an apostolic letter (Salvifici Doloris) to the subject of human suffering; he survived an assassination attempt and lived his own long final illness publicly before the eyes of the world prior his death in 2005.
At the first annual observance of the World Day of the Sick, Pope John Paul II offered this encouragement to the sick and suffering: “Your sufferings, accepted and borne with unshakeable faith, when joined to those of Christ take on extraordinary value for the life of the Church and the good of humanity.” He went on to say, “In the light of Christ’s death and resurrection, illness no longer appears as an exclusively negative event, rather it is seen as an opportunity ‘to release love … to transform the whole of human civilization into a civilization of love.’”
This year, the World Day of the Sick once again was observed against the backdrop of a global pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, COVID already has claimed more than 5.7 million lives worldwide. Hardly any of us have not been touched by this illness, either by the loss of a loved one, personal experience with the virus or significant disruptions in our way of life.
The impact of the virus cannot be accurately measured. The numbers of infections, staggering as they are, do not tell the whole story. The social and economic costs and physical effects of the illness bring other suffering as well. The pandemic’s impact on families, medical professionals and other caregivers as well as the added stress on teachers, businesses and first responders have contributed to a mental health crisis that often goes unrecognized and unacknowledged.
A further collateral effect of the pandemic in society is evident in the pervasive sense of fear and anxiety affecting so many. This fear has scattered seeds of suspicion and discord in society and even in our families, communities and churches. The mental, emotional and spiritual sufferings brought in the wake of the pandemic need to be acknowledged and lifted up as well.
I suspect far fewer pilgrims are traveling to Lourdes these days, given the travel restrictions and concerns brought in the wake of the pandemic. In fact, we don’t need to make a physical pilgrimage to Lourdes to lift up the sick in prayer. But, we dare not forget or neglect the needs of so many!
The World Day of the Sick is our annual reminder to pray in compassion and solidarity for all who suffer from physical, emotional, mental and spiritual ailments as well as those who care for them.