Every February 11th the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of the Sick. This year, in commemoration of this special day, patients of our Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center in Alma, Michigan were invited to come to the clinic chapel to receive either the Anointing of the Sick or a blessing.
We know from the holy gospels that one of the ways that the mercy of God was made manifest in Jesus was through the healing of the sick. Consider woman with the hemorrhage (Mark 5:24-34). For 12 years she has sought a cure but had only been made worse by the remedies she found in the world. She heard about Jesus; thinking, if only I touch the fringe of his garment or the tassel, I will be healed.[i]
She reaches out in faith and touches Jesus. He knows it immediately, for He says, I know that someone touched me for power has gone out from me. But her touch (and His response) is not an ordinary touch, for many people in the crowd were touching and pressing upon Him. No, in this encounter in faith, Jesus heals her and sets her free.
This is message of Our Lady of Lourdes. Millions of people come to Lourdes to encounter the mercy of God. So too, in the Sacrament of the Sick and the prayer of the Church for healing, people come to Jesus in faith for healing.
Fr. Paul Werley praying the prayers of the Rite of the Anointing for the Sick.
In our event, Father Paul Werley, chaplain of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, offered the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to those who gathered. For our non-Catholic patients, there was a blessing offered.
Father Paul beautifully reflected on how the Lord tells us to pick up our cross and follow him for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. We are also told that we will not be tested beyond what we can bear. Yet sometimes the sufferings of the present life are very difficult, and we might wonder, “What can the Lord mean?” Father Paul assured those gathered that the Lord is present here in this place, particularly in the Blessed Sacrament. “Yes, He is with us in the midst of our sufferings, He knows them intimately, and He is inviting us to follow Him on the path of Calvary that leads to life.”
Father Paul recalls a story of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta
“One day I met a lady who was dying of cancer in a most terrible condition. And I told her, I say, ‘You know, this terrible pain is only the kiss of Jesus — a sign that you have come so close to Jesus on the cross that he can kiss you.’ And she joined her hands together and said, ‘Mother Teresa, please tell Jesus to stop kissing me.’[ii]
The Laying on of Hands in prayer
“We might feel that way, too! Remember, however, in this encounter with Jesus in faith, there is no more meaningless suffering. In suffering and illness, there is an opportunity for it to be united with Jesus on the cross. Then this suffering is opened to His redemptive power. It can be a place of intimacy and love. It can be offered with Jesus to the Father for the sake of the world.” [iii]
______________________________________________________________
[i] Matthew 9:21
[ii] Kosloski, P. (2017, September 5). 5 enduring quotes from St. Teresa of Calcutta. Aleteia. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://aleteia.org/2017/09/05/5-enduring-quotes-from-st-teresa-of-calcutta/
[iii] Werley, Father Paul. (2023, February 10). Homily.
Posted for the World Day of the Sick 2023
February 11, 2023
