VATICAN - Pope Francis participates in the Jubilee of the sick: God does not leave us alone, we can turn to him and entrust our pain to him

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - "Happy Sunday to everyone. Thank you very much". In St. Peter's Square, the voice of Pope Francis echoes once again, as this morning he decided to take part in the Jubilee of the sick and the world of healthcare.

Before unexpectedly appearing before the multitude that crowded St. Peter's Square for the mass, the Bishop of Rome received the sacrament of confession in the Vatican Basilica, gathered in prayer and passed through the Holy Door.

Then he went out into the square: a long applause greeted the Pontiff, who arrived in the churchyard in a wheelchair. The greeting was followed by the blessing at the end of the mass that concluded the seventh of the great events of the Jubilee of Hope.

The liturgical Celebration was presided over by Archbishop Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for Fundamental Questions of Evangelization in the World), who read the Pope's homily prepared for the occasion.

Commenting on the readings proposed by the liturgy of the V Sunday of Lent, the Pontiff underlined how "the dramatic and moving stories" taken from the book of Isaiah and the Gospel of John (i.e. the words that God addresses to Israel in exile in Babylon and the forgiveness of the adulteress by Jesus), invite us "today to renew our trust in God, who is ever near to us and ready to save us. No situation of exile, no violence, no sin, no fact of life can prevent him from standing at our door and knocking, ready to enter as soon as we open to him. Indeed, it is precisely when the trials become more difficult that his grace and love embrace us all the more in order to raise us up".

And "illness", wrote the Pontiff in his homily, "is certainly one of the harshest and most difficult of life’s trials, when we experience in our own flesh our common human frailty. It can make us feel like the people in exile, or like the woman in the Gospel: deprived of hope for the future. Yet that is not the case. Even in these times, God does not leave us alone. By becoming man, he knows what it is to suffer. Therefore, we can turn to him and entrust our pain to him, certain that we will encounter compassion, closeness and tenderness".

But not only that. "In his faithful love, the Lord invites us in turn to become “angels” for one another, messengers of his presence, to the point where the sickbed can become a “holy place” of salvation and redemption, both for the sick and for those who care for them", added the Bishop of Rome.

Addressing doctors, nurses and all health care workers, the Pope added: "in caring for your patients, especially the most vulnerable among them, the Lord constantly affords you an opportunity to renew your lives through gratitude, mercy, and hope. He calls you to realize with humility that nothing in life is to be taken for granted and that everything is a gift from God; to enrich your lives with the sense of humanity we experience when, beyond appearances, only the things that matter remain: the small and great signs of love. Allow the presence of the sick to enter your lives as a gift, to heal your hearts, to purify them of all that is not charity, and to warm them with the ardent and gentle fire of compassion".

"I have much in common with you at this time of my life," continued Archbishop Fisichella reading the Pontiff's homily, "dear brothers and sisters who are sick: the experience of illness, of weakness, of having to depend on others in so many things, and of needing their support. This is not always easy, but it is a school in which we learn each day to love and to let ourselves be loved, without being demanding or pushing back, without regrets and without despair, but rather with gratitude to God and to our brothers and sisters for the kindness we receive, looking towards the future with acceptance and trust".

"The hospital room and the sickbed can also be places where we hear the voice of the Lord and in this way, we renew and strengthen our faith," we read further in the text, which the Pope concluded with a quote from Benedict XVI, a Pontiff, Pope Francis emphasized, "who gave us a beautiful testimony of serenity in the time of his illness — wrote that, “the true measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to suffering” and that “a society unable to accept its suffering members... is a cruel and inhuman society”. “It is true: facing suffering together makes us more human, and the ability to share the pain of others is an important step forward in any journey of holiness,” the Pontiff concluded.

At midday, the Holy See Press Office then released the text, in written form only, of the Angelus, where the Bishop of Rome remarked: "As during my hospitalization, even now in my convalescence I feel the “finger of God” and experience His caring touch. On the day of the Jubilee of the sick and the world of healthcare, I ask the Lord that this touch of His love may reach those who suffer and encourage those who care for them".

Then the prayer for doctors, nurses and health workers, "who are not always helped to work in adequate conditions and are sometimes even victims of aggression. Their mission is not easy and must be supported and respected. I hope that the necessary resources will be invested in treatment and research, so that health systems are inclusive and attentive to the most fragile and the poorest".

Finally, the appeal for peace "in the tormented Ukraine, stricken by attacks that are claiming many civilian victims, including a lot of children". The same, the Pope added, "is happening in Gaza, where people are reduced to living in unimaginable conditions, without shelter, without food, without clean water. May the weapons be silenced and dialogue resumed; may all the hostages be freed and aid brought to the population. Let us pray for peace throughout the Middle East; in Sudan and South Sudan; in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Myanmar, hard hit by the earthquake; and in Haiti, where violence rages, and two religious sisters were killed a few days ago". (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 6/4/2025)

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