Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma carries the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament while blessing the sick during a Mass commemorating the 23rd World Day of the Sick in the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma called on the faithful to “find meaning in sufferings” as the Catholic Church marked the 23rd World Day of the Sick and the 157th anniversary of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France yesterday.
At least 200 sick people—some wheelchair-bound—attended the 10 a.m. Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral which ended with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
“We are reminded about the reality of sickness. We may not be able to fully understand it. But let us offer our sufferings to God, who like us, suffered and died on the cross even if He didn’t deserve it,” Palma told the congregation during his homily.
“If we offer our sufferings to God, then it becomes salvific. May we draw inspiration from saints who felt privileged to share in the sufferings of Christ,” he added.
The World Day of the Sick was instituted by St. John Paul II in 2002, just a year after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Meaning of life
Palma said the absence of physical healing isn’t a sign that God doesn’t hear one’s prayer. “In fact, not all those who visited Lourdes received physical healing. But they knew they were spiritually and morally healed. One pilgrim said I’m still in a wheelchair after I left Lourdes. But I’m grateful because, before life has no meaning to me. But now, I realize the deeper meaning of life,” the prelate said.
Palma lauded people and sectors who continue to care for the sick and the elderly.
“What a beautiful experience if you work for the sick. You make them feel that they are not left out, that they have companions, and that they are cared for,” he said.
After communion, Palma carried the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance and blessed the faithful. In his message for the World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis also echoed the need to care for the sick.
“We forget about giving ourselves freely, taking care of others, being responsible for others. Behind this attitude there is often a lukewarm faith which has forgotten the Lord’s words: ‘You did it unto me,’” he said.