SUMMARY:
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Wisdom of the heart to recognise the image of God in the sick
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Pope Francis' prayer intentions for January
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Other Pontifical Acts
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Notice
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Wisdom
of the heart to recognise the image of God in the sick
Vatican
City, 30 December 2014 (VIS) – The Pope's message for the 23rd
World Day of the Sick 2015 begins with a phrase from the Book of Job:
“I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame”, explained from
the perspective of “sapientia cordis”, the wisdom of the heart
that “is not theoretical, abstract knowledge, the product of
reasoning”, Pope Francis remarked, but rather “a way of seeing
things infused by the Holy Spirit in the minds and hearts of those
who are sensitive to the sufferings of their brothers and sisters and
who can see in them the image of God”.
World
Day of the Sick, instituted by St. John Paul II in 1992, is held on
11 February, feast day of the Virgin of Lourdes. The full text of the
Message is published below:
“Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
On
this, the twenty-third World Day of the Sick, begun by Saint John
Paul II, I turn to all of you who are burdened by illness and are
united in various ways to the flesh of the suffering Christ, as well
as to you, professionals and volunteers in the field of health care.
This
year’s theme invites us to reflect on a phrase from the Book of
Job: 'I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame'. I would like to
consider this phrase from the perspective of 'sapientia cordis' –
the wisdom of the heart.
1.
This 'wisdom' is not theoretical, abstract knowledge, the product of
reasoning. Rather, it is, as Saint James describes it in his Letter,
'pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good
fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity'. It is a way of seeing
things infused by the Holy Spirit in the minds and the hearts of
those who are sensitive to the sufferings of their brothers and
sisters and who can see in them the image of God. So let us take up
the prayer of the Psalmist: 'Teach us to number our days that we may
gain a heart of wisdom'. This 'sapientia cordis', which is a gift of
God, is a compendium of the fruits of the World Day of the Sick.
2.
Wisdom of the heart means serving our brothers and sisters. Job’s
words: 'I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame', point to the
service which this just man, who enjoyed a certain authority and a
position of importance amongst the elders of his city, offered to
those in need. His moral grandeur found expression in the help he
gave to the poor who sought his help and in his care for orphans and
widows.
Today
too, how many Christians show, not by their words but by lives rooted
in a genuine faith, that they are 'eyes to the blind' and 'feet to
the lame'! They are close to the sick in need of constant care and
help in washing, dressing and eating. This service, especially when
it is protracted, can become tiring and burdensome. It is relatively
easy to help someone for a few days but it is difficult to look after
a person for months or even years, in some cases when he or she is no
longer capable of expressing gratitude. And yet, what a great path of
sanctification this is! In those difficult moments we can rely in a
special way on the closeness of the Lord, and we become a special
means of support for the Church’s mission.
3.
Wisdom of the heart means being with our brothers and sisters. Time
spent with the sick is holy time. It is a way of praising God who
conforms us to the image of his Son, who 'came not to be served but
to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many'. Jesus himself
said: 'I am among you as one who serves'.
With
lively faith let us ask the Holy Spirit to grant us the grace to
appreciate the value of our often unspoken willingness to spend time
with these sisters and brothers who, thanks to our closeness and
affection, feel more loved and comforted. How great a lie, on the
other hand, lurks behind certain phrases which so insist on the
importance of 'quality of life' that they make people think that
lives affected by grave illness are not worth living!
4.
Wisdom of the heart means going forth from ourselves towards our
brothers and sisters. Occasionally our world forgets the special
value of time spent at the bedside of the sick, since we are in such
a rush; caught up as we are in a frenzy of doing, of producing, 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’.
For
this reason, I would like once again to stress 'the absolute priority
of “going forth from ourselves toward our brothers and sisters”
as one of the two great commandments which ground every moral norm
and as the clearest sign for discerning spiritual growth in response
to God’s completely free gift'. The missionary nature of the Church
is the wellspring of an 'effective charity and a compassion which
understands, assists and promotes'.
5.
Wisdom of the heart means showing solidarity with our brothers and
sisters while not judging them. Charity takes time. Time to care for
the sick and time to visit them. Time to be at their side like Job’s
friends: 'And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven
nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his
suffering was very great'. Yet Job’s friends harboured a judgement
against him: they thought that Job’s misfortune was a punishment
from God for his sins. True charity is a sharing which does not
judge, which does not demand the conversion of others; it is free of
that false humility which, deep down, seeks praise and is
self-satisfied about whatever good it does.
Job’s
experience of suffering finds its genuine response only in the cross
of Jesus, the supreme act of God’s solidarity with us, completely
free and abounding in mercy. This response of love to the drama of
human pain, especially innocent suffering, remains for ever impressed
on the body of the risen Christ; his glorious wounds are a scandal
for faith but also the proof of faith.
Even
when illness, loneliness and inability make it hard for us to reach
out to others, the experience of suffering can become a privileged
means of transmitting grace and a source for gaining and growing in
“sapientia cordis”. We come to understand how Job, at the end of
his experience, could say to God: 'I had heard of you by the hearing
of the ear, but now my eye sees you'. People immersed in the mystery
of suffering and pain, when they accept these in faith, can
themselves become living witnesses of a faith capable of embracing
suffering, even without being able to understand its full meaning.
6.
I entrust this World Day of the Sick to the maternal protection of
Mary, who conceived and gave birth to Wisdom incarnate: Jesus Christ,
our Lord.
O
Mary, Seat of Wisdom, intercede as our Mother for all the sick and
for those who care for them! Grant that, through our service of our
suffering neighbours, and through the experience of suffering itself,
we may receive and cultivate true wisdom of heart!
With
this prayer for all of you, I impart my Apostolic Blessing”.
Pope
Francis' prayer intentions for January
Vatican
City, 30 December 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father's universal prayer
intention for January 2015 is: “That those from diverse religious
traditions and all people of good will may work together for peace”.
His
intention for evangelisation is: “That in this year dedicated to
consecrated life, religious men and women may rediscover the joy of
following Christ and strive to serve the poor with zeal”.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 30 December 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Fr.
John Saw Yaw Han as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Yangon (area
47,192, population 14,620,000, Catholics 69,120, priests 102,
religious 438), Myanmar. The bishop-elect was born in Homalim,
Myanmar in 1968 and was ordained a priest in 1995. He studied
philosophy and theology at the St. Joseph national major seminary,
and has served in a number of roles, including missionary “fidei
donum” in the diocese of Kentung, lecturer in philosophy at the
national major seminary in Mandalay; assistant at the St. Lazarus
Church in Insein and St. Mary's Cathedral in Yangon; lecturer in
theology at the national major seminary in Yangon; and rector at the
minor seminary of Bago. He is currently rector of the national major
seminary in Yangon.
Notice
Vatican
City, 30 December 2014 (VIS) – The Vatican Information Service
wishes all its readers a happy New Year. The next bulletin will be
transmitted on Friday 2 January 2015.
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