At a World Day of the Sick Mass, Archbishop J. Michael Miller offered words of encouragement and hope to the sick and suffering, telling them, “you are signs of hope for me.”
Referencing the Jubilee Year of Hope, he reassured those facing illness that their suffering is not meaningless and that, even in hardship, “there is hope that does not disappoint,” quoting Pope Francis’ worlds to children at a pediatric clinic in Poland in January.
Speaking at Our Lady of Sorrows in Vancouver, the Archbishop emphasized the healing presence of Christ, reminding those in attendance that suffering, though difficult, can be spiritually enriching when united with Christ’s Passion. “Your suffering is a very profound prayer,” he said. “Even without words, suffering with Jesus has the power to spiritually enrich not only those who endure it but also the whole Church.”
While sickness and suffering “seem to contradict all that is good,” he said, “no disease, no infirmity, no suffering can ever deprive us of our dignity as children of God, as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ who shed his blood for us.”
He addressed the experience of suffering, which often poses disturbing questions: “Why does God, who is so good, allow me to suffer? What purpose does it serve? How can we show strength when, in addition to our own sufferings, we see those of our loved ones who support us yet feel powerless to help us?”
Acknowledging that there are no easy answers to such questions without the gift of faith, he said, “with faith, we can turn to Jesus who offered his life on the cross. His Passion and death can strengthen us to unite our suffering with his. Suffering invites us to become like Jesus and offer ourselves with him in his mission of saving the world. It was by his cross and Resurrection that humankind was set free.”
Quoting St. Bernadette of Lourdes, he recalled her words: “Suffer everything in silence in order to please Jesus.”
Feb. 11 is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, recalling how in in 1858 in Lourdes, France, 13-year-old Bernadette Soubirous notice wind and a rustling sound coming from a nearby grotto. There Bernadette saw a golden light and a beautiful lady.
The Blessed Mother appeared to Bernadette 18 times at the grotto, where millions of Catholic pilgrims visit the healing waters at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
“Our Saviour knows the special grace needed by those who suffer,” the Archbishop said.
He added, “What we can do now is entrust ourselves to God’s mercy, as this comes to us through the grace of the Sacrament of the Sick. In the course of a life often marked by sickness, Bernadette herself received this Sacrament four times.”
Throughout his public ministry, Jesus “not only preached the Good News of the Kingdom but also ‘cast out the spirits with his word, and cured all who were sick’ (Mt 8:16), as we heard Deacon Bruce proclaim in the Gospel. When he sent his disciples out on their mission, he equipped them with the power to do likewise.”
The Archbishop also acknowledged health-care workers, thanking them for their dedication and compassion as “a true reflection of Christ’s love.”
“As they care for those in pain, they see in them the person of Jesus. I commend to the good Lord all of you who accompany with such compassion and tenderness the sick and suffering in our hospitals, long-term care homes, other facilities, and hospices. Your selfless service is a source of inspiration and comfort to those in need.”
Archbishop Miller praised Catholic health-care institutions such as Providence Health Care and Providence Living, which operates Central City Lodge and Cooper Place in downtown Vancouver, for providing compassionate, faith-based care to seniors and others in need.
With Catholic News Agency files
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