World Day of the Sick February 11th 2017

World Day of the Sick World Day of the Sick was launched by Pope John Paul II in 1992. He designated February 11, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, to be an annual day of prayer and consideration of the sick and of those who care for them.  It is a day on which we reflect on the Christian meaning of illness, pain and suffering - whether we are healthy or not. People in the medical profession are invited through this day to recognise and value the spiritual dimension of their work.

The theme of Pope Francis’s message for the World Day of Sick 2017 is: ‘Amazement at what God has accomplished: The Almighty has done great things for me (Luke 1:49)'

Pope Francis invites people to see the world and those who are sick or in need of care with "the wisdom of the heart," which is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, merciful, certain and sincere. "How great a lie," he wrote, "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."

Criticizing approaches that devalue human lives, especially the lives of those who suffer from serious illness, Pope Francis highlighted the importance of offering increased care and concern instead, urging people to demonstrate a compassion that does not judge and that "does not demand conversion."

in Christ you welcome each of us as a son or daughter. In his message for World Day of the Sick 2017; Pope Francis invited the sick, healthcare workers, and volunteers to turn to Mary in prayer. He said: “May her maternal intercession sustain and accompany our faith, and obtain for us from Christ her Son hope along our journey of healing and of health, a sense of fraternity and responsibility, a commitment to integral human development, and the joy of feeling gratitude whenever God amazes us by his fidelity and his mercy.” He concluded the message with a short prayer to Our Lady: Mary, our Mother, in Christ you welcome each of us as a son or daughter. Sustain the trusting expectation of our hearts, succour us in our infirmities and sufferings, and guide us to Christ, your Son and our brother. Help us to entrust ourselves to the Father who accomplishes great things.

Prayers for World Day of the Sick On this World Day of the Sick, when we are called to be especially sensitive to the needs of the sick, we pray to God: God of healing, heal your people. We bring before you our needs and the needs of the sick throughout the world, We pray for the patience of the sick, And the compassion of caregivers. Let your blessing of healing Come upon all those who are sick Merciful God, hear our prayers.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart for the Sick Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place into Your Hands, wounded out of love for us, all those I know and love who are ill, injured or in need of Your healing touch in any way. I remember those who are at home and those in hospitals and nursing homes, those who are recovering slowly, those who are lonely or afraid. Be with them all, most loving Jesus, especially those for whom I now pray: (pause to remember all those you wish to pray for.) Lord Jesus, please send Your Mother Mary to be with them in their time of need. May she who knew life's sorrow and pain in her own heart, console them with the joy of her Immaculate Heart now reigning with You in heaven.

Prayer for the Caregiver God of comfort and strength Be with those whose spirits exhausted by the demands of caring for the sick doubt the existence of love question the fairness of life or stare into the reality of losing a loved one to death. Sooth the body and ease the pain. Calm the anxiety and the fear. Build trust in your everlasting presence and love. God of all, hear our prayer. Amen.

May the God of the well and the sick, Of the caregiver and the cared for, Of the comforter and the comforted, Be with us this day. Amen.