Thai Bishop on World Day of the Sick
Mgr Philip Banchong Chaiyara sent a letter to the faithful, exhorting them to meditate on the pope's message, attend mass, and visit the sick.
Bangkok (AsiaNews) – Mgr Philip Banchong Chaiyara, bishop of Ubon Rachathanee, a diocese in northeastern Thailand, and president of the Episcopal Commission for Social Work, sent a letter to the faithful on the 25th World Day of the Sick. The latter will be marked tomorrow, 11 February, memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, protectress of the sick.
In his letter, the prelate emphasises the theme already expressed by Pope Francis in his message for the occasion, which is ‘Amazement at what God has accomplished’ from “The Mighty One has done great things for me . . .” ( Lk, 1:49).
"On this special occasion, I would like everyone to join in the celebration of the World Day of the Sick, especially the Mass,” said Mgr Chaiyara, “with careful thought given to the theme the pope gave us to meditate seriously on, namely God’s greatness towards Mary, mother of Christ, who is just one of the great things the Lord has done for all of us, humanity.
“This is why every human being, as a child of the Almighty, is born with the same human dignity, i.e. worthy of honour and respect. Nothing should reduce the value of our human dignity in spite of illness, disability or economic status.
“No matter who is sick, disabled, marginalised or forced to endure great hardships in daily life, all of them have one thing in common: the equal dignity of being children of God."
"The mission of the Church is also our mission as believers, who assist, care for and serve the sick and the marginalised,” the prelate went on to say. “We renew our mission of 'love and service' to fill and strengthen our spirituality by following the example of Mary, our mother, and Saint Camillus, patron of the sick and those working in health care."
Bishop Chaiyara noted that in tomorrow’s Mass, priests will celebrate the sacrament of anointing the sick and the elderly, and emphasise the importance of preparing in advance those who will receive the sacrament to have a clear understanding of its meaning, so that it can be received fruitfully.
Moreover, he added that "it would be a good thing for everyone to remember to visit Jesus Christ, who lives in our older brothers and sisters and the sick, who cannot participate in the Sunday Mass. This task makes us witnesses to an authentic sign of the presence of the Church and Jesus Christ who gave us an example of this important mission."
Finally, the bishop calls on everyone to accomplish the mission. At the same time, he offered his best wishes to those who are suffering. "May you understand that the Church will never abandon you."
To those who work caring for the sick, he hopes they can "receive God’s blessing with physical and spiritual enthusiasm, to serve your brothers and sisters in Christ."
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28/02/2017 13:07
