CHRIST

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

2

Approved by:

The Executive Committee

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

September 1,1983

Published by:

Publications Service of the CCCB

90 Parent A venue

Ottawa, Ontario

KIN 7BI

Photos:

Cover: NFB Phototheque by

Jack Plater-ZyberkPage 8: NFB Phototheque by

Pierre St-Jacques

Page 17: NFB Phototheque by

Bryce FlynnPage 25: NFB Phototheque by

Gunther Leonhardt

Page 27: NFB Phototheque by

Terry Waterfield

New Hope in Christ, copyright @ Concacan Inc.,

1983. All rights reserved.

Bible References:

The text of the Bible included in thisbooklet is taken from THE JERUSALEMBIBLE and is used by permission ofDoubleday & Company, Inc.

Copyright @ 1966 by Darton, Longman &

Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday & Company,Inc.

ISBN: English version: 0-88997-093-9ISBN: French version: 0-88997-092-0

Legal Deposit: National Library of Canada

Graphic design:

Cover, pages 13 and 15 by

Group, Ottawa.

The PagePrinted in Canada by:

Tri-Graphic Printing (Ottawa) Limited

3

CONTENTS

Introduction 6

Suffering and Healing in the Bible 7

The Health-Care Tradition of the Church 11

Modem Attitudes and Practices 14

Conclusion 22

5

Dear reader: Penance. Christ accepted His human suffer-ing and death with faith and humility sothat His Resurrection could be the supremeact of reparation and reconciliation betweenGod and humanity. We can join our suffer-ings and penances to those of Christ andshare in the mystery of His Redemption. Wecan also link our efforts to achieve personaland collective wholeness to His mission ofsalvation.

To celebrate our redemption throughChrist's death and resurrection, Pope JohnPaul II declared March 2Sth, 1983 to Easter1984 as a Jubilee Year. As part of ourcontribution to this celebration, the Canadianbishops have prepared a past~ral messageon sickness and healing entitled "New Hopein Christ".

May all of us, the sick, disabled,infirmed, aged, those working for health andcaring for the sick and those blessed withgood health, receive the grace to realize thenew hope Christ offers and the courage towork towards that fullness of life God hasprepared for us.

Though suffering touches all of us,many refuse to accept it as part of life, evenpart of the process of life itself. In turn thisoften leads to greater suffering as theystruggle wi th frustration and despair. Ourmessage is an attempt to help people cometo understand the mystery of sickness andhealing and the challenge of bearing illnesswith faith and humility while at the sametime working to achieve the health andwholeness of the individual and of society.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

We chose to issue this message tocoincide with the Synod of Bishops' meet-ings dealing wi th Reconciliation and

tHenri Legare, O.M.I.Archbishop of Grouard-McLennanPresidentCanadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

6

INTRODUCTION

the same time seek out healing as we movetowards the total, God-given health ofeternal salvation ?

3 Here, in the two-fold question of whywe suffer and how we are healed, is a

mystery beyond our complete understanding.Yet we do not know that in attempting torespond to this challenge, we are plungedinto the very mystery of salvation sym-bolized by that life-giving opening in theside of our Saviour an. 19: 34), and referredto by St. Peter when he says: ((Through Hiswounds you have been healed}} (1 P. 2: 24).

1 The good news of salvation proclaimedto the world by Jesus Christ sheds its

light over the entire span of human history.Nothing, whether it be joy or sorrow,sickness or health, riches or poverty, liesbeyond its transforming power. This promiseof a new and more abundant life, when alltears will be wiped away and crying anddeath and pain will be no more (Rv. 21: 4),lightens the burden of all who suffer in thisworld. And yet, freely accepted sufferingdoes not paralyze our efforts for health. Theexpectation of a new earth, strengtheningthough it be in times of trial, also calls ushere and now to heal people and bringwholeness to God's creation. 4 In sharing these pastoral reflections

with you on caring for the sick andworking for health, we know that we arespeaking to the heart of everyone, foreveryone knows suffering and desireshealing. If you are sick, disabled or infirmedby age, we wish to bring you hope in aspecial way. If you have a special calling toheal or alleviate suffering, we mean tosupport and encourage your efforts. But wealso wish to invite all people of good will

2 Jesus, who won the final victory oversuffering and dea th, was Himself born

in poverty and abandoned to a criminal'sdeath on a cross. For the rest of us, weakand strong, there is no exception: somedegree of suffering will surely mark ourlives. We may refuse to accept it, to yieldwith humility -still it remains as achallenge. How do we bear suffering and at

7

to work towards that fullness of life whichGod has prepared for us.

5 In offering these reflections, we willfirst draw inspiration from the Word

of God as it has been revealed in the BibleWe will then consider how the Christiancommunity has lived out its mission to healFinally, we shall offer some guidance onhow Christians in Canada today mightrespond to Jesus' invitation for new life.

8

SUFFERING AND HEALING

IN THE BIBLE

6 The first pages of Genesis present apicture of serene health whose founda-

tion is intimacy with God. This overflowsinto the idyllic relationship of man andwoman with each other and with thecreatures of Eden. But through sin, sufferingand alienation invade that world of peace.However, the Lord does not withdraw hismerciful and saving grace but promises torestore the original wholeness of Hiscrea tion.

7 The Book of Deuteronomy reaffirmsthat belief in the life and health-giving

power of God who remains faithful foreverto the Covenant with His people and whowill place a new law in our hearts so thatsin and suffering will be no more. In theBook of Exodus, too, we read that the Godof Israel is a saving God coming freely andsovereignly to the aid of His people. Israelchants, ((Yahwehl is my strength, my song. ..my salvation ", and God responds, (1t is I,Yahweh, who gives you healing" (Ex. IS: 2, 26).Ezekiel's beautiful vision of the ever-broadening stream emerging from the

9

Temple, flowing down to the Dead Sea andbringing health and teeming life wherever itgoes, speaks of the Lord 's health-givingpresence among Israel His chosen people andannounces His plans to heal all people of theworld in the new age (Ezk. 47).

9 In the prophet Isaiah we learn for thefirst time how God often heals and

brings fullness of life in ways that gocounter to our own expectations. Theremarkable Servant Songs show the Lord'schosen servant as someone who gives witnessto God by his very sufferings and bringshealing even to those who afflict Him: "OnHim lies a punishment that brings us peace, andthrough His wounds we are healed" (Is. 53: 5).

1oThroughout the New Testament, wefind the same uni ty of salvation

announced in the Old Testament whereGod 's saving Word is joined by His healingaction. Jesus' very name speaks of healing:((You must name Him Jesus} because He is theone who is to save His people}} (Mt. 1: 21).The healing ministry of Jesus commands aplace of great prominence in the Gospel.Matthew affords a good example of thisemphasis on healing in Jesus' mission:

((That evening they brought Himmany who were possessed by devils.He cast out the spirits with a wordand cured all who were sick. This was

8 Yeshe, the Hebrew word for "salva-tion " sums up this life and health-

giving vision of God. Literally, it meansbeing brought into the open, being rescuedand liberated, whether from sin or slaveryof the heart, from prison or poverty , fromsickness or death. However, this salvationimplies a faithful relationship with aprotector, a liberator who restores tofreedom and wholeness of life. This healingSaviour is the Lord Himself who gave thelaw to the people of Israel saying: ((I amy ahweh your God who brought you out of. ..slavery}} (Ex. 20: 1). Thus, according to theBible, salvation is a movement of totalhealing where both sin and suffering aretaken away by God's health-giving powerfor those who follow His Word.

10

to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah: {He

took our sicknesses away and carriedour diseases for us' " (Mt. 8: 16-17).

or his parents' had caused the blindness,Jesus replied that it was neither, but ((so thatthe works of God might be displayed in him}}an. 9: 1-3). The story of the rich man andthe poor Lazarus helps us understand thatsuffering is not necessarily a result of ourown wrong-doing but a condition of ourbroken human existence. Suffering offers toLazarus the opportunity for personalacceptance of God 's will and to the richman the opportunity for a concrete expres-sion of love. Lazarus lived up to hisvocation, and the rich man did not (Lk. 16:

19-31).

11 With Jesus, healing of mind and bodybecomes the clear sign that the

Kingdom of God is already present. WhenJesus heals a leper or proclaims the parableof the Good Samaritan, it is an obvious signof His compassion for those in suffering. Buteven more it points to the new life of theKingdom: the total and permanent healing ofthe human person in all its dimensions andrelationships. Jesus' healing Word of powerreaches the whole person. It heals the body,but even more important it first restoresthose who suffer to a healthy relationshipwith God and with the community. Many ofthe healing miracles have this doubleperspective: ((Your sins are forgiven }} and ((pick

up your stretcher and go home}} (Lk. 5: 23, 25).

12 Nevertheless, Jesus does not remove theimpenetrable mystery of suffering, even

the suffering of the innocent. when askedabout the man born blind, whether his sin

13 Jesus' own life was interwoven withmany forms of suffering. He knew

fatigue, hunger and thirst. He experiencedopposition, rejection and loneliness. He notonly tolerated, but freely entered into thehidden design of suffering and healingforetold by Isaiah. He accepted sufferingwhile turning in humble submission and trustto his beloved Father (Heb. 5: 7-9). Peterwas rebuked and called "Satan " for seeking

11

to dissuade Jesus from suffering and told,"The way you think is not God's way butman's" (Mk. 8: 33). In the high point of theLast Supper, linked indissolubly withCalvary, J esus ' own spiri t of voluntary

sacrifice was summed up in stark simplicity:"This is my body. ..given for you. This cup isthe new covenant in my blood. ..poured out foryou" (Lk. 22: 19-20).

{{the power and the

.1: 23-24).

understanding Him as

wisdom of God}} ( 1 Cor

15 The Gospel's emphasis on new life andhealth continues to mark the days of

the infant Church. From the very momentof their first mission by Jesus, the Apostlesshared in His authority to heal (Mt. 10: 1).At the time of their final sending, Jesusconfirmed this power as a witness to thetruth of their proclamation (Mk. 16: 17). Atthe temple gate from which Ezekiel saw thelife-giving river flow, Peter invoked thishealing power of Jesus, when he said to thelame man: ((I have neither silver nor gold, butI will give you what I have: in the name of JesusChrist the Nazarene, walk!" (Acts 3: 6). TwicePaul lists the charism of healing amongGod's gifts to the people of Corinth (1 Cor.12: 9; 28-30), and James includes anointingand prayers for the sick among the officialactions of Church authorities Om. 5: 14-16).

14 Thus, both through healing andsacrifice Jesus triumphed over suffering

and rose to new life in glory .The startlingfeature of the Good N ews is therefore thatsuffering has become a way to overcomesuffering. God shows His power oversuffering and death not only by taking itaway but by entering into our suffering andthus overcoming it from within. By taking itupon Himself, He heals it. The cross nowsignifies victory over evil rather than itspassive acceptance, and death has becomethe gateway to new life. Such a messagepresents an insurmountable obstacle to some,to others it is pure madness, but to thosewho have faith in Christ, it is central to

16 But suffering too is always present.

St. Paul begged three times with the

Lord to remove ((a thorn in the j1eshJJ but the

12

Lord did not remove it (cf. 2 Cor. 12: 7-10).

However, suffering has received a new

meaning in the image of the cross. Freely

accepted suffering participates in the work

of redemption. {{It makes me happy to suffer for

you, as I am suffering now, and in my own body

to do what I can to make up all that has still

to be undergone by Christ for the sake of His

body, the church" (Col. 1: 24). Thus, in their

trials as followers of Jesus Christ, Peter and

the other Apostles rejoiced {{to have had the

honor of suffering humiliation for the sake of

the name" (Acts 5: 41).

13

THE HEALTH-CARE

TRADITION OF THE CHURCH

17 The powerful concern of the Bible forhealing of the whole person and of all

persons has been present throughout thehistory of the Church. It is impossible inthis short message to give a full account ofthis proud tradition. We simply wish tohighlight a few examples that show howcaring for the sick and curing illness wherepossible, are an essential dimension ofChristian service.

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18 Hippolytus, wri ting in the secondcentury, testifies that Christians

continue to exercise the gift of healing justas they did in the time of the A postles. TheApostolic Constitutions, a fourth-centuryliturgical record reflecting much earlierpractice, provide for the installation ofexorcist and healer, and include a prayer forthe power of healing in the ordination ofthe presbyter .

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This concern for health that brought aboutphysical restoration but more often the innerhealing of love made the emperor Julian theApostate exclaim in grudging admiration in

the fourth century: ((Now we see what makes

Christians such powerful enemies of our gods. It is

the brotherly love which they manifest towards

strangers and towards the sick and the poorJJ.2

19 This marvelous synthesis of holistichealing left with the Church by Jesus

continues through the centuries. ThroughoutEurope and later on in the New World wefind special places of devotion where wearypilgrims search for spiritual as well asphysical healing. Many early hospitals wereassociated with cathedrals and monasteries.This pattern of helping service is a signif-icant sign in itself. Hospitals were built nearthe cathedral, as if with facts bearingwitness to faith in the two-fold presence ofChrist: the real one under the eucharisticbread and the mystical one in needy or sickbrothers or sisters.

Among its manifold actions of healing, thislove led the Church to establish the specialministry of deacons for the service of theEucharist and of the sick and under-privileged. The shrines of Aesculapius, theancient god of healing for the Greeks werere-dedicated to Saints and their tradition ofservice to the sick continued in the name ofthe Lord. The Church's mission to healinspired St. Basil the Great in the fourthcentury to found and maintain at Caesarea avast charitable institution which became themodel of Christian hospitals. His contem-porary, Gregory of Nazianzus, refers to thisinstitution as a place where illness becomesa school of wisdom, where disease isregarded in a religious light, where misery ischanged to happiness, and where Christiancharity shows its most striking proof.3

20 The Knights Templar and later onmany other orders of religious men and

women, both Catholic and Protestant, werefounded to nurse the sick. St. Catharine ofGenoa (1477-1510) is considered a founder ofmodern hospital work. More humanetreatment for the insane was innovated atSt. Boniface Hospital in Florence in 1784.The hallmark of Christian missionary effortswas and continues to be medical service to

the people of other countries. Great Chris-tians -John Wesley , Louis Pasteur ,Florence Nightingale, Albert Schweitzer ,Tom Dooley -have led the way in thehealing arts and in caring for those whosuffer. Charismatic figures such as MotherTeresa and Jean Vanier continue to emergefrom within the Church today, respondingwith new insights to the health-care needsof our time.

--- ,

In our country as well, many outstanding

Christians have worked in the health

apostolate -Catherine de Saint-Augustin,

Jeanne Mance, Mere d'youville, Father

Albert Lacombe, and others. Many Canadian

cities owe their first medical services to a

religious order or movement.

21 These great individuals and thecommunities they founded reveal for us

the source and power of Christian serviceto the sick. They responded to Jesus' call fornew life and served the suffering anddeprived through healing and compassion.

16

Their concern for the wounded, however,was often the result of a life-long struggleto cope with suffering in their own life andto transform it into an experience ofgrowth. In this way the lives of theseeminent men and women show us howsuffering can help us to accept God's healinginfluence. They do not teach us to findhappiness in pain. Suffering remains a signof brokenness that should be resisted.However, when it is recognized andaccepted as a basic condition of life in thisworld, we can integrate it into our searchfor wholeness and spiritual growth, as manyChristians before us have done.

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MODERN A TTITUDES AND

PRA CTICES AS FOLLO WERS

OF THE SUFFERING

HEALER

22 The history of Christianity is a recordof service to the sick and of commit-

ment to heal th. How are we today to acceptthat tradition, to assume it as our own, andto pass it on enriched by our own contribu-tion?

For Indi viduals

23 The Bible has clearly taught us thatour God is a God of life who desires

healing and health of our body, mind andsoul. Thus, all of us are called to preserve,protect and even enhance our health. In thisway we will not only avoid being an undueburden on others, but more importantlyshare in restoring the original goodness ofGod's creation.

This responsibility for our own healthincludes our duty to care for the well-beingof others and thus for the social, political,and economic actions that make personalhealth possible. More will be said about thisglobal challenge later. Suffice it to say fornow that many illnesses today are a direct

18

and coheirs with Christ} sharing His sufferings so

as to share His glory}} (Rm. 8: 17).

consequence of our lifestyle, such asexcessive use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs andjunk foods, a lack of exercise, over-activitycausing stress -all of these factors that areunder our immediate personal and commu-nity control.

Thus, if you are presently sick or infirm,you can, in your newfound wisdom ofalways being loved by God, inspire othersand give them courage to assume their ownburdens. Still more, in your own body youcan share in the great mystery of sufferingfor the sake of Christ's body, the Church(cf. Col. 1: 24). In your very suffering youcan bring healing to others. For us Chris-tians, you can paradoxically be at oncecared for and caring for, ill and yet life-

glvmg.

24 Even if we are sick, we maintainparticular and even privileged respon-

sibilities within the Church and society. Forone, we always remain to some degreeresponsible for our own health and healing.Thus, in as much as possible, we shouldparticipate through action or attitude in ourown integral healing rather than submitpassively to treatment.

25 To all of you who are called to aspecial ministry of healing or caring -

physicians, administrators, nurses, people in

paramedical services, hospital chaplains,pastoral-care workers, and volunteers -wewish to express our special gratitude. Weencourage you always to deepen yourcompassion in Christ, and at the same timeto increase your professional competence. AsPius XII said so beautifully in an address to

More important, suffering people, includingthe chronically or terminally ill, can give aspecial service to others if they learn howsalvation, the unalternable fullness of life forourselves and for others, is mysteriouslybound to the way of sorrow. Many peoplewho suffer or have suffered are richer andwiser for it, experiencing the truth of St.Paul's word that we become {{heirs of God

19

health-care professionals: ((To recognize Jesusin the invalid and to act yourself like Jesus with

Him -here is the ideal of every Christian nurse!

In this way, it will come about that the image of

Christ will be reproduced twice by every bed of

pain: in the sick person, the Christ of Calvary

expiating and resigned; and in the one assisting, the

compassionate Christ, divine doctor of soul and ofbodies ",4

Such service will let you see and acceptyour own vulnerability and need for healing.This sharing in suffering will strengthenyour resolve and ability to give and heightenyour sensitivity for the dignity of the peopleentrusted to your care, In this way, you willever-more enter the life-giving mystery ofhuman suffering.

gift of charismatic healing. All of these giftsare celebrated and summed up, as it were,in the sacrament of the Anointing of theSick where the Church's ministry of healingis joined with its ministry of reconciliation.((By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayerof her priests, the whole Church commends the sickto the suffering and glorified Lord, asking that Hemay lighten their suffering and save them "

(Lumen Gentium 11). In this sacrament theChristian community brings sick people thehealing reassurance that they are notabandoned but supported in their time oftrial by the life-giving presence of the Lordand His people. In this way the anointing ofthe sick helps Christians in spite of andthrough their illness to follow and identifywith the suffering and risen Lord.

26 The healing gifts in the Church arethus varied but all are needed to bring

new life in Christ. Some people bringwholeness through carrying their ownsuffering. Others, building on nature, havebrought their medical skills under the aegisof Christ. Still, others have received the rare

The Family

2 7 A special word must be said about the

family and its role in health-care. The

family is the source of a joyous and healthy

attitude towards life. I t is also a well-spring

20

suffering can remind family and friendsof life's true meaning and strengthen theirhumility and desire to grow in the Lord.

The Parish

of courage in the face of trials and ofChristian compassion towards others whosuffer. Modern research indicates that manyillnesses are caused or aggravated by strainedand tense relationships, especially in thefamily setting. Conversely, peace andharmony within the family encourage health.Health too can be contagious. Healthycommunities, especially families, make forhealthy persons and they in turn strengthenthe well-being of a community.

29 The whole Christian community iscalled to overcome the burden of

suffering in all its forms, not only toalleviate it but to prevent it where this ispossible. All of us are gifted with theresponsibility accepted at Baptism tocontinue Christ's healing mission. Butparishes also have a major role in helpingpeople to understand, accept and transformtheir suffering. As extended community ofsupport, the parish must seek to integrate inits worship and its activities the sufferingof its members so that it becomes authen-tically life-giving. Those who are well thusenable the sick, disabled or infirm to feelneeded and to experience their suffering as

life-giving.

28 With the healing power of the familyin mind, more emphasis is being placed

in recent years on home-centred, rather thaninstitution-centred care. Being cared for athome, where possible, enables sick people,and even patients for whom there is little orno hope of recovery, to enjoy the immediatesupport of their family and friends. A t thesame time these opportunities for lovingcompassion and reconciliation can bring newwisdom and love to everyone involved, giftsthat may be more difficult to acquire inthe less personal surroundings of a hospital.In addition, the immediate contact with

21

commitment to be God's healers. For to behealed it is important to know that thecommunity needs and cares for us.

32 Pastoral care for the home-bound orhospitalized makes this concern real.

Fortunately, many parishes are alreadysetting up pastoral-care teams whosemembers -clergy, religious, or lay -aregiven special formations in ministry andtraining in listening skills. These volunteerscan do much through careful listening tomake available the professional help that isneeded. Moreover, through their words andactions they can help the sick to see theirsituation in the light of Christ and to benourished by His sacraments.

JO The sick and suffering people in ourcommunities can be prayed for by

name at the Sunday Eucharist and throughthe help of special ministers can evenparticipate in the same Eucharist byreceiving the Lord's Body. These ministersbecome visible signs of the community'sconcern for the infirm when they join thepriest in the final procession at Mass as theyleave to take Communion to the sick. In thisway, all of us are reminded of the sick,both home-bound and hospitalized, and madeaware and responsible for their spiritual,physical and emotional needs.

Another type of parish service in this regardis that of accompanying the dying in theirfinal journey and helping them to experiencetheir death as the gateway to new life. Therecently bereaved, too, need the support ofthe community. Grief-recovery teams helppeople move through the stages of grief sothat the process can be one of growth in

31 The Sacrament of Anointing of theSick might be celebrated at least once

a year during the Sunday Eucharist. Thisenables all to appreciate the communitynature of the Sacrament as the whole parishrealizes its own need for healing and itsministry to heal others. These parishcelebrations should not be merely isolatedevents when the community passively waitsfor God to heal. They are really oppor-tunities for the whole parish to renew its

22

faith, rather than cnSlS. They can also helpto plan funerals as authentic Christiancelebrations.

to the Christian attitude toward sufferingand healing. Catholic institutions share goalssimilar to non-denominational health-carefacilities. However, the institutional approachto the ministry of healing offers Catholicsa privileged opportunity to supply the bestpossible care in a manner and atmospherefully inspired by the Gospel and to workfor exemplary standards of hospital care.

33 Finally, amidst the wide-ranging parishor diocesan responsibilities for health-

care that we carry collectively, we must notforget the structural and legislative changesnecessary to help the sick and infirm,especially those who are poor or margin-alized. Working together to reduce highentrance fees for nursing and other homes orto strengthen in practice the principles ofMedicare are but two examples of suchinvolvement. Making parish churches andother public buildings fully accessible to thedisabled is another way of making thiscommitment real.

35 Tradi~i~nall~ th~se ,facilities w~re seenas relIgIous mstItutIons expressmg a

particular charism of the founding religiouscongregation. More and more, they are seentoday as Church communities participatingin an integral way in the apostolic respon-sibilities of the whole diocesan Church. Weencourage this shift in perception and wecall upon all the baptized working in theseinstitutions to continue to develop in themthis Christian attitude of concern for thewhole person. The entire staff, professionaland volunteer, skilled and unskilled, needconstant growth in spiritual maturity for thisservice. Thus both patients and staff should

Catholic and Other Health-CareInstitutions

34 Catholic health-care facilities -

whether hospital, nursing home,personal-care home, or long-term care ingeneral -fulfill a unique role in witnessing

23

receive ongoing pastoral care and educationin faith.

In recent years, governments have assumedincreasing responsibilities for health-care.However, caring for the sick remains animportant Church service as a witness toChrist's life-giving message and as a signof His healing presence. Moreover, thereremain sectors in our country and elsewhere,where public care is incomplete. In line withthe Church's preferential option for thepoor, Catholic health-care facilities shouldcontinue to serve especially the most needy,the most vulnerable and the weakest.

equally, according to their need butindependent of creed, colour or income, foreach person is created in God 's image andhas unique importance within His creation.In your reflections you will draw evendeeper inspiration from the knowledge thatit is Jesus Himself who comes to meet us inthe sick and suffering: ((I was sick and youvisited me" (Mt. 25: 36). ((Our Lord, the sick"they used to say in the medieval Hotel-Dieuinstitutions. What better way to instillprofound respect and love for the suffering?

3 7 All people of good will working inhealth-care facilities hopefully would

see their work as a most noble calling. Itcarries with it the responsibility to ensurethat the principle of loving concern forpeople, flowing ultimately from God's designfor humanity, should penetrate this mostprivileged work place. Such love is alwayspatient and kind. It is never rude nor selfish.It is always ready to excuse, to trust, tohope, and to endure whatever comes ( cf.

Cor. 13: 4-7).

36 We also encourage Catholics workingin non-denominational health-care

insti tu tions .We urge you to reflect prayer-fully alone or, better still, together withother Christians in your daily work, onbeing with the suffering and with otherhealers. Always remember how closely yourdaily concerns touch on what was at theheart of Jesus' ministry: to heal the sick andto comfort the suffering. Care for all people

24

has never known before. Science andtechnology, especially in the field ofbiogenetics, continue to make dramaticadvances in the diagnosis and treatment ofillness. The new discoveries, it is true, canopen the door to unpermissible manipulationof human life and lead to the false expecta-tion of a man-made world without suffering.Yet, there is also much promise for thecontrol and even elimination of manydiseases, in a way not dreamt of onlydecades ago. Public health services prolonglife. Infant mortality has decreased in mostcountries and even the unborn child can betreated for certain deficiencies.

Hospitals and other health-care institutionsshould always serve the sick and never theother way around, as is done when sickpeople become cogs in an impersonalmachinery of medical technology or helplessvictims of labour conflicts. In an age whenthe technological is often placed before thespiritual, when efficiency takes precedenceover true compassion, it is vital to recall thesupreme importance of person-centred care.Such care should include consideration forthe spiritual needs of people. Healing besttakes place in an atmosphere of love andunderstanding which includes reconciliationwith oneself and with others. Thus, to relyon faith without medicine would be irres-ponsible, but to rely on medicine withoutfaith would be also inadequate.

The Social, Economicand political Community

39 Here again, however, there are newthreats of illness and harm as nuclear

radiation and industrial wastes menace theair, soil, and water of our planet and newtechnologies are employed to kill theunborn. Often enough the curious paradoxarises where people try by all means toprolong the duration of life, while on theother hand they hasten to eliminate it at itsbeginnings and sometimes at its end. One

3 8 Certainly, today there are new marvelsof the healing arts, but there are also

new dimensions of suffering which the world

25

could well ask then whether advances in

healing have kept pace with the growth of

suffering, especially if we consider that

improved methods of health-care are often

unavailable in poor and developing countries.

As Pope John Paul II reminds us in his 1980

Advent Encyclical "On the Mercy of God":

((The state of inequality between

individuals and between nations not

only still exists, it is increasing. It still

happens that side by side with those

who are wealthy and living in plenty

there exist those who are living in

want, suffering misery and often

actually dying of hunger; and their

number reaches tens, even hundreds ofmillions. "5

40 The pace and demands of modern lifehave given rise to a tide of emotional

and nervous disease. Medical services arestrained to the limit because of the way weorganize our lives, individually and collec-tively. Doctors report that many patientsrequire medical assistance for problems thatrelate more to their social or physical living

26

society. For example, inadequate andexpensive housing endangers the health ofthe poor. In the field of education we findexaggerated competition among students andstaff that places needless strains on people.Unfair and unsafe labour practices threatenthe health of workers and of their families.Economic policies that increase automationat the cost of rising unemployment neglectpeople's basic need to find recognition anddignity in work.

environment than to their own bodystructure. Small babies and children areadmitted to hospital for days at a time, notbecause their physical condition is so severebut because their families cannot cope orthere is no extended family to give support.Some hospitals have wards filled withelderly patients left on their own. Sometimestheir families fail to care; in other cases,there are not enough senior ci tizens ' homes

available or else we fail to provide thecollective support that would allow elderlyand infirm people to remain in their ownhomes .

41 Christian health-care must include acritical analysis of our attitudes, life-

style and of the structures of society thatinflict suffering on powerless people. Forinstance, are vast expenditures of money onremedial medicine justified, when basichousing, nutrition, education and sanitation

policies multiply unnecessary illness, espe-cially in Third World countries? Christiansneed to explore and change the roots of illhealth found in the way we organize our

The healing of these social ills and the equalprovision of health services to all people inour country and elsewhere may be beyondthe reach of individual persons, bu t they arenot beyond the reach of people workingtogether. They are within the reach ofgovernments and therefore of the politicalprocess. This process involves everyone of usand thus calls for our active and untiringparticipation, be that at the parish, diocesan,regional or national level.6

27

CONCLUSION

42 We have tried in this pastoral messageto probe the hidden meaning of

suffering, but even more to see through itthe healing light of Christ's victory over evilin His cross and resurrection. Just as theself-giving life and death of Jesus Christ wastaken up and transformed in His risen state,so we too as persons and as a people passthrough the way of service and suffering toa new and fuller life.

43 This hope for final healing, far fromdiminishing our concern for health,

stimulates our individual and collectiveefforts to overcome suffering in this world(for it is here that the body of a new human

family grows} foreshadowing in some way the agewhich is to come}} (Gaudium et Spes 35). Itcalls us to love and serve our sufferingbrothers and sisters in the image of our LordJesus who gave His own life to save us,who ((did not cling to his equality with God butemptied himself to assume the condition of a slave...even to accepting death} death on a cross}}(Ph. 2: 4-8). when we follow the exampleof the Lord Jesus who ((went about doing good

28

Notesand curing all" (Acts 10: 38), we obey His

command to cure the sick ( cf. Mk. 16: 18)

44 In this way, the new life in Christ is

already made manifest through our own

manifold efforts for personal and social

wholeness. But even where our efforts fail,

we do not lose heart but are encouraged by

St. Paul's admonition: ((Though this outer man

of ours may be falling into decay, the inner man

is renewed day by day. Yes , the troubles which are

soon over, though they weigh little, train us for

the carrying of a weight of eternal glory which is

out of all proportion to them" (2 Cor. 4: 16-17).

Today there is debate whether the Divine Name should be

pronounced in this way. Without taking sides in this

discussion, we will nevertheless make use of the translation of

the Jerusalem Bible.

Quae Supersunt Praeter Reliquias apud Cyri!lum: Omnia, 1 :391 ff.

3 Cf. On St. Basil 63. In: The Fathers of the Church: A NeuJ

Translation, Vol. 22. Washington: Catholic University of

America Press, 1953, 80.

4 AAS 45 (1953) 726. English Text: The Pope Speaks, 1 (1954)

55

Dives in Misericordia, No.11. See also what our Labour Day

Message "Sharing Daily Bread" had to say about this injustice

and our role in it (Nos. 6, 13 and 15).

See our 1976 and 1977 Labour Day Message "From Words to

Action", No.9, and "A Society to be Transformed", Nos. 5 and

16.

Ethical Reflections on the Economic Crisis (1983) by the Episcopal

Commission for Social Affairs.tHenri Legare, O.M.I.

Archbishop of Grouard-McLennanPresidentCanadian Conference

of Catholic Bishops

September 1,1983