Spain: May 5th, the Church holding the Easter Celebration for the Sick. “Giving hope in sadness”

“Giving hope in sadness” is the slogan of the Department for Pastoral Care for the 2024 campaign for the sick. An event that the Spanish Church launched on February 11th, the Day of Our Lady of Lourdes as well as the World Day of the Sick, which will end on Sunday, May 5th, with the Easter Celebration for the Sick. “Giving hope in sadness” – the slogan of the whole campaign – is also the core of the message of the Bishops of the Charity and Social Action Subcommittee for the 2024 Easter Celebration for the Sick. In their message, the Bishops of the Charity and Social Action Subcommittee – who promoted the Easter Celebration for the Sick – state that the celebration of such day is part of the journey of the Spanish Church towards the Jubilee of 2025. In their message, the Bishops mention two sources of hope when faced with sickness: faith and prayer, which “open us up to hope, which allows us not to give in to sadness and pain”. As far as faith is concerned, they quoted Pope Francis’s words in the apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” when he stated: “I understand those who tend to be sad because of the serious problems they have to endure, but little by little we must allow the joy of faith to start reawaken like a secret but strong confidence, even amidst the worst torments”. As to prayer, in their message the Bishops also pointed out that “it is a great school of hope, and it must be at the centre of the Easter Celebration for the Sick, especially on this occasion”, which is also one of the calls to be accomplished in the run-up to the Jubilee of 2025. Therefore, the Bishops call everyone to “pray with the sick and pray for the sick, so that they can see they are not alone or rejected, that they life is not useless, and that they too are called by Christ, who is their lively and transparent image”, they conclude in their letter.
Gianni Borsa