P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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INTENTION : |
That the sick, and especially the poorest among them, may receive the care and medical treatment worthy of human beings.
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In a hospital one will find people of every age and social background where people participate in Christ's paschal mystery. Even the most heedless person is prompted there to wonder about his/her life and its meaning, about the reason for evil, suffering and death (cf. Gaudium et spes, N 10). There is a pressing need for medical and nursing professionals to learn from Christ, the Physician of souls and bodies, to be authentic "Good Samaritans" towards their patients.
Hospitals are privileged areas for evangelisation where the Gospel message of hope can be spoken. Only Jesus is the fully satisfying answer to the deepest expectations of every human being in search of peace and salvation. Therefore, the Church never tires of proclaiming Him, so that the world of illness and the search for health may be enlivened by His Light.
The equitable distribution of goods, desired by the Creator, should become an imperative in the area of health also. Promoting "health for all" is a primary duty for every member of the international and national community. The persistent injustice that deprives a large part of the population of the treatment indispensable to health, especially the poor, must cease once and for all. Therefore, every effort must be made to ensure that those who lack material means are provided access to at least basic health care. For us Christians it is a commitment closely connected with the witness of our faith.
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