Message on the World Day
of the Sick of 2006

      Pursuant to the Message on "World Day of the Sick" of His Holiness Pope Benedict 16 which falls on 11th February of every year it is expedient for us to join our prayers for our brothers and sisters who are suffering from sickness.
      "Sickness" can happen to everybody of any sex, age or social status and no one can understand the suffering better than the sick who suffers the pains.
Although the world is advanced in science and technology in various fields and able to save human life but unable to make people understand the meaning of life. Thus the objective of the "World Day of the Sick" is to make both the sick and the healthy realize the "value and meaning of life" not excluding the life considered by the society as low.
       For the "Sick" this occasion will be the time for "special gifts" of the evangelization of life through accepting the pain with the suffering of Jesus, trying to fight against the culture of death so that the culture of life will triumph. For the "Healthy" the World Day of the Sick will be the time for them to thank God for this "special gift" and they have to be grateful to God by showing more of their love and solidarity to others.

       Let us pray for the CHC personnel: priests, religious male/female and the laity who take care of the suffering patients with courage and dedication in uplifting the spirit of the sick while they are weak physically.
       I invite all my brothers and sisters to pray for all the patients that they may be properly cared for and be respected in their human dignity, especially in those countries struck by poverty where most of the people are not taken care of with basic needs due to shortage of funds.

      Lastly, let us pray for one another so that each of us will understand the real meaning of life while we are not yet sick.

With my blessings in Christ,