Archbishop Jose Luis Chavez Botello of Antequera-Oaxaca, Mexico
recently recalled that illness is an opportunity to appreciate life and
to unite the family in difficult times.
The archbishop spoke in a reflection published Feb. 7 for the
upcoming World Day for the Sick.
Archbishop Chavez Botello cited Pope
Benedict XVI’s message for the day, in which he “calls for a new
approach to the suffering of millions of brothers and sisters.
“He invites us to show compassion, not in the sense of pity but in sharing the experience of the sick moved by love.”
The archbishop also expressed the need to handle suffering with an
attitude of hope.
He added that the Pope calls “on society to accept
suffering, on young people to understand it, and on our leaders to
invest more in healthcare structures that support those who are
suffering, especially the poor and those in need.”
“For many, illness has been an opportunity to reflect and appreciate
life more, to even have a new perspective and live more responsibility
and usefully. This has been the case for many handicapped or chronically
ill people who go on living with a different attitude and purpose,
overcoming themselves, serving others and doing good,” the archbishop
said.
He noted that many people struck by illness “bring out the good in
every person: solidarity, comfort, support, friendship, love. Sometimes a
limitation or chronic illness becomes the bond that reunites a marriage
and gives a new drive and meaning to our actions.”