To the
Servants of Mary, Ministers of the Sick
say the daily "yes"
of your unconditional gift of self
Dear Sisters,
I am glad to address a cordial greeting to you,
Sisters who represent all the Servants of Mary, Ministers of the Sick. You have
been taking part in the work of the XXIII General Chapter which is a sign of
the unity of your institute, present in many parts of the world, that enriches
the Church with the charism that the Mother Foundress, St Soledad Torres Acosta
shared with you more than 150 years ago. It is your task to re-inforce your
fidelity to your original spirit and to discern how best to live it today, at
the beginning of a new millennium in which the Church feels called in
particular to show tangibly "to what length of dedication the Christian
community can go in charity towards the poorest" (Novo Millennio ineunte,
n. 49).
In a special way, I greet the Superior General,
her councillors and immediate collaborators, and ask for abundant divine
blessings for them in their responsibility for guiding the Congregation with
clearsightedness and, as you decided in your Chapter, for accompanying their
sisters in their resolve to continue with daring and creativity the way of
holiness pointed out by your holy Mother.
In effect,
besides being the definite aspiration of every consecrated person, holiness is
the first prerequisite for witnessing to the
2. The charism that distinguishes you, care of
the sick in their own homes, is very much in accord with the creativity of
charity that belongs to all ecclesial action, while you concretely act with the
attitude that every "hand that helps is seen not as a humiliating handout
but as a sharing between brothers and sisters" (Novo Millennio ineunte, n.
50).
At your Chapter, you also wanted to highlight
the need to be with Mary and like Mary in the world of suffering. This Marian
dimension of your charism, so accurately intuited by your foundress, calls to
mind the figure of the Mother of Jesus, who stood upright at the foot of the
Cross when almost everyone had fled. This scene can reveal the rich spirit of
your mission, since it shows the force of an unyielding faith in Christ and the
activity of contemplating his battered face in each of your brothers and
sisters, thus transforming your service into a true moment of prayer.
In this regard, last year, on the occasion of
anniversaries that were very important for your institute, I prayed that the
Virgin Mary might "visit homes with you, in order to show [to the sick]
Jesus, the true Saviour and Redeemer of every human being" (Address to the
Servants of Mary, Ministers of the Sick, 16 February 2001, n. 3; ORE, 21 March
2001, p. 7) . I repeat it to you now, recommending
that you continue your visits praying the Rosary often while you take care of
the sick. In fact, "contemplating the scenes of the
Rosary in union with Mary is a means of learning from her to "read'
Christ, to discover his secrets and to understand his message" (Rosarium
Virginis Mariae, n. 14). What better way of learning "the same
sentiments as Christ" (Phil 2,5) than to ask his
Mother to watch over her sick children and to deepen the reparational aspect of
suffering?
In this
way, may the balanced rhythm of the Hail Mary's you
say while you contemplate the mysteries of her divine Son, enrich with prayer
the time you spend accompanying the sick.
Moreover,
it can be a magnificent occasion for them to experience God's special love for
them, and sometimes, awakening a feeling of faith and devotion, perhaps dormant
or forgotten, they should combine it, as far as they can, with this prayer so
loved by the Church and suited to their condition (cf. Rosarium Virginis
Mariae, n. 38).
3. To conclude, I would like to put the results
of the Chapter and the future of your Congregation in the hands of our Mother
in heaven. She, who is the Health of the Sick and the Comforter of the
Afflicted, will be the best one to teach you how to carry out your mission and
will encourage you, with the example of her unreserved readiness for God's will
(cf. Lk 1,38), with joy, generosity and decisiveness
to say the daily "yes" of your unconditional gift of self, even amid
uncertainties that may arise.
I invoke the intercession of St Marķa Soledad
Torres Acosta, whose statue I had the opportunity to bless today, since it has
been set up in a niche on the exterior of St Peter's Basilica, and I ask her to
expand your institute with new vocations. With these sentiments, I warmly
impart my Apostolic Blessing to you, and I extend it to all the Servants of
Mary, Ministers of the Sick.