Ao irmão que está doente | Aliança de Santa Maria

To the brother
who is ill

Ângela de Fátima Coelho, asm
Word to the sick, May 13, 2019

We share with you the words of our Sister Ângela de Fátima on May 13, during the moment of the Word to the Sick, during the celebration in the middle of the Shrine of Fátima.

Words that can be so comforting at this time.

My brother and sister who are ill.

At this time when Jesus is present in the Eucharist, it is customary for us to share a word of consolation and comfort with you on behalf of the church that we are, in this Shrine of Fatima.

This time, however, I've come to share with you, who are here, or who follow us on social media, what we've learned from you. Yes, what we have learned from you, from your serene smile, despite your illness; from your look of peace, despite the pain and anguish, the loneliness that illness can bring.

With you who are sick, we learn to love and trust in God, despite the difficult circumstances of life.

Like the example of those three young men in the Old Testament book of Daniel, who were about to burn to death in a fiery furnace. They said: we know that God can deliver us from this fire, but even if he doesn't, we won't have any other gods...

You, with the love and commitment with which you live the situation of illness and suffering in which you find yourself, make the words of those young people come alive! It's as if you were saying to us: we know that the Lord can heal us, but even if he doesn't, it is in him that we continue to trust. We know that the Lord can deliver us from this illness, but even if he doesn't, we still love him!

What maturity of faith we find in so many of you who are ill. You may have learned Jacinta's generosity here in Fatima. It's impressive when we hear her say to Lucia: “Look, tell Our Lady that I suffer everything... I suffer everything to convert sinners, for peace in the world, for the Holy Father”. Yes, it is this love for Jesus and for those who suffer that gives a greater horizon to your life marked by pain.

And when we see you suffering in silence, without complaining, I think you have learned from Francis to keep in the silence of God's heart some pains that only he can understand...

And even if you feel sad, or are experiencing a moment of seeming meaninglessness, discouragement or loneliness, I would like to tell you that we can count on Sister Lucia's intercession... In her writings, I came across a phrase that Sister Lucia repeated a few times around each of the 12th and 13th of May:

“I know that many pilgrims are on their way to Fatima singing, praying and doing penance. Spiritually, I go with them, I pray with them, I sing with them and I unite mine to their sacrifice...” [...] “I unite myself to the prayers of each and every one [of the pilgrims], asking for an increase in faith, hope and love for all, healing for the sick, peace for their consciences...”.

What a consolation to know that the Holy Shepherds and the Servant of God Lucia de Jesus are now with us from heaven, interceding for each of you who are ill.

Now quite old and ill herself, Lucia wrote:
“The Immaculate Heart of Mary is my refuge and the path that will lead me to God...”
Here it is: it is the life of my soul, the strength of my heart, and the joy of my pilgrimage on earth.”.

My brother and sister who are ill, we know that we are supported by your witness of faith lived in suffering, we feel strengthened by the surrender of your life. So, with deep gratitude, we pray that this certainty, that you are accompanied by the Lady of the Immaculate Heart, may be “the life of your soul, the strength of your heart and the joy of your pilgrimage on this earth”, even if you are ill.

Science and God

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