World Day of the Sick
World Day of the Sick will be celebrated on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. The theme, for this day is, “The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing another’s pain”.
If you think about this parable in Luke’s Gospel (10:25+), you will recall that the Samaritan who was journeying along the road came upon the man who had fallen victim to robbers. In the parable the Samaritan seemed bound by conscience to care for the injured man who was in his path.
When I read the passage, it seems to me that it’s not necessary to go looking for those who are sick and who I think might ‘need’ me, but rather it is necessary to notice those whom God places in my path. This will require that I live fully conscious of those whom God places in my path. It might also require that I at times must overcome feelings of impatience, or inadequacy, or guilt, or even disgust when approaching someone “in my path”. It’s not always easy to smile.
I am familiar with the quotation, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. I am also aware that love makes sacrifice easy and perfect love makes it a joy. Reading the words then, living the words, will be the journey of a lifetime. Ultimately, it is God’s love that I want to bring to my neighbour. That requires faith and it requires consenting to God’s presence and action in me. The Saints teach us how to love. Mother Teresa would say,
“Stay where you are. Find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering, and the lonely right where you are—in your own homes and in your own families, in your workplaces and in your schools.”
-Do Something Beautiful for God The Essential Teachings of Mother Teresa, p.80.
-Sister Elaine Cole, csj
