Our Lady of Lourdes Parish welcomed Bishop Edward Malesic for his first visit on Feb. 11. It was a double celebration: the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the parish’s patron, and a healing Mass celebrated on World Day of the Sick.
During the Mass, the bishop and concelebrants offered the sacrament of anointing of the sick to the elderly and others who requested it.
The bilingual Mass in Spanish and English attracted quite a few people. Father Joseph Callahan, pastor, welcomed the bishop before Mass.
The sick were so important to Jesus that he left us a sacrament to bring his healing to those who are suffering and distressed by physical illnesses, the bishop told the faithful.
The World Day of the Sick was begun by Pope St. John Paul II 30 years ago, he said. “He wanted the sick to know that their suffering can be offered up for the good of the Church as a sign of the cross that we all carry forward to the kingdom. He also wanted us to show our gratitude to those who care for the sick,” the bishop said. This year, Pope Francis asked us to reflect on God’s great mercy in our lives so that we can give the mercy we have received to those who are ill, he added.
World Day of the Sick is celebrated on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the bishop said, noting that Lourdes, France has become a special place of pilgrimage for the ill. Many physical cures have been attributed to the waters of Lourdes, where the Blessed Mother appeared to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous, telling her she was the Immaculate Conception. The Blessed Mother also told Bernadette that people should come to drink and wash in the water of a spring that appeared on the site.
Since the Blessed Mother’s first appearance at Lourdes on Feb. 11, 1858, millions of people have visited the site to seek healing. They wash in the spring and God is always present to those who ask something of him, the bishop said, noting that Jesus is the great healer and the divine physician, who was drawn to those who were ill.
When people ask for healing, “Sometimes the answer is ‘Yes, be healed.’ But sometimes the healing will come later – as a release from the sufferings of this life,” the bishop said. Jesus, who is the Resurrection and the Life, tells us not to be afraid.
“Remember that Our Lady of Lourdes is a great intercessor for us,” the bishop said. He noted the story of the wedding feast at Cana, where when the wine ran out, at Mary’s behest, Jesus miraculously turned water into wine. “Mary is also with us and she informs Jesus of our needs. He will make good come from our distress. Jesus always makes good come from a bad situation.”
The day’s Gospel told the story of a man who could not hear or speak and who was healed by Jesus. He gave the sick their lives back, freeing them from the burden of their infirmity and returning them to the community, the bishop said.
He talked about how sickness can isolate people, including those in the pandemic who died alone. In other cases, sickness can make us draw inward and escape inside ourselves, Bishop Malesic said, noting we may hide and keep from connecting with our family and friends.
Sickness also can sow doubt and cause us to wonder if Jesus still loves us and why this illness affected us. Also, we may wonder why a disease like cancer affects young children.
In the anointing of the sick, the bishop said there is a special prayer for healing. “There are times when Jesus does heal us physically. I have seen that happen. But if we come with the eyes of faith, he always gives strength to our souls through this sacrament – without fail,” he said.
“That is why the sacrament of the anointing of the sick is given to strengthen our faith when we have reason to doubt. Ultimately, it is a sacrament that is meant to surround us by the Church and bring us out of our isolation. When one part of the Church is hurting, the entire Church hurts,” the bishop added.
During the anointing of the sick, which is a sacrament of comfort, the priest anoints a person’s forehead and hands, offering a special prayer.
But it’s not just a prayer for physical healing, the bishop said. “May your bodies be healed, to be sure that is our prayer. But even more, may your souls be purified by God that someday you will find that ultimate healing that comes from being with God forever. Tonight, allow Jesus to be your best physician of body, mind and spirit,” he said.
In addition to Father Callahan, Msgr. Richard Antall, pastor of Holy Name Parish in Cleveland, and Father Alex Spenik, parochial vicar at St. Mary Parish in Painesville, assisted with the sacrament and the Mass.
After Mass, the bishop spent time greeting parishioners and posing for photos.