Liturgiczna troska o chorych i cierpiących w wybranych orędziach św. Jana Pawła II na Światowy Dzień Chorego
Liturgical Care for the Sick and Suffering in Selected Messages of Saint John Paul II for the World Day of the Sick

Summary/Abstract: This article presents the teachings of John Paul II expressed in his messages for the World Day of the Sick. The aim of this publication is to extract from selected messages fragments devoted to the liturgical care for the sick and suffering. The second objective is to show the transforming grace of Christ in the difficult experience of sickness, suffering and death in which the sick participate. These teachings included in and implemented through liturgy are aimed at both believers and non-believers. In the messages, we can find several planes on which the care for the sick and suffering is expressed in liturgy. They include: the central po- sition of the Mass in annual celebrations of the World Day of the Sick, emphasizing the value of sacraments, most importantly the Eucharist and the Reconciliation, mentioning the shrine to the Virgin Mary, and outlining the mission of priests involved in sacramental ministry to the sick. The pope’s understanding of liturgy expressed in his messages focuses on the problem of accepting suffering in accordance with the Catholic faith expressed in liturgy, showing the authenticity of Christ’s message in sickness, and demonstrating the evangelical and transforming role of liturgy for believers and non-believers. The view of Pope John Paul II is not limited to ritual or disciplinary matters, but focuses on a dialogue between God, the Church, man and the world, in which liturgy is supposed to build unity based on Christ and lead to a moral, spiritual and finally eschatological renewal of man and the world. These reflections are very important from the perspective of current changes in the Church, the rejection of the teaching on Christ’s cross by the modern man, which should be preached anew by believers with the power of the Holy Spirit, and the coronavirus pandemic, which has exposed many weaknesses of the community of believers.

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