Recently, I visited Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, where I witnessed thousands of young people accompanying the sick and the disabled to the grotto where Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette. It was not just a movement of bodies, but a movement of hearts. Wheelchairs were pushed with care, hands were held with tenderness, and prayers were whispered with hope. Many came seeking healing. This experience becomes even more meaningful in the month of May, dedicated to our Mother Mary. She is not only honoured as Mother, but also experienced as a healer – one who listens, consoles, and restores hope. At Lourdes, this reality becomes visible.
On 9th May, during an audience with members of the Italian Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (AISLA), Pope Leo XIV encouraged the sick, saying, “Every day, with commitment, faith, and courage, you bear witness that the goodness and value of life are greater than illness. Even the challenges brought by disease can be faced together and transformed into special opportunities to give and receive love. Thank you for this! Like prophets, you teach everyone the true value of life, and our world is in such needs of this message.” He further urged the importance of physical and spiritual proximity to the sick: “Healthcare requires not only organization and competence, but also presence – physical presence – for the good of the person in all dimensions: biological, psychological, and spiritual.” “Care” is often linked to the Latin idea cor uro, meaning “I warm the heart.” To warm someone, you need to be close. It happens through touch, presence, or a simple embrace. Care is therefore not only an inner feeling; it also means closing distance and being near to another person.
Healing Beyond Physical
Modern healthcare has made remarkable progress. Today, hospitals are equipped with advanced machines, diagnoses are faster and more precise, and treatments are more effective than ever before. Yet, despite these undeniable achievements, something essential is often missing. In focusing so strongly on the body and on technical efficiency, care can forget the person. Patients are sometimes seen mainly as cases, reports, or numbers. But a human being is more than a medical condition. Illness does not affect only the body; it touches the mind, emotions, relationships, and the deeper questions of life. This is why healing cannot be understood as something only physical. True healing also involves restoring hope, courage, and inner peace. It is about helping the person to rediscover meaning, especially in moments of vulnerability and suffering. So, caring for a person means more than providing technical treatment. Care must be integrated: it must unite scientific competence with a deeply human approach. It should not be only technical, but also relational and compassionate. Above all, it must include the spiritual dimension, because every person carries within themselves a search for meaning that illness often brings to the surface.
More Than the Body
Illness is not just a physical problem. It changes how a person sees life. It can bring fear, loneliness, and confusion. It can also open deeper reflections about love, forgiveness, and purpose. In Salvifici Doloris, St. John Paul II says that suffering “is present in order to unleash love in the human person” (SD 29). This does not mean suffering is good in itself. Rather, it means suffering is not empty. It can lead to deeper relationships, compassion, and even inner growth. Every person, especially in moments of illness, begins to ask serious questions: What is happening to me? What is the meaning of my suffering? What can I still hope for? These are not medical questions; they are human questions. They show that every person carries within a search for meaning.
Even those who do not speak about faith still face these inner struggles. They think about their past, their relationships, what they have achieved, and what remains unfinished. They look for hope, even in uncertainty. This is where spiritual care becomes important. It does not replace medicine, but it completes it. Today’s healthcare system often works under pressure. Doctors and nurses must act quickly. They focus on results, efficiency, and measurable outcomes. This is necessary, but it can also create distance. Patients may feel treated, but not truly seen. No person should be reduced to an object or a statistic (FT 27). This difference lies not just in doing something for the patient, but in being with the patient. A simple presence, a listening ear, or a moment of silence can sometimes mean more than words.
Healing Is Not Always Cure
One important truth often forgotten is that healing is not always the same as curing. A person may not recover physically, but can still find peace. They can reconcile with family, find meaning in their experience, and face the future with dignity. Spiritual care helps in this process. It supports inner peace, acceptance, stronger relationships and a sense of hope. In this way, care becomes truly human. It respects the person in every stage of life, even in suffering. For this approach to grow, there must be a change in how we think about care. Healthcare workers need formation to recognize spiritual needs. Hospitals need to value presence, not just performance. Volunteers need to be supported in their role. And society must remember that dignity is not lost in illness. Care is not only about treating disease; it is about walking with a person through one of the most difficult moments of life. When medicine and spirituality come together, something important happens. The hospital becomes not just a place of treatment, but a place of encounter, a place where people are not only healed but also understood; not only treated, but also accompanied; not only surviving but also finding meaning. And that is what true care looks like.
§