LIVING IN THE LIGHT
Spirituality for the Lay Person
Hidden Heroism
of the Family
Dr. Patricia Cooney Hathaway
T
his past summer, while visiting Rome, my husband,
Tom, and I had the wonderful opportunity to
attend the Wednesday general audience of Pope Francis.
The theme of his address to the thousands gathered
in St. Peter’s Square was the focus of this issue of the
Mosaic—the family. In particular, the pope’s message
was about the hidden heroism of families caring for the
sick. Let me share with you a few of his thoughts about
this unheralded, challenging aspect of family life.
“Illness is an issue that affects everyone,”
Pope Francis stated. “When someone in our
family is sick, we feel it even more deeply. It
is harder for a mother or a father to see their
child fall ill than to be sick themselves. And
often it is the family that must take the lead
in caring for one another.”
These thoughts resonated with my own
experience. How often I have heard parents say how they wish they could carry
the burden of a sickness of one of their
children—Crohn’s disease, a bipolar disorder, cancer, depression, etc. Parents do not
suffer the illness, but they do suffer for the
suffering of their children.
I remember my father’s admonition when
my brothers and sisters argued, as children
often do, “Blood is thicker than water! Be
kind to each other because if you are ever
in need, it is your family who will be there
for you.”
The Holy Father also spoke about the
many times we read in the Gospels where
Jesus healed people.
“The Lord never passed people by,” he
reminded us, “but was always close to
them. And Jesus put healing first—healing
We watched as he met with a number of
took priority over the Law, even as imporfamilies who were at the audience to have
tant and holy a law as the Sabbath rest.”
him bless their sick ones. Not only did the
The pope further pointed out, “Later Jesus
pope bless each sick member of a family,
sent his disciples to do the same works he
but he took time to speak with each of
himself had accomplished, giving them the
the caretakers, encouraging, hugging, and
power to heal—that is, the ability to be close
blessing them.
to the sick, and to care for them to the end.”
The pope closed his reflections by acI found this last sentence to be particuknowledging that serious, debilitating injularly insightful for us today. Many people
ries and illnesses stress not only the patient
think of Jesus healing only physical ailbut also the family carements. But Pope Francis
givers. It changes life as
seems to infer that just
“Just being close to
we know it.
being close to the sick
the sick brings about
“Without
compasand caring for them to
a certain kind of
sion and sympathy for
the end bring about a
others,” Pope Francis
certain kind of inner
inner healing.”
warned, “we risk behealing all their own.
Just recently, a woman who had cared for coming ‘anesthetized’ and unable to deal
with our own suffering.” He praised the
her husband in their home for more than a
care and compassion family members have
year, after he had suffered a massive stroke,
told me that when she finally had to place for those who are sick.
“These things are heroic—they are the
him in a nursing home, a member of the
heroism of the family!”
staff told her how impressed he was that
she came to see him every day. Often, he
said, family members drop the sick one off,
Dr. Patricia Cooney Hathaway is professor of
and staff members never see them again.
spirituality and systematic theology at Sacred
Pope Francis put his words into action.
Heart.
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