We are here for you like Mary!

This year, the commemoration of Our Lady of Sorrows, which in Malta we traditionally celebrate with great devotion on the Friday before Holy Week, has had a much deeper and personal meaning for me than ever before. Because, this year, Mary “standing by the cross of Jesus” (John 19:25) reminds me of how many people stood by me last year when I was going through an excruciating cancer treatment.

Mary standing by Her crucified son, Jesus, becomes a beautiful example for us all, an example that mirrors the merciful heart of the Good Samaritan who, in the words of Pope Francis in his recent encyclical Fratelli Tutti, “stopped, approached the man and cared for him personally, even spending his own money to provide for his needs.”

In my own pastoral ministry, I have seen the face of suffering of so many sick persons: children, youths, parents who had just lost their son or their daughter at a tender age through sickness or a tragic accident, young adults riddled with drug addiction, among others.

Before such situations, I always understood the need to be near these people at such difficult times and did my very best to be there for them. But, having experienced the sheer gift of human support at a time when I most needed it, I have never been more aware than today that the best gift you can give a person who is suffering is to give him or her some of your time, to give your presence and, when possible, your helping hand.

To be sick with cancer in hospital during this pandemic doubled the suffering for me because hospital visits were prohibited. The number of those who could be physically close to me was very limited. But I must say that this shortcoming was truly made up for by the specialists, the doctors, nurses, the friars and other workers at the Hematology Ward. I will never forget their dedication, attention and love with which they treated me. That a doctor, nurse or care-giver comes into your room with a simple smile or to just check on whether you need anything meant so much to me.

It was a heartwarming experience and it hit me as if they were constantly telling me: “We are here for you! We are here for you like Mary!”

How lovely it is to be like Mary near her suffering son.

Fr Martin Micallef – March 26, 2021

Adapted from: Times of Malta