Vatican City, Jan 8, 2019 / 04:58 am
To serve the poor and sick in a generous manner is a powerful form of evangelization, Pope Francis said Tuesday in a message for the upcoming World Day of the Sick.
"The Church – as a Mother to all her children, especially the infirm – reminds us that generous gestures, like that of the Good Samaritan, are the most credible means of evangelization," the pope wrote.
His message for the World Day of the Sick was published Jan. 8, in advance of the solemn celebration to be held Feb. 11, 2019, in Calcutta, India. The theme of this year's message comes from Matthew 10:8: "You received without payment; give without payment."
"Gift," Francis said, is more than giving of physical property or objects as presents: "it involves the giving of oneself," freely, and with the desire for relationship with others, "the basis of society."