Bishop Gruss to healthcare professionals: 'We are called to be his instruments of mercy'

In his homily, Bishop Gruss reminded those in attendance that, "We are called to be his instruments of mercy. Jesus sends all of us into the world to enter into the wounds of others, wherever we find ourselves and to whomever Christ sends us. We can never be afraid to enter into the wounds of others – in order to bring love there, Christ’s love, the very tenderness and mercy of God."

Bishop Gruss' Full Homily Below

Good evening everyone. It is great to be with all of you for this year’s White Mass. Named for the white coats and uniforms worn by many health care professionals, White Masses are special opportunities to ask God’s blessings for all those serving in the health care field and to offer prayers for the safety and well-being of all health care workers and the people they serve. So, as we gather tonight, we ask God’s blessing on all those who serve in the medical profession, those of you who are present here as well as those who could not be with us and to share our gratitude for all of you who work in health care, and to pray for you and your important ministry. In caring for the sick and suffering – carry on the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Know that I am offering this Mass tonight for you and your intentions. And I thank each and every one of you for your important ministry.

Often times the White Mass is celebrated on the feast of St. Luke. His feast day was several months ago on October 18th. As you know, St. Luke is the patron saint of physicians as St. Paul describes him in his letter to the Colossians: “Luke, the beloved physician.” It is believed that Luke was born a Greek and a gentile, the only non-Jew of the four gospel writers. Because he is one of the patron saints of Catholic health care professionals, we ask his intercession in this White Mass today.

You may not know that last Friday, the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, was the 30th World Day of the Sick. Thirty years ago, Saint John Paul II instituted the World Day of the Sick to encourage the people of God, Catholic health institutions and civil society to be increasingly attentive to the sick and to those who care for them. I will touch upon Pope Francis’ message for this occasion coming up, as well.

The theme chosen for this Thirtieth World Day of the Sick, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36), “makes us first turn our gaze towards God, who is “rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4); he always watches over his children with a father’s love.” The greatest witness of the Father’s merciful love for the sick is Jesus. How often do the Gospels relate Jesus’ encounters with people suffering from various diseases!

In Mark’s Gospel tonight, we find Jesus healing a blind man – one of the many healing miracles in the Gospels. It was part and parcel to his identity. As we saw in this Gospel, this healing encounter required the physical touch, the physical presence of one person with another. Jesus spent time with this blind man. And through this intimate encounter with “mercy”, the blind man received his sight.

Jesus’ invitation to be merciful like the Father has particular significance for healthcare workers. As you minister in solidarity with the Lord Jesus – the Divine Physician – you become his living presence – his face – to those to whom you minister.  As healthcare providers, each of you have a unique call to bring the healing presence of Jesus to others, at a time in their lives when they are most vulnerable and weakest, and in need of Christ’s love.

As Pope Francis reminds you, “Dear healthcare workers, your service alongside the sick, carried out with love and competence, transcends the bounds of your profession and becomes a mission. Your hands, which touch the suffering flesh of Christ, can be a sign of the merciful hands of the Father.” He encourages you to “be mindful of the great dignity of your profession, as well as the responsibility that it entails.”

The Pope said acute experiences of our human frailty urge us to seek out those near to us, and it is the Church’s job to respond with concrete signs of God’s charity. But is also the way healthcare providers do so each and every day. “When individuals experience frailty and suffering in their own flesh as a result of illness, their hearts become heavy, fear spreads, uncertainties multiply, and questions about the meaning of what is happening in their lives become all the more urgent.”

Obviously, we have all seen this in an acute way, over and over again, during these last two years. In these COVID-19 times, so many of you, through your sacrifices and determination, often times to the point of exhaustion, have been a powerful witness of the Church’s Mission of Mercy, in both life and death.  You became a part of this healing community because you wanted to offer care and compassion to others, especially the sick and suffering.  This is showing mercy.

Let’s look at the word mercy – misericordia – is composed of two words: misery and cordia (heart). The heart indicates the capacity to love; mercy is that love which flows from the heart and embraces the misery of others.  It is a love that “feels” our poverty as its own, with a view to freeing us of it.  The heart of Jesus takes our misery (in whatever form) and transforms it through his mercy. 

And we are called to be his instruments of mercy. Jesus sends all of us into the world to enter into the wounds of others, wherever we find ourselves and to whomever Christ sends us. We can never be afraid to enter into the wounds of others – in order to bring love there, Christ’s love, the very tenderness and mercy of God.

In the first reading, St. James reminded us, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction [or we might say the sick and suffering] and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

The human experience of love and kindness from a believer, from a person of faith, is important because it is the mission of the Church. “Wherever the Church is present, the mercy of the Father must be evident.”[1]  In the words of Dr. Norbert Myslinski, a University of Maryland professor of neuroscience, “There is a common denominator in my mind between the medical profession and the church: passion and compassion – passion for life and compassion for our fellow man.”

I want to thank all the medical personnel who carry out your work as “ministers of life and participants in the affectionate [tenderness and] love of God – who do it with passion and compassion.  

No matter how each of you do it, no matter what form your work takes, and I know that the healthcare industry has many facets, no matter if you have direct contact or indirect contact with the people you serve, know that “each day your hands touch the suffering body of Christ, and this is a great honor and a great responsibility.”

In conclusion, never fail to ask the Lord for the strength to accomplish your mission and to bear witness courageously to the Gospel of Life.  Again, I thank you for your sacrifices, your commitment, your compassion, your patience and love.

May St. Luke, patron of healthcare and healthcare professionals intercede for you. And may the Blessed Mother, the Mother of Life, watch over you as you minister in the name of her Son.    God bless you all.