This question takes on special relevance in the context of the World Day of the Sick, where we confront the mystery of human suffering and divine consolation. Suffering is an experience that affects us all in its various manifestations, and we could even say that it is inherent to human beings. But at the same time, we can affirm that in these situations of pain: we are not alone! There is a God who walks and suffers with us , even in those moments when it seems that God ignores our cries and remains silent.
God and Suffering in Holy Scripture
The Bible reveals to us a God who is not indifferent to human suffering. In the Old Testament, God presents himself as a Father who listens to the cries of his people. In the Book of Exodus, God says to Moses: "I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I have heard their cry... I know their sufferings" (cf. Ex 3:7). This expression is not just a distant observation, but a profound implication: God draws close to those who suffer pain; his heart is moved by the affliction of his creatures.
In the New Testament, this closeness of God to suffering is made complete in Jesus Christ. In Jesus, God not only sees and hears pain, but also takes it upon himself. The Gospel of John reminds us that "Jesus wept" at the tomb of his friend Lazarus (cf. Jn 11:35). He is the God who weeps, the God who is moved to the depths of his being by human suffering. He is not an insensitive God, but one who is involved in our fragility.
Jesus, as he traveled the roads of Palestine, healed the sick and comforted the afflicted. His compassion was not merely a feeling, but a concrete action. The Gospel of Matthew tells us: "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (cf. Mt 9:36). In him, God reveals his most tender, compassionate, and close face.
The merciful face of God in the Church Fathers
Early Christian theologians also addressed this question. Saint Augustine affirmed that God, in his divinity, is impassive (he does not suffer), but in Christ he takes on our human condition and experiences pain. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons emphasized that God "became man so that man could be united to God," thus showing that his compassion is not a weakness, but a supreme expression of love.
Saint Gregory of Nazianzus wrote: "What is not assumed cannot be redeemed." In other words, if Christ had not suffered, our wounded humanity could not have been healed. It is on the Cross that divine love and suffering meet: God does not suffer out of necessity, but out of his immense mercy, which is expressed in a "love to the end" (cf. 13:1).
Saint John Chrysostom, for his part, emphasized that God's mercy is active. It is not a simple emotion, but a real response to suffering. For him, God's compassion is manifested in closeness to the poor, the sick, and the helpless. God is not a distant spectator of human suffering, but a Father who carries it on his shoulders.
Pope Francis and God's compassion
Pope Francis has emphasized God's tenderness and mercy, especially toward those who suffer. In one of his homilies, he stated: "God is not indifferent; he has compassion and suffers with us. He is a Father who carries us in his heart." In his encyclical letter Evangelii Gaudium, the Pope invites us to "touch the suffering flesh of Christ in the faces of the sick."
God comforts us, not with an easy solution, but with his loving presence. Francis emphasizes that compassion is more than a passing emotion; it is a real commitment to those who suffer. As a Church, we are called to be "field hospitals," places where God's love reaches out to the most vulnerable.
In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Francis exhorts us not to turn our backs on the suffering of others. "No one can face life alone. We need a community that supports us, that helps us, and in which we help each other look forward." Faith calls us to embody this closeness of God in our own lives.
A God who accompanies us in pain.
The World Day of the Sick reminds us that we are not alone in our suffering. God, in Jesus, has experienced pain, anguish, and death, and since his resurrection offers us hope. Suffering never has the last word when it is inhabited by love.
In every hospital, in every sick room, in every tear shed, God is present. Not as a distant being, but as the Friend who sustains, comforts, and strengthens us. As believers, we are called to reflect that mercy with our presence, our words, and our actions.
The saints have witnessed this reality. Saint Teresa of Calcutta saw in every sick person the face of Christ's suffering and said: "The greatest suffering is not physical pain, but feeling unloved." God's tenderness is expressed in every gesture of compassion we offer to others.
May this day help us rediscover the compassionate face of God and bear witness to his love among those who suffer. May we see Christ in every sick person, and may we manifest the merciful heart of our God in every act of love.
To obtain health
Holy Spirit, creator and renewer of all things, life of my life, with Mary Most Holy I adore you, I thank you, I love you.
You, who are the giver of life and vivifier of the entire universe, preserve my health, free me from the diseases that threaten it and from all the evils that beset it.
With the help of your grace, I promise to always use my strength for your glory, for my own good and to serve my brothers.
I also ask you to enlighten with your gifts of science and intelligence the doctors and all those who dedicate themselves to the care of the sick, so that they may discover the true causes of the evils that beset and threaten life, and find and apply the most effective remedies to defend and heal it.
Most Holy Virgin, Mother of life and health of the sick, to you I entrust my humble prayer. Deign, Mother of God and our Mother, to accompany her with your powerful intercession.
Amen.
