In a letter to the Pontifical Biblical Commission, which is meeting this week, Pope Leo XIV drew attention to Christ\u2019s compassion for the sick and suffering.<\/p>\n
In a message to members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, Pope Leo XIV urged them to overcome \u201cfear of illness and death\u201d through faith in Christ, noting that facing these two realities can help individuals \u201cdiscern in their own lives what is not essential, in order to turn toward, or return to, the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the light of faith, we know, conversely, that pain and illness can make a person wiser and more mature, helping him to discern in his own life what is not essential, in order to turn toward, or return to, the Lord,\u201d Leo observed in a letter signed March 27 and published April 13 as he began his 11-day tour of Africa.<\/p>\n
The Pontifical Biblical Commission, which is meeting April 13\u201317 in Vatican City, operates under the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and is based in Rome. Its annual plenary assemblies consistently take place in the Vatican.<\/p>\n
The pope cited several passages from the Gospel in which Jesus\u2019 compassion toward those in need and the sick is made manifest, such as when the Lord takes pity on a leper who asks to be healed, or on the two blind men he heals after they implore him to restore their sight.<\/p>\n
\u201cChrist\u2019s compassion toward all who suffer is so profound that he himself identifies with them,\u201d noted the pope, adding that Jesus \u201ccommanded his disciples to care for the sick, to lay hands upon them, and to bless them in his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough the experience of fragility and illness, we too can and must learn to walk together, in human and Christian solidarity, in accordance with the way God does, which is [through] compassion, closeness, tenderness, and solidarity,\u201d the pontiff said.<\/p>\n
In his letter, he noted that human nature \u201cbears inscribed within itself the reality of limitations and finitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy illness? Why suffering? Why death? Faced with these questions, even believers sometimes falter, coming to experience bewilderment and even despair and rebellion against God,\u201d he wrote to the assembled experts, whom he exhorted to shed light on life\u2019s most difficult aspects in the light of sacred Scripture.<\/p>\n
The commission consists of about 20-30 leading Catholic biblical scholars from around the world, appointed by the pope, who serve in scholarly and advisory capacities, helping the Church interpret and apply Scripture faithfully to contemporary questions.<\/p>\n
The pope invited the experts to consider in their exegetical work \u2014 in addition to illness, physical pain, and death \u2014 \u201calso the sufferings of the poor, of migrants, and of the marginalized in society, which are present in so many pages of sacred Scripture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, he endorsed the initiative of the Pontifical Biblical Commission to study various biblical figures who suffered. \u201cTaken together, they will certainly become a beautiful symbol of hope for every person who unites their sufferings to the crucified Christ, renewing the manifestation of his face of love,\u201d the Holy Father wrote.<\/p>\n
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n