Resurrection of the Lord Catholic Church

Feast date: Jan 20

Sebastian was the son of a wealthy Roman family. He was educated in Milan and became an officer of the imperial Roman army, and Captain of the Guard. He was a favorite of Emperor Diocletian. During Diocletian's persecution of the Christians, Sebastian visited them in prison, bringing both supplies and comfort. He is reported to have healed the wife of a fellow soldier by making the sign of the cross over her. During his time in the army he converted many soldiers and a governor.

Charged as a Christian in 288 in Rome, Sebastian was tied to a tree, shot with arrows, and left for dead. However, he survived, recovered, and returned to preach to Diocletian, where the emperor then had him beaten to death.

Archbishop Jesús Andoni González de Zárate Salas, President of Venezuela's Episcopal Conference, tells Vatican News that the Church in the country aims to "accompany the people constantly in their struggle for the triumph of good, truth and justice.”

Read all

 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- People of faith and goodwill need to take time to acknowledge the needs and suffering of those around them and be moved by love and compassion to offer others concrete help, Pope Leo XIV said.

To love one's neighbor -- whom Jesus identifies as anyone who has need of us -- is within everyone's reach, he said in his message for the 34th World Day of the Sick, observed by the church Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

"The pain that moves us to compassion is not the pain of a stranger; it is the pain of a member of our own body, to whom Christ, our head, commands us attend, for the good of all," the pope wrote in the message released Jan. 20. 

The theme chosen for the 2026 observance is inspired by the parable of the good Samaritan and Pope Francis' encyclical on human fraternity, "Fratelli Tutti."

Titled, "The compassion of the Samaritan: Loving by bearing the pain of the other," the message focuses on the importance of: encountering and listening to others; being moved by compassion; and loving God through concrete action in solidarity with others.

While traditionally addressed to Catholic health care and pastoral workers, this year's message is offered to everyone, Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said at a Vatican news conference to present the message Jan. 20.

The message is offered to everyone because "we're one body, one humanity of brothers and sisters, and when someone's sick and suffering, all the other categories -- which tend to divide -- fade away into insignificance," the cardinal said.

Asked to comment about how people in the United States should best respond when witnessing violence toward immigrants, Cardinal Czerny said, "I don't know what to say about the larger picture," but he said it would be helpful to focus on "the underview" or what should or is happening on the ground.

"There are many situations in which the individual Christian, the individual citizen, can extend their hand or lend their support. And that's extremely important," he said. "I suppose we could all hope that those many gestures, many Samaritan gestures, can also translate into better politics." 

The Catholic "struggle for justice," he told Catholic News Service, gets "its real depth and its real meaning" from daily lived experience helping real people.

Advocacy work, for example, should "evolve out of real experience," he said. "When, let's say, your visits to the sick reveal, for example, the injustice of inaccessibility to health care, well then you take it up as an issue, but on the basis of your lived -- and indeed pastoral and Christian -- experience."

The good Samaritan shows that "we are all in a position to respond" to anyone in need, he said. "And the mystery, which you can discover whether you are a Christian or not, is that by responding, in a sense, your own suffering is also addressed."

"Since the major suffering for so many today, young and not so young, is loneliness and hopelessness, by worrying about it less and reaching out to someone who needs you, you will discover that there's more life than you imagined," he added.

In his message, Pope Leo said, "To serve one’s neighbor is to love God through deeds." 

In fact, the "true meaning of loving ourselves," he wrote, involves "setting aside any attempt to base our self-esteem or sense of dignity on worldly stereotypes -- such as success, career, status or family background -- and recovering our proper place before God and neighbor."

"I genuinely hope that our Christian lifestyle will always reflect this fraternal, 'Samaritan' spirit -- one that is welcoming, courageous, committed and supportive, rooted in our union with God and our faith in Jesus Christ," Pope Leo wrote.

"Enkindled by this divine love, we will surely be able to give of ourselves for the good of all who suffer, especially our brothers and sisters who are sick, elderly or afflicted," he wrote.

'The Sewing Company,' an initiative born in Dnipro which now welcomes the contribution from women from around the world, produces adaptive clothing free of charge for civilians and soldiers wounded in the conflict, helping them withstand the harsh winter temperatures.

Read all

 

Father Rafael Prados tells Vatican News about the work of San Andrés Parish, in Adamuz, to keep its doors open overnight to accompany those affected by Spain’s railway tragedy.

Read all

 

In a statement issued on 18 January, the Archbishop of Santiago de Guatemala calls for constant prayer for peace in light of the situation of “anxiety and unrest” caused by “the security crisis the country is currently experiencing.”

Read all

 

As part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, explores Pope Leo XIV’s invitation to walk the path of ecumenism.

Read all

 

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, emphasizes the importance of a constructive dialogue to develop an effective and lasting response to crimes against humanity.

Read all

 

Mali’s Bishops are meeting from 19 January to 22 January in a plenary session discussing the financial situation of the Church, the sustainability of Catholic education, and appointments at the national level. In an interview with Vatican media, Father Abel Kassongué, Secretary General of the Bishops' Conference, said the Church in Mali was living in a “delicate” socio-political and security context that calls for prayer and solidarity.

Read all

 

Pope Leo XIV releases his message for the 34th World Day of the Sick, and invites the faithful to consider the Samaritan's compassion and how we too can offer love by bearing the pain of others.

Read all