February 17, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into The Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Last week, we celebrated the World Day of the Sick. This remembrance of the sick coincides with the February 11th Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. In his message for this day, “Entrusting Oneself to the Merciful Jesus like Mary: ‘Do whatever He tells you’ (Jn 2:5),” our Holy Father, Pope Francis, uses the Gospel scene of the Wedding at Cana to remind us of the intercessory power of Mary. It was Mary at Cana who recognized that the wine was running short. She appealed to her Son, Jesus, to do something for the newly married couple, who would be in distress. After retreating from Jesus, Mary simply told the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” Pope Francis tells us that if we can learn to obey these words of Mary, Jesus will change the water of our lives into precious wine.

Sometimes the reality of sickness and the suffering that it brings is hard for us to accept. Perhaps it is most difficult to understand when a child becomes ill. Parents often feel helpless when they see their child in pain. Many pray that they might suffer in their son or daughter’s place. Later in life, it is chronic illness that often plagues the elderly. This chronic illness can lead to depression or despair.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.