Be assured that you are not alone. God is never far
from those who suffer. If you know how to find him, then you will
experience him. The highest value in human life is nearness to God. Now,
suffering, even if it seems intolerable, puts us in the best position
to assess the poverty of earthly goods and discover the ineffable riches
of God. And then suffering is transformed into an element of strength
and a source of joy.
Thus, whoever learns to suffer in the love of God is not alienated from life but helps to enrich the world.
You
see: I have come among you to remind you of this, and I would like to
say it again to all the sick people of the world. I have come to ask for
the contribution of your prayers and the precious offering of your
daily cross, to help the world of men become more human and more
Christian.
I have come to say also to
those who take such loving care of you, in various capacities, that
their work, too, though often ignored, is written indelibly in the book
of God. Nothing will go unrewarded.
- St. John Paul II
