February 4, 2026 // Pope Leo XIV

A Call to Reflect the Spirit of the Good Samaritan

OSV NEWS

The following is the message of the Holy Father Leo XIV for the 34th World Day of the Sick, on the theme “The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing another’s pain.” The World Day of the Sick is celebrated on February 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The message has been edited for length.

Dear brothers and sisters,

The 34th World Day of the Sick will be solemnly celebrated in Chiclayo, Peru, on February 11, 2026. For this occasion, I would recommend reflecting once again on the figure of the good Samaritan, for he is always relevant and essential for rediscovering the beauty of charity and the social dimension of compassion. This reflection further directs our attention toward the needy and all those who suffer, especially the sick.

We are all familiar with the moving account found in the Gospel of St. Luke (cf. 10:25-37). Jesus responds to a scholar of the law, who asks Him to identify the neighbor he must love, with this story: A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by robbers and left for dead. While a priest and a Levite passed him by, a Samaritan took pity on him, bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn, and provided for his care. I have chosen to reflect on this biblical passage through the lens of the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, written by my beloved predecessor Pope Francis. There, compassion and mercy toward those in need are not reduced to a merely individual effort but are realized through relationships: with our brothers and sisters in need, with those who care for them and, ultimately, with God who gives us his love.

1. The Gift of Encounter: The Joy of Offering Closeness and Presence

We live immersed in a culture of speed, immediacy, and haste – a culture of “discard” and indifference that prevents us from pausing along the way and drawing near to acknowledge the needs and suffering that surround us. In the parable, when the Samaritan saw the wounded man, he did not “pass by.” Instead, he looked upon him with an open and attentive gaze – the very gaze of Jesus – which led him to act with human and compassionate closeness. The Samaritan “stopped, approached the man, and cared for him personally, even spending his own money to provide for his needs. … [Above all] he gave him his time.” Jesus does not merely teach us who our neighbor is but rather how to become a neighbor; in other words, how we can draw close to others. In this respect, we can affirm with St. Augustine that the Lord did not intend to show us who that man’s neighbor was but rather to whom he should become a neighbor. Indeed, no one is truly a neighbor until they freely draw near to another. Thus, the one who became a neighbor was the one who showed mercy.

Love is not passive; it goes out to meet the other. Being a neighbor is not determined by physical or social proximity but by the decision to love. This is why Christians become neighbors to those who suffer, following the example of Christ, the true divine Samaritan who drew near to a wounded humanity. These are not mere gestures of philanthropy but signs through which we perceive that personal participation in another’s suffering involves the gift of oneself. It means going beyond the simple satisfaction of needs so that our very person becomes part of the gift. This kind of charity is necessarily nourished by an encounter with Christ, who gave Himself for us out of love. St. Francis expressed this beautifully when, speaking of his encounter with lepers, he said: “The Lord himself led me among them,” because through them he had discovered the sweet joy of loving.

The gift of encounter flows from our union with Jesus Christ. We recognize Him as the good Samaritan who has brought us eternal salvation, and we make Him present whenever we reach out to a wounded brother or sister. St. Ambrose said: “Since no one is more truly our neighbor than he who has healed our wounds, let us love him as Lord and also as neighbor; for nothing is so close as the head to its members. Let us also love those who imitate Christ; let us love those who suffer due to the poverty of others, for the sake of the unity of the Body.” “To be one in the One” – through closeness, presence, and love received and shared – is to rejoice, like St. Francis, in the sweetness of having encountered the Lord.

A woman holds the hand of her husband at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, Calif., May 12, 2022. According to court documents filed Sept. 25, 2025, in California superior court, Mercy San Juan Medical Center is one of two of the 41 hospitals operated by Dignity Health that is facing a lawsuit over their adherence to the Catholic Church’s ethical and religious directives on abortion. (OSV News photo/Brittany Hosea-Small, Reuters)

2. The Shared Mission of Caring for the Sick

St. Luke continues, noting that the Samaritan “was moved with pity.” Compassion, in this sense, implies a profound emotion that compels us to act. It is a feeling that springs from within and leads to a committed response to another’s suffering. In this parable, compassion is the defining characteristic of active love; it is neither theoretical nor merely sentimental but manifests itself through concrete gestures. The Samaritan drew near, tended the wounds, took charge, and provided care. Notably, he does not act in isolation: “The Samaritan discovered an innkeeper who would care for the man; we, too, are called to unite as a family that is stronger than the sum of small individual members.” In my experience as a missionary and bishop in Peru, I have personally witnessed many who show mercy and compassion in the spirit of the Samaritan and the innkeeper. Family members, neighbors, health care workers, those engaged in pastoral care for the sick, and many others stop along the way to draw near, heal, support and accompany those in need. By offering what they have, they give compassion a social dimension. …

3. Always Driven by Love for God, to Encounter Ourselves and Our Neighbor

In the double commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Lk 10:27), we recognize the primacy of love for God and its direct consequences for every dimension of human love and relationship. “Love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God, as the apostle John attests: ‘No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us. … God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them’ (1 Jn 4:12, 16).” Although the object of this love differs – God, neighbor, and oneself – and can be understood as distinct expressions of love, they remain fundamentally inseparable. The primacy of divine love implies that human action is carried out not for self-interest or reward but as a manifestation of a love that transcends ritual norms and find expression in authentic worship. To serve one’s neighbor is to love God through deeds.

This perspective also allows us to grasp the true meaning of loving ourselves. It means 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. …

Dear brothers and sisters, “the true remedy for humanity’s wounds is a style of life based on fraternal love, which has its root in love of God.” 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. 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.