Heal our sick, our Earth!

February 11. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes was also declared by Pope

John Paul II as World Day of the Sick.

For sure, this year, thousands/millions of devotees again gathered (with their prayers/ petitions/songs/masses/torchlight processions) at the grotto in Lourdes, France where Mama Mary appeared in 1858 to young/asthmatic Bernadette Soubirous.

The healings of Lourdes (about 7000 cases+) have been narrated repeatedly through the years.

During the February 23 apparition, Bernadette was told by Our Lady who later introduced herself as the Immaculate Conception) to “go, drink in the spring and wash in it.”

“She followed the Lady’s direction, began digging in the area the Lady pointed out, tried, with her hands, to drink muddy water which quickly became a torrent of water. The first miraculous healing at Lourdes occurred later on March 1 when a pregnant woman who prayed at the site and bathed her paralyzed right hand in the water was instantly cured. She gave thanks to God, returned home cured, and gave birth to her third child that night. (The baby grew up and became a priest).”

The February 11 Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes reminds believers to offer prayers for healing for all with illnesses and to look to Mama Mary as our guiding intercessor for God’s healing and as our Mother with her care/comfort for all.

On this 33rd World Day of the Sick in the Jubilee Year 2025, Pope Francis shared this encouraging message: “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5); indeed, it strengthens us in times of trial.”

He asked all who are suffering to reflect and experience this as 1) a precious/transformative encounter with God, His closeness

and consoling presence; 2) as a gift, to be received and cultivated, by remaining “faithful to the faithfulness of God” because “suffering makes us aware that hope comes from the Lord; and, 3) as God’s sharing- where “places of suffering are frequently also places of sharing/mutual enrichment, where we learn hope at the bedside of the sick, faith by our closeness to those who suffer, and love when we care for those in need, where we are “angels” of hope and messengers of God for one another, all of us together.”

“Illness which reveals our human vulnerabilities is exactly where God meets us.

Let us pray for God's healing presence in all the world's ailments.”

As we pray for our sick, let us also pray for our sick earth.

“God of all Creation, in Jesus, we pray for a spirit of wisdom stewarding our resources, our gifts of the earth and faithfulness to act in communion with your Church.”

A year ago, when VaLENTine’s Day, February 14, coincided with the start of Lent, DENR-7 and RCE-Cebu (Regional Center of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development) launched #LoveOurEarth campaign through ecobricking with EMB-7, DepEd-7 and DSWD-7 as partners. 

This meaningful Year 1 Anniversary Message of Support from DENR-7’s  Regional Director sums up the continuing productive collaboration/partnership for #LoveOurEarth ecobricking Campaign:

“Our planet needs us now more than ever. Because we only have one planet to live in and there’s only our Earth, no planet A and B, the #LoveOurEarth Campaign is a powerful step toward a more sustainable future, a campaign that’s doable for all.

By turning single-use/other plastics/PET bottles into ecobricks, this initiative not only helps manage waste but also transforms wastes into something useful for our communities.

This project is a testament to how collective action can make a lasting impact.

Each ecobrick is a symbol of our commitment for a cleaner, greener Earth.

Let us all do our part—reduce, reuse, and repurpose for a better tomorrow.

Together, we can build a future where waste is no longer a problem, but a solution.

Let’s keep loving, healing our Earth!”