Pray with the Pope Reflection - February 2026

Fr. Edmund Lo, SJ

Thursday, February 19, 2026

My brothers and sisters: In this month of February, our Holy Father invites us to pray for children with incurable diseases, that they and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope.

For what exactly are we asking the Lord, if the children have incurable diseases? What kind of strength and hope should we ask for?

Some think that we should never lose hope in a miraculous return to health; yet there is also another miracle that is worth praying for: That in and through our illness, we allow the Lord to lead and transform us in a daily conversion of heart.

It is the hope and trust that God will never abandon us even in the darkest periods of our lives. Our Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross so that we won’t be alone when we go to our cross. We are joining him.

The kind of support we can provide to these children and their families is not a kind of cheerleading with empty words, but rather an offering of a simple gesture for them to know that they are not alone: “I am with you, and I pray alongside you. God is with you.” We ourselves need to believe this spiritual reality, lest our words become empty.

Let us pray that the hearts of the children with incurable diseases, of their family, as well as ours be transformed while trusting in God’s care for us. Go and be with them: They are not alone, and you are not alone. God is with us. May God bless you today.