June 13

– Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today as we celebrate the gift of the Body and Blood of Christ let us pray especially for those suffering from illness and unable to afford medical care.

Pope Francis says, “There is so much indifference in the face of suffering. May we overcome indifference with concrete acts of charity.” All too often, Vincentians are particularly concerned with those in need of housing, food, or utilities payments. Occasionally, we are asked to provide funds for people in need of medical care. This has become especially pressing during the COVID pandemic.

For us, the good news is that currently 92% of Americans are medically insured, the highest number of insured Americans since Census began keeping track in 1988. The troubling news is that this still leaves more than 26 million people without health coverage throughout the year. Fortunately, many medical expenses related to COVID have been covered by our state and national governments, but other medical bills are not, and those uninsured brothers and sisters will not have relief when the pandemic is over.

As we have all seen, many conservativeleaning U. S. Senators and Representatives have tried again and again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, while many elected state officials throughout the country have filed legal actions that would either weaken or repeal this vital program. With a solid conservative majority in U. S. Supreme Court, this medical safety net may once again be in jeopardy despite the results of last year’s election.

The Church’s Corporal Works of Mercy call us “Visit the Sick,” Perhaps we can all do even better, praying that our nation’s policymakers recognize that affordable health care must be a right for every one of God’s children.

For further information about our conference and its work, please contact our president, Dick Hoenisch, at .

St. Vincent de Paul of Davis

assistance line: 530-979-4338