Three major events are converging on Feb. 11 this year: the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the World Day of the Sick, and the 40th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s apostolic letter Salvifici Doloris ...
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the 8/30/1997 issue of America. Two years ago America published a collection of 25 brief essays by a number of notable personalities (9/30/95).