To Comfort the Sick

The other day, a friend checked in to let me know that Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, the recently-retired apostolic nuncio to Washington, is resting comfortably at a Roman hospice as he battles the effects of lung cancer.

The good archbishop -- who served as the papal representative to the US from 1999 until his December retirement -- has been especially buoyed by the cards, notes and promises of prayer he's received to date, and I'm told he'd enjoy getting more of those.

So, if anyone has the time and interest to do a good deed for today, you can send a greeting to Archbishop Montalvo at the following address:

The Most Reverend Gabriel Montalvo
Titular Archbishop of Celene
Domus Sancta Maria Guadalupe
Piazza Benedetto Carioli, 117
00186 Rome
ITALY

Again, it's also a good moment to think of the many retired or ill priests and others we know in our own midst. The worst pain of old age or health troubles is often that of loneliness, so if you know someone who's suffering in this way, keep in mind that the best medicine is often the simple reminder of another's caring.

And that's our meditation for the day.

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