November 2025 Prayer Guide

Pray

Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be

Reflect

Jesus is the Divine Physician who modeled how to care for the sick during his time on earth. Healthcare professionals share in Christ’s healing mission and are entrusted with the care and protection of human life in its most vulnerable circumstances. Their goal must always be the service and safeguarding of human life, and never its destruction. Yet in a time of scientific and technological developments, there are many instances in healthcare settings in which God’s design for the human person is violated, especially as patients approach the end of their earthly lives.

In 2020, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released the letter Samaritanus bonus, “on the care of persons in the critical and terminal phases of life.” The letter reaffirms the Church’s teaching on care for those who are critically ill or dying and offers additional pastoral guidance for increasingly complex situations at the end of life.

Despite our best efforts, it can sometimes be difficult to recognize the profound value of human life when we see its full weakness and fragility. Yet, the faithful care of human life until its natural end is entrusted to every person. Death is a decisive moment in our encounter with God, and the time preceding this encounter holds great significance.

To those who care for the sick, the scene of the Cross provides a way of understanding that even when it seems that there is nothing more to do there remains much to do, because “remaining” by the side of the sick is a sign of love and of the hope that it contains. Healed by Jesus, we become men and women called to proclaim his healing power and provide care for our neighbors, until the very end.

Reflection adapted from “The Witness of the Good Samaritan: Palliative Care and Hospice.”

Act

(Choose one.)

• Prayerfully reflect on the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37) and what the Lord reveals about caring for the sick through it.
• Sacrifice snacking today. Enjoy three small, simple meals but refrain from eating in between.
• Offer some other sacrifice or prayer that you feel called to do for this month’s intention.

One Step Further

Learn more about the importance of authentic hospice and palliative care from a Catholic perspective: bit.ly/witness-good-samaritan.