This December, let’s join with Pope Francis in praying for those with disabilities

At the beginning of each month, Pope Francis asks the faithful to pray for a special intention. In December, that prayer intention is for people with disabilities.

This couldn’t have come at a better time, as two recent events have been weighing heavily upon me.

The first occurred on social media, where a woman posted about her disabled sister and said she hopes she dies because she is suffering and causes suffering for others. The woman went on to describe how people have made fun of her sister and bullied her. Though she didn’t go into details about the nature of the disability or specific actions toward her sister, it was clear that both women are hurting and have been hurt. It saddened me not only that her sister has endured this type of treatment but also that she thinks her sister would be better off dead.

The second event took place in California, where the district attorney charged a mother with the death of her nine-year-old daughter who had been confined to a wheelchair and could not speak. The mother apparently drowned the child in a bathtub just before Thanksgiving. As of this writing, the police have not disclosed a motive.

This tragic story and the knowledge that there are people who feel unwanted or unloved makes it all the more important to pray for people with disabilities this December. Further, we must pray for those who treat people with disgust or disdain because of a disability.

As Pope Francis said, some people with disabilities “suffer rejection, rooted in either ignorance or prejudice.”

Indeed, the root cause of these behaviors is ignorance—ignorance of the value of every human being, regardless of ability. Despite living in a time when there are more laws, better equipment, and greater attempts at inclusivity for people with disabilities, we still see evidence of disdain for people who do not have typical abilities and who need help. And that, I think, is one of the foundational causes for why people with disabilities are sometimes treated poorly.

We live in a selfish and fast-paced society where people want to hurry up and do one thing so they can get to the next. Too many people prioritize themselves and their wants instead of putting themselves in another’s shoes and asking how they can serve them. In our society, many want to be served or coddled, want to live only for themselves, and simply don’t want to take the time to selflessly give of themselves for others. Time is a precious commodity; giving it to others is a gift that some are not willing to offer.

And so those who treat people poorly adopt an outlook of disdain. They attempt to justify their feelings or their behaviors by saying that people with disabilities are a “bother” or shouldn’t have to live “like that.”

These are the same people who advocate for medical aid in dying—a euphemism for assisted suicide. They are the same people who try to justify this killing as a “mercy” and say that people should have the “right” to take their own lives.

But merciful behavior toward someone does not involve killing them; it involves walking with them, no matter how hard their journey is. It’s only in walking with someone who has a disability that we will make life easier for them.

Society’s rampant dehumanizing of people has led to the belief that some lives are expendable and not worth living. It has led to humans playing God and making life and death decisions that are not ours to make.

In the Gospel of Luke, a blind man begged Jesus to have pity on him and heal him. Jesus responded, “What do you want me to do for you?” The man said, “Lord, please let me see.”

This December, let us offer this same prayer to God: “Lord, please let me see.” Let us ask God to open our eyes and our hearts to the difficulties faced by those with disabilities and to determine ways to help them. From lending an ear, to sitting and keeping someone company, to running errands for people, to assisting with daily tasks, to praying, there’s so much we can do to make people’s lives easier and their days brighter.

When we open our eyes and see a person with a disability as simply a fellow human being and treat them with compassion and kindness, we are truly living a culture of life as Christ intended.