ECCLESIASTICAL TITBITS VIII

Over the years in many places, and from many sources, I have had occasion, as many of you will have, to ponder the different expectations people have and express about being Christian. I am thinking here of illness and how it strikes us all, or nearly all of us, with its inevitable disabling effects either temporarily or permanently.

The views I have met include that of those who believe sickness results from sin and that repentance and penance, as well as true belief, will result in restoration to health. Others see it as an evil visitation signifying the presence of evil or the devil in the world. There are also those who think Christians should be exempt from illness because of their faith and special relationship with God and so on. Others are more pragmatic and accept that it is an inevitable fact of life and to be borne stoically or treated and overcome.

Truth is, sickness, with all its attendant inconveniences, troubles and even death visits the Christian and non-Christian impartially. It’s like the rain which falls on the just and the unjust without distinction or thought or sensitivity to the nature or status of the person.

For the Christian the difference comes from the way we understand God and how we use our faith to deal with illness and death. Our great advantage is that we have Christ, prayer, the sacrament of healing and a strong belief in the ultimate trustworthiness of God. We believe that whatever happens our spirit can be and will be healed. We believe that it is God’s faithfulness to us that means, in the end, we meet with Him as new beings who have been made whole through His love as expressed in the Christ. Then we will know that sickness and tribulation are part of life and borne through our faith and sharing in Christ’s suffering.

PISCATOR