Fortunate ill health
Some weeks ago, reader Jeanette, left the following comment that has been reminding me constantly to comment on:
“I enjoyed your post … I’ve got someone in my family that has actually said, “Why would people want to go to Heaven?” Everything’s perfect there … what’s there to do? Fortunately, I suffer ill health … and can offer up my woes for her … now to do it all with joy (I’m still working on) …”
What strikes me is that Jeanette says she’s fortunate to suffer ill health. How many of Christians, leave alone non-believers, can look at illness as fortunate or a blessing? Aren’t many of us asking God to cure us of our illness and even at times angry that He hasn’t answered our prayers.
Nothing unfaithful exhibited by us asking God for good health and cures for ourselves and others. The bible has numerous examples of people pleading with Jesus to cure them of ostracizing diseases and our Lord does. Probably it’s such examples in the Bible, where no one who asks is turned away disappointed, that make us expect our prayers to be answered in the affirmative. We expect God to answer every prayer we make. We find it difficult that God has His will manifested instead of ours although we recite it every time we pray the Our Father.
Jeanette’s example indicates that God may have other plans to allow our suffering to continue. It could be to purify our souls, much like a silversmith burnishes silver in fire. Not too often too do we offer our sufferings to Jesus for the salvation of others.
My first wife suffered from breast cancer which eventually spread to various organs. Naturally we prayed for a cure which didn’t take place. All who journeyed with my wife throughout her final 2 months of earthly life can testify to her conversion from a near pagan life to a Christian saintly purity days before her death. This was possible because my wife accepted that she will not be cured physically but would be purified via her illness. This is the point missed by Dr. Kevorkian and proponents of assisted suicide.
Every time my family prays the rosary, we dedicate the second decade for Our Lady of Lourdes to plead for the cure of people who suffer from physical, mental and emotional diseases and issues. We ask the Holy Spirit to give courage to those whom the Father has decided to allow to suffer and help them be effective witnesses to Christ’s Passion, joyfully.
