Posted by The WORD in other words (2009) by Fr Martin Mandin SVD – Saint Arnold Janssen Parish, Cainta Rizal
Tuesday 4th Week of Lent
Hospital chaplaincy can be so rewarding. A patient’s sister approached me and said, “You know Father, one day after her confession, my sister became so friendly. She started talking to us. She was so happy. And she has taken a bath already. Naliligo na siya. So after spiritual cleansing comes physical cleansing.
A woman who went to a faith healer was instructed instead: “Go to confession first.” This must be a requirement of that faith healer. If we listen to our healing priests and nuns, they emphasize forgiveness to achieve healing. God’s healing love cannot be effective when the heart is full of hatred. Reconciliation is their usual refrain.
In the Gospel Jesus seems to convey an explicit relationship between sickness and sin. To the person who was healed after long years of suffering, Jesus said, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” (Matthew 5,14) The link between illness and sin is also mentioned in the Old Testament. The narrative after the fall of the first parents illustrates vividly the connection.
In Dives in Miserecordia, it says, “…this is a fact that sin too constitute human misery.” When stricken with misfortune and where they became aware of their sin,” people entrusted themselves to the God of mercy (no. 5). Human misery or misfortune becomes evident in sickness.
Human experience tells us how sin or evil deeds affect one’s health. Ang kalokohan mo ay babalik sa yong katawan. This is a popular saying among young people. Translated literally it means: Your foolishness will go back to your body.” Or to say it in another way, one’s vices or excesses affect your health. If the human body is affected by sin or evil actions then it falls into sickness. And when one becomes sick he/she is hindered to do good. Thus, failure to care for the human body is sin.
Today’s Gospel indicates that health according to Jesus is not only health for the body but also the total human well-being. Evil thoughts, hatred against our enemies, and even pessimistic attitudes will result in the deterioration of the (psychosomatic illnesses). Behavioral scientists are right in urging people to throw away our mental or psychological baggage, useless loads we are carrying and our unfounded anxieties. In the religious parlance, these are our guilt and disturbance of conscience that make us so wounded and anxious.
Let us seek Jesus in the sacrament of reconciliation. He is always waiting for us who are sick, disturbed and so wounded. Seek Jesus in people who are trying to love each other. In our efforts to be active in love may God reward us with Peace, His Kingdom and Shalom. Then total human well-being becomes real even in this wounded world.
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