Faced with this situation, we have three options:
- Judge that illness is an absurdity in a meaningless existence.
- Hope that medicine will eventually advance to the point of eliminating pain altogether.
- Admit that illness is a mystery and use it as an opportunity to reflect and grow.
The truth is that pain and evil entered the world with original sin. Thinking that science and technology will get rid of them eventually is utopic. But when we suffer or see children suffering, we can’t seem to understand it. Couldn’t God achieve the same results without us suffering? Why does it seem like He is torturing us? It's hard to see clearly when our eyes are blurred by tears.
In addition to the suffering itself, pain brings a sense of loneliness and isolation. It is easy to feel abandoned in our suffering. In mental illnesses, this loneliness can be even more intense; the search for someone to blame becomes overwhelming, and the primary suspect often ends up being oneself. Feelings of guilt, inadequacy, hopelessness, and anguish flood our hearts.
Yes, it is hard to understand. But that’s the starting point: pain is a mystery. It is like a mirror that shows our weakness and vulnerability, and yet, at the same time, hints at our greatness. We don’t just suffer: we’re able to be aware of that suffering and, therefore, to try to understand its meaning. An animal endures illness, but a human being suffers it, takes a stand before it, and often overcomes it.
So illness isn’t a meaningless absurdity: it helps us to reflect, grow, and find the strength to undertake difficult tasks. We learn to live with more energy, optimism, and creativity. Many people who have suffered serious illnesses even say that they wouldn’t erase them from their pasts for anything.
Christians have a powerful resource in the knowledge that God has linked the manifestation of his love to suffering. This is our path to understanding it. We need to open ourselves to the mystery; allowing ourselves to be illuminated by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, for love. Jesus experienced physical and psychological pain, exhaustion, thirst, humiliation, anxiety… and He was innocent. He obtained great blessings for us through his suffering and death; He rose again and opened the gates of heaven.
Accepting illness with faith means trusting in God and saying “yes” to his will. In this way, suffering becomes a mystery open to joy. It reminds us that we are just passing through and that life is a gift. God cares about our sorrows; and being convinced of this helps us stop looking for someone to blame. Illness becomes a test and an opportunity to grow, to look toward heaven, even when our hearts protest a bit. God is never a spectator watching us suffer: He suffers with us, accompanies us, and consoles us. He gives us a path to become more like Christ, enlightened by the suffering in Jesus’ Passion, which won our salvation.
Key ideas:
- Illness is a consequence of original sin, but it has a meaning in God's plans.
- Pain is neither a punishment nor a sign that God loves you less. On the contrary!
- Pray for health, but also for the faith to see your suffering as a mission to love as Christ loved us.
- Turn to God often through prayer. He not only listens to you but also understands you and encourages you to move forward.
- Feeling alone is not the same as being alone. Jesus is with you! Think of Him as someone close to you.
More resources:
- Spiritual accompaniment in illness
- Viktor Frankl for the woman and man of today
- A meaningful and happy life despite the wounds
- Additional information about different symptoms can be found on the “psychological symptoms” tab on the menu of the website above
