Illness Can Be Turned for Spiritual Benefit

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the HERALD
(From the Issue of Nov. 28, 2002)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde on Nov. 9, the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, at St. Agnes Church in Arlington for the Diocesan Mass for the Sick.

As we gather this morning for our Diocesan Mass for the Sick, sponsored by the Knights and Dames of Malta, we also join Catholics the world over in celebrating the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.

The Lateran Basilica in Rome gets its name from Plautinus Lateranus, a Roman senator executed under one of Emperor Nero’s persecutions. The palace and adjacent basilica were given to Pope Miltiades by the Roman Emperor Constantine after his conversion to Christianity in 313 a.d. Adjacent to the papal palace, Pope St. Sylvester dedicated the Lateran Basilica to the Holy Redeemer on Nov. 9, 324, designating it the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. It was after a restoration in the early 10th century that it was also dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and is to this day called "St. John Lateran." The Lateran palace then served as the residence of the Bishops of Rome, the Popes, until destroyed by fire in 1308. The Bishops of Rome now live in Vatican City, but the Cathedral of the Diocese remains St. John Lateran — not St. Peter’s.

Whenever we celebrate the anniversary of a church’s dedication, as we are doing today, we recall what the church building really signifies. The church building is the visible sign of the living Church, the Body of Christ whose members are all those baptized into Christ Jesus. St. Paul was reminding us of this reality in today’s second reading: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God? …for the temple of God, which you are, is holy." And Jesus Himself, in the scene described in today’s Gospel reading, was speaking about His body when He said: "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up … But he was speaking about the Temple of his Body." And by Baptism, we become members of His Body, which is the Church.

Now, it is so appropriate that we are celebrating this Mass for the Sick as we recall our identity as the living Body of Christ, His Church. What we are doing is proclaiming that some members of Christ’s Body are ill and that praying for one another within Christ’s Body the Church is beneficial to both those who are sick and those who are well. Basically, then we are being reminded that illness is present within Christ’s Body and that we can turn illness, through Christ, to good for all the Church.

Yes, within the Church, there are those who bear the cross of illness. Maybe some here this morning have been given a terminal diagnosis, they only have a short time to live. Maybe some here this morning have been diagnosed with an illness which will slowly debilitate them, and eventually end their lives. Maybe some here this morning are suffering the effects of old age or experiencing some medical problem and have come for the Lord’s healing. Whatever your illness, you should know that God knows you — He has counted every hair on your head. He knows your diagnosis, He knows your fears, He knows the concerns of your loved ones. God is almighty and omnipotent, and He stands ready to heal whoever comes to Him and asks. Do not be afraid to ask Him to heal you. He repeats throughout the Gospels "let it be done for you according to your faith" (Mt 8:13). Be courageous and be brave, and believe that God will heal you. It is possible! The water in today’s first reading is a sign of life and healing.

God continues to heal men, women and children just as He did in the day when Jesus walked upon the earth. Yet, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us: "The Holy Spirit gives to some a special charism of healing so as to make manifest the power of the grace of the risen Lord. But even the most intense prayers do not always obtain the healing of all illnesses. Thus St. Paul must learn from the Lord that ‘my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,’ and that the sufferings to be endured can mean that ‘in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his Body, that is, the Church’" (no. 1508).

So then, illness, when not cured, can be turned into a spiritual benefit, not only for the one who is suffering the illness, but for the whole Body of Christ, the Church, of which the ill person is a member. In a paradoxical way, suffering can acquire a new and different meaning.

In the world that we live in, suffering is seen as the ultimate evil. Yet, our Holy Father reminds us: "Seeking new and effective ways to alleviate suffering is a valid quest, but suffering nevertheless remains a fundamental fact of human life. In a way it is as deep as man himself and touches upon his very existence (cf. Salvifici Doloris, 3) … In order to discover the fundamental and definitive meaning of suffering ‘we must look to the revelation of divine love, the ultimate source of the meaning of everything that exists’ (Salvifici Doloris, 13). The answer to the question of the meaning of suffering has been ‘given by God to man in the Cross of Jesus Christ’ (ibid., 13). Suffering, a consequence of original sin, takes on new meaning; it becomes a sharing in the saving work of Jesus Christ (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1512)" (Message for Tenth World Day of the Sick, 2). Whatever our suffering — small or great — we can unite it with the suffering of Jesus on the cross and it can thus become part of the redemptive work of Christ — the Redeemer of the World. Our Holy Father continues: " ‘Do this in memory of me,’ besides referring to the breaking of bread, [this] also alludes to the body given and poured out by Christ for us (cf. Lk 22:19-20), in other words, to the gift of self for others" (Message for Tenth World Day of the Sick, 2/11/02, n. 3).

If it is in your heart to do so, pray that God will heal you or your loved one. Storm heaven with your prayers, fasting and penances, asking the Giver of All Good Gifts for healing. His power is as present today as it was when Jesus Christ walked the earth. We must believe that, and have firm faith. Yet if it is not God’s will to heal, then we can follow in the footsteps of our Redeemer and offer our lives in union with the suffering of Jesus on the cross and help "complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church…" (Col 1:24) as St. Paul wrote of his own suffering.

I would like to address a word of gratitude to those men and women who are care-givers to the sick that are present here today. Your responsibility is not an easy one. You, like Mary, stand with the ones you love through their suffering. Ask her for help in this task, so that you can be as supportive and patient with your loved one as she was with her beloved Son.

None of us choose to be sick or to suffer, it is a cross which is given to us. There are many stages to accepting that cross; as you move through them at your own pace, ask the Lord to help you and unite your sufferings with those of Jesus. The Church remembers you in her liturgical prayers, and as the Bishop of Arlington I promise to remember you in my daily prayers. I also ask that you remember me in yours. Together, as the People of God, the Church, we journey toward our homeland where every tear will be wiped away and there will be no more mourning, no more tears, no more suffering — only life in all its fullness forever!

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