The Value of a Sick Person’s Repentance
The Value of a Sick Person’s Repentance
Question
Some people diminish the value of the repentance of a sick person on the grounds that it is a repentance forced by a state of need, and they say the expression: “The repentance of a sick person is a sick repentance.” What is the Church’s view of this expression?
Answer
1. The One who judges repentance is God, the Examiner of hearts.
God—and not we—is the One who knows whether the repentance of the sick person is a true repentance from the heart or merely an outward and temporary repentance. He also knows whether the sick person will remain in his repentance after recovery or will change.
As for us making a general judgment on all sick people that their repentance is a sick repentance, this is an unjust judgment, made without knowledge of what is taking place in their hearts and feelings. It also confuses what is genuine with what is not genuine.
2. God may allow illness as a means of drawing people near to Him.
A person’s being afflicted with a severe illness, or his need to undergo a serious operation, may affect him more than dozens of sermons and more than reading many spiritual books, because it may remind him of the possibility of death and the necessity of preparing for it. Thus, he turns to repentance, asking God for mercy, forgiveness, and healing, all with a very sincere heart and genuine feelings.
3. Even if it is said that it is repentance in a time of distress, God Himself says: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15).
Therefore, God accepts prayer in times of distress. Indeed, He invites it. He does not say that it is a sick prayer, a rejected prayer, or a compelled prayer. Certainly not.
Rather, God allows afflictions—including illnesses—to draw us to Himself.
How many people have prayed to God in their times of distress.
God answered those prayers and did not say that they were motivated by distress rather than by love. Examples of this are countless.
It is enough to remember the Psalmist’s words: “In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He answered me” (Psalm 120:1).
Also: “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears” (Psalm 18:6). See also Psalm 77:2 and Psalm 86:7.
4. Do not forget the prayer of the Prophet Jonah in the belly of the fish.
It was not merely the prayer of a person suffering from an illness from which he might recover. Rather, it was the prayer of a man under the sentence of death. Yet he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice” (Jonah 2:2).
The Lord did not say that it was a sick prayer or a sick repentance when Jonah said: “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple” (Jonah 2:7).
Instead, the Lord answered him, delivered him, and brought him out of the belly of the fish, even though the Lord knew that after this deliverance Jonah would become displeased and angry because the Lord accepted the repentance of Nineveh (Jonah 3:10; 4:1).
The Lord also accepted the repentance of the thief on the cross.
It was not merely a repentance like that of someone who was ill and still had months, years, or even days before death, or like that of sick people who might recover.
Rather, the thief’s repentance was the repentance of a man who had only three or four hours before death. Yet when he said in his repentance: “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42),
the Lord accepted his repentance and answered him: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
The Lord never said to him that it was a sick repentance.
5. Truly, people are not like God in His goodness, kindness, and acceptance of the repentance of sinners.
Therefore, the Prophet David rightly said: “Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man” (2 Samuel 24:14).
If a repentant sick person falls into the hands of a harsh person, that person says that his repentance is a sick repentance. But before God, the repentance of that sick person is accepted.
6. The Lord’s words alone are sufficient: “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).
Whoever comes to Him at any time and under any circumstances—even those of the eleventh hour, even the prodigal son who returned to his father after poverty, deprivation, and need had afflicted him, and he became hungry and desired to fill himself with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything (Luke 15:16)—his father did not tell him that his repentance was a sick repentance because hunger had motivated it. Instead, he received him, slaughtered the fatted calf for him, and rejoiced in his repentance.
7. Therefore, we must never despise anyone’s repentance.
Nor should we diminish it with a harsh and unjust judgment. If God rejoices over the repentance of those who repent, and the angels of heaven rejoice with Him (Luke 15:7, 10), how can we dare to such an extent as to condemn the repentance of the sick without knowing the condition of their hearts and by making a general judgment that includes everyone?
8. Otherwise, why do we give the sick person the Holy Mysteries?
Not only when he comes to church and attends the Divine Liturgy, but even more than that, the priest goes to him in his home or in the hospital and administers the Holy Mysteries to him. It is well known that they are given only to those who have repented. This therefore means that his repentance is accepted, not condemned as a sick repentance.
9. We also administer to the sick another Church Sacrament, the Sacrament of the Unction of the Sick. We anoint him with the holy oil and pray for him with seven prayers.
We do not question the validity of his repentance. It is enough that he has repented.
For better translation support, please contact the center.
