Illness and the Church’s Stance Toward It

Illness and the Church’s Stance Toward It

The General Message of the Lecture

The lecture emphasizes that illness is not a sign of sin, but rather a spiritual path that God may allow for the benefit of a person. The Church views the sick with compassion, offering both spiritual and physical care.

Lecture Summary

First: Illness Is Not Connected to Sin
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that illness does not mean that a person has sinned. Many saints were ill, such as the Apostle Paul, Job the Righteous, Lazarus the Poor, and Jacob the Patriarch. Despite their suffering, they lived in righteousness, and illness was sometimes a means for God’s glory to be revealed in their lives.

Second: The Spiritual Benefit of Illness
God sometimes allows illness for a person’s benefit, as hours of sickness can be more powerful than many sermons. Illness leads to prayer, repentance, humility, and closeness to God, granting the spirit of endurance, thanksgiving, and spiritual readiness.

Third: Illness and the Glory of God
God’s glory is often revealed either through healing or through the patient endurance of suffering with thanksgiving. Endurance with gratitude is considered a great blessing and a living testimony of faith.

Fourth: The Church’s Position Toward the Sick
The Church prays for the sick in every liturgy and has a special litany for them. It also established the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as one of its holy sacraments. The Church exempts the sick from fasting and obligatory attendance and goes to them to offer Holy Communion, placing their health above all else.

Fifth: Practical Service to the Sick
The Church calls for serving the sick in practical ways, whether by clergy or believers, as a pastoral and brotherly duty. Serving the sick cultivates tenderness, compassion, and love, and is considered a loan given to the Lord.

Sixth: Visiting the Sick with a Spiritual Spirit
Visiting the sick should not be for entertainment or distraction, but to offer spiritual comfort and a word of faith that draws them closer to God. A sick person needs closeness to God more than psychological amusement.

Seventh: The Universality of Illness
No one is immune to illness; it can affect anyone regardless of strength or spirituality. God alone knows what is truly good for a person—whether health or illness.

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Patience
Mercy