ILLNESS

Why do we become ill? In order to be the beloved, the blessed martyrs of the Church.

THE INTERPRETATION OF ILLNESS IN THE HOLY WRIT The Holy Writ explains illness always in terms of the mans salvation. God wants all people to be saved. Consequently, whatever happens in peoples lives influences beneficially their spiritual rebirth and aims at the salvation of their souls. In this way the various illnesses allowed by God are justified.

When people are ill, they lose their courage, become tired, they sigh, they grumble. It is expected that they will yield because of their human nature; but because they are divine beings as well, they will bravely resist this temptation. Even when Jesus Christ saw the Cross, he instantly yielded, as humans do.

Through illness we have the opportunity to look like God. To become similar with Him. Our attitude towards illness contributes decisively in coping with it. When people accept illness as a blessing, as a way of getting over themselves, as sympathy towards others, they will benefit from it and they will fight having hope, without nagging. When this hardship comes in our lives, if we find it difficult to thank God in our agony, at least we should not grumble.

All the first Saints had endured an illness. They knew that through illness, they lifted the weight that Christ Himself lifted for us. Apostle Paul faced a health problem, Father Paisios suffered from cancer, Father Porfyrios could not get up from bed.

GOD DOES NOT ABANDON A PATIENT

The Masaic Law did not allow the faithful to perform any act on Saturday, as that day was devoted in the worship of God. And yet, Jesus Christ cured a paralyzed man

when He saw him at the synagogue. Consequently, there are no restrictions for God regarding illness, when we want. Our faith to God can reverse the medical facts and cause the miracle.

Christ Himself indicated medicine to doctors, when He cured the blind man by making puddle. The puddle was something like medicine. So, the Lord does not dispense with science. On the contrary, He lets patients be cured with human means in order to console them. Thus, people are cured by themselves. However, He sets some limits in the remedy of the illness, because if people could be immortal in the sense of natural life, they would become monsters. For this reason, God invites people to become immortal, not here, but in His Kingdom.

There will always be an incurable disease in the world, because sin is also incurable for as long as we are here. The Old Testament says that someone who commits a sin will at some point be dependent on doctors. The Church has got a lot of prayers for illnesssince we have sinned, we accept the natural outcome. When Jesus cured the paralyzed, Her said to him Leave and do not sin anymore so that the paralysis or any kind of Evil does not happen to you again.

WHY ME, MY LORD?

Illness is a visit of God and it comes in our life as a

TEST 1. God allows the devil to harm us with an illness so that the power of our faith can be shown. He knows the limits of our strength and He tests us accordingly. This is the answer in the questions: Why am I confined to bed? Why does my brother suffer from sclerosis?

IOB: STALWART OF FAITH

In order for Iob to be tested, God deprived him from all goods. It was a direct blow; and He also gave him illnesses. His condition was tragic; on a cliff with manure he scratched his wounds with iron tools in order to get rid of the scales. But Iob remained unshakable in his faith and he did not sink in despair.

2. God tests us as His original children. In what way can we benefit from the testing? When we go through a test, do we complain? Do we grumble? We do not accept illness as a visit of God. We forget the weight that God Himself lifted for us. Why was Christ crucified, humiliated, hurt, accused of being an illegitimate child? Who did He do it for? Had he made any mistakes? Every follower of Christ, every person of God will go through this phase in order to reach what God reached; The Resurrection.

HUMILIATION AND EXPIATION

1. God hurts the body with an illness, so that we remember Him. Unfortunately, we mostly remember God during the days of sorrow. We ask for His help in our agony and loneliness. The illness becomes the reason for purification and an opportunity to resume with the Holy Spirit. 2. God humiliates through illness. We become ill so that our egoism is reduced and we better understand other people. Pride and selfishness accept a serious blow. God will make us lie in the sick-bed and will tell us: Look what you are. You are nothing. In bed, you will realize that money and offices do not play any role, and that, it is the heart that does this. Consequently, we learn our lesson and we realize our insignificance.

REPENTANCE

God offers a spiritual opportunity for repentance. We get ill to repent. During illness, peoples hearts soften. It is these difficult things that will make us better. After illness we become more sympathetic. The person who got ill either mentally or physically, knows how to advise somebody else, he/she understands what pain and anxiety are. This is blessing.

EDUCATION

God allows illness so that we deal with ourselvesone of the most difficult contests. But why is it necessary to get ill and everything will turn upside down? Why did God let this happen? Did we have our heads turned and we said with complacence We are doing fine! We create, we manage Did we, at some point, forget ourselves? Illness allows us the chance to look only into ourselves and nobody else; to save time for ourselves and become better. This introversion will make us pray more comfortably. Thus, pray becomes our support it is the divine consolation in hard times.

SEPARATION FROM SIN

1. God allows temptation in order to eliminate sin. Why do we get sick? Because we sin. Sickness is the natural fruit of sin. God allows illnesses for pedagogical purposes, so that sin does not become immortal so that the evil is not perpetuated. 2. God sends illnesses so that people can be rescued from evil. Consequently, the increase of evil is stopped, e.g. a drug dealer, because of harming people, suddenly accepts some blow, such as cancer or heart attack. God does not tolerate the injustice over others and so He interferes. If the drug dealer repents and comes closer to God, he/she will be saved. His repentance however should be factual, i.e. he/she should be close to those people who are addicted to drugs and help them, he should give all his/her money to the poor, should not sleep, should not rest.

DELIGHT OF HEAVENLY HAPPINESS

God allows some temptation to young children as well, in order to save the rest of the people and His glory to be revealed. Through these procedures of illness, either the miraculous recovery or death, we have seen that whole families are saved.

In short, Lord sympathizes with His creature, when the last is in agony. But do not be afraid. Illness is our friend. When we are sick, we mature, we understand more easily the problems of other people. We are purified. We are illuminated. Agony is saintly. Normally, we should visit hospitals and cemeteries once a week. In the Final Judgment, Lord will judge if we visited Him when He was a patient and helpless. We gather badges when we get sick. Sometimes it is also happiness, because the tears we shed then, are the ones that lead to happiness and so strangely calm the soul! The older used to pray to God to be in bed for 2-3 months before they die, so that they can be salved.