This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad. Psalm 118:24. Chapter 18. Your Royal Physician.
The Psalmist tells us that, "The Lord will help them when they are sick and will restore them to health," (1) and the prophet Ezekiel tells us, "I take no pleasure in the death of anyone - it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks. Repent and live!" (Ezekiel 18:32)
St. James says, "If one of you is ill, he should send for the elders of the church, and they must anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him. The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins he will be forgiven." (2)
Your Highness, our dear Lord has done so much for you.
Do you think He will let illness interfere with all of this? In sickness as in health we are still members of the resurrected, healing, life giving body of Christ. Through the sacrament of the sick, in the sufferings and difficulties of our illness, Jesus embraces us with a very special Love.
In sickness, He comes to you:
-through His minister, a visible sign of His own presence with you.
-in reconciliation, Jesus forgives you for having sinned and separated yourself from the fullness of His love for you. Jesus also receives the offering of your sufferings in joyful thanksgiving.
-in His word, the readings remind you of Jesus' words to the sick, a community to whom you now belong. Now He will minister to you with a personal healing and liberating Love.
-in prayers and litanies, this blessed opportunity enables you to ask God to help you bear the pains of illness and to protect you against temptation, fear, discouragement, despair and alarm. Humbly, you ask our Lord for His compassion on you and to help you live your Royal Priesthood in union with His sufferings and death.
In the laying of hands He brings the fullness of the Holy Spirit on you.
In your anointing with blessed oil, a visible sign of this sacrament, of His presence with you at this special time in your life.
In the Eucharist, our dear Lord nourishes you with the healing power of Himself. By His presence in this most Blessed Sacrament, Jesus reminds you again of your participation in the fullness of Christ. Our body has the sweet task of receiving His Life, sacred tabernacle that it is.
Your Highness, your illness is another opportunity for you to glorify your heavenly Father, since He is to be glorified in all things. Remember-
-the paralytic who was cured by Jesus and went home "praising God?" (4)
-the crippled woman who was healed on the Sabbath, "straightened up, and she glorified God?" (5)
-the blind man from Jericho? When his sight was restored by Jesus, he "followed him praising God." (6)
In this new creation that you are a part of, sickness, like everything else, is for the greater glory of God. In sickness, your Highness, praise your dear Lord:
For the gift of life in His Love.
For the gift of death in His Love.
For the gift of your wonderful body in His Love.
For the gift of salvation in His Love.
For the gift of health in His Love.
For the gift of sickness in His Love.
For the gift of the Holy Spirit in you in His Love.
For the gift of discerning what real treasures are in His Love.
For the gift of you sharing (in His Love) His suffering for your sins.
For the gift of His sufferings (in His Love) for the sins of others.
For the gift of those who care for us in His Love.
For seeing (in His Love) our limitations without His sustaining hand.
For the gift of allowing us (in His Love) to give ourselves to Him.
For the gift of time in His Love.
For the gift of eternity in His Love.
For the gift of His creation, providing (in His Love) the food and medicines we need.
For the gift of reawakening our awareness to those who (in His Love) love us.
For the gift of enabling us to see (in His Love) how many persons sustain us.
For the gift of His love given to us in so many ways.
For the gift (in His Love) of our earthly home.
For the gift (in His Love) of our heavenly home.
For His gift of peace and serenity in His Love.
For the gift of restoring creation with Him, in His Love.
For the gift of saying (in His Love) with a willing heart and willing lips, "Jesus my King, I love You."
From your bed (now an altar of love), meditate on each gift. Identify all the ways He has shared His love for you in these and all the other ways you can think of. With all your heart, praise Him lovingly for each and every one. This can take days.
Let this wonderful sacrament of the sick be a new opportunity for you to give God praise in all things. It is a loving opportunity to share in our dear Lord's sufferings for our sins and the sins of others- to rescue you from those forces that seek to harm you. He will happily show you once more how much He loves you. "The Lord will help them when they are sick and will restore them to health." (7)
18.2 The bottom-line.
A very dear friend of mine became terminally ill with a certain cancer. His constant thought was, "Why me Lord?" This was a good thought but he never said it often enough. Every day he had; when he saw the blue sky, heard the songbirds, felt the wind on his face, drank a glass of cool water, enjoyed a B.B.Q.. or slept on a soft pillow, every such day- was a good day to say, "Why me Lord?"
Every day he had, when his loved one prepared his meals or kissed him with a heart full of tenderness, when they cuddled each night and slept in joyful togetherness, every such day was a good day to say, "Why me Lord?"
Every time he attended mass, when he heard his King's loving words, when he received His Body and Blood, when he sang His praises and shared His Peace with his brothers and sisters, was a good day to say, "Why me Lord?"
Every day he had, in good health, with a good job, with good friends, was a good day to say, "Why me Lord?"
Every day he had when he was able to say lovingly and freely, "Blessed Savior I love you. Thank you for all you are doing for me. Heavenly Father, it's wonderful to be your son. Dearest Holy Spirit, thank you for your presence with me. My faithful guardian angel, God bless you. Dearest brothers and sisters, how blessed I am to be among you. For peace of heart and my good health Father, thank you." Every such day was a good day to say, "Why me Lord?" Job tells us, "If we take happiness from God's hand, must we not take sorrow too?" (8)
Your Highness, every day is a good day for Princes and Princesses in the Kingdom of God to say, "Why me Lord? Blessed is thy holy Name my King, forever and ever and ever. Amen."
1 Psalm 42:3
Footnotes.