Sufferings from illness, disease, accidents, or age are certainly among the most difficult burdens we face in life. They cause anxious questions: Why am I sick? What should I do about it? Can I handle it? Medical science can help of course - and we should seek help from doctors and medical resources- but in sickness we should look for spiritual support as well.

Jesus Christ, a Companion in Illness

Christians turn to Jesus Christ who, the gospels report, healed sufferings of every kind. "And wherever he went- into villages, towns or countryside - they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed." ( Mk 6, 56 )

Not only did people come to Jesus to be healed, but Jesus went to them. "I will come and cure him," Jesus tells the Roman centurion who asks help for his servant. ( Mt 8,7) He even cured people who didn't know who he was. (Jn 5.1-18)

Continued