Villegas's Theology of Sickness

Villegas's Theology of Sickness

"My cancer (sarcoma) was caused by stress," Dr. Willie Ong recently said in one of his latest viral videos.

Not to demean his work or person or anything (I watch his videos now and then, and of course I join everyone in praying for his healing -- and candidacy), but the remark was so controversial, to me and many others, that I had to sit back and think through what I believe about sickness (and human suffering in general).

It is controversial because Dr. Ong practically concludes that mental stress causes cancer. If that is true, then all of the constantly stressed people we know, and there are so many of them, should also have cancer by now. It also comes from the presumption that disease -- literally the absence of ease -- is always (emphasis on always) the result of something bad that you did or others did to you.

Fortunately, other medical doctors quickly debunked the claim, though we can say stress may indeed be a contributory factor or may worsen it.

Anyway, the remark made me think once again about what causes sickness apart from the medical perspective. And in this regard, we may turn to the theology of sickness by one esteemed authority on the subject, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, who has already done the difficult task -- thank you -- of explaining it in a way that I happen to subscribe to. All I have to do is be quote-happy using YouTube videos of his homilies on the subject. I just hope I am not in any way putting words into his mouth.

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[START OF QUOTE] "THERE are sicknesses that get healed...at once. There are sicknesses that get healed but take time to heal. Then there are sicknesses that don't ever get healed (or sicknesses that have no cure).

'Why is God like that?

'Why do we get sick?'

Indeed, why are there people who are good but get sick? Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? 'If God loves me, why this?'

I don't know the answer. I don't have an answer. Sickness is essentially a mystery. ...Just like life is a mystery. ...Love, death is a mystery.

But even though we don't know the answer, I will stand by my belief that God will be with us in our suffering. God walks with us in the valley of darkness.

The poor, the sick, the handicapped... they represent the hardship of Jesus. They are, therefore, our Lord(s). An encounter with the sick (and oppressed) is an encounter with Jesus, the God who suffers.

Why is there sickness? I can only hazard a guess:

First of all, we should accept that physical sickness is not a punishment from God. You don't get sick because you committed a sin.

I would rather believe that sickness is a teacher, a lesson. There are lessons in life that only sickness, or death, or loneliness will be able to reveal to us, not success, not wealth, not fame, nor physical strength.

God allows sickness, not because He is uncaring, but because He wants us to teach a lesson. Sickness is a very good teacher.

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Second: Sickness is a reminder that we are not superheroes. Everybody gets sick. Again, you don't get sick because you are bad or being punished for what you did.

Sickness is a reminder that you are not God; you are human. And because you are human, you have a weakness.

Sickness is part of being human. It is a part of life. It is a reminder that all of us will get sick and will die.

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Third: Sickness is not only a reminder that we will all die, but also a reminder that there is life after death. There is a second life after this life, and that life is better than the first one, as it is life without end. No more chemotherapy, injections, vaccines, operations, implants. ...Where life is lived to the full, no more pain, nor hurt, nor hunger, nor lack.

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Fourth: Another reminder of illness is that you are not alone. When you are ill, you feel like you are alone in your illness and everyone must be mindful of it. But you are not the only one who is ill.

And if you are sick, you can still love. To choose to love even when you are in pain is the mission of all of us.

If it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, then it is our nature as humans to love (no matter the circumstances).

Pain is inevitable, but love is also our mission. That is how pain is part of the road to holiness.

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When you are sick, you can pray, 'Lord, heal me.'

If you get healed, thank God. If you didn't get healed, it is not because God didn't hear your prayer, but because he is teaching you something that you wouldn't learn if you are healthy.

If you didn't get healed, I hope you have some lessons learned.

In any case, a better life is waiting for you." [END OF QUOTE]

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If I may intrude into his meditation with some little rejoinders....

1. Indeed, what if sickness...heals? What if there is actually 'healing' in sickness, that is, psycho-spiritual healing? As somebody else put it, "We are sometimes so engrossed with being physically healed that we tend to forget that sickness itself can be a way to get healed, spiritually speaking, that is. ... Didn't Jesus himself go through pain and suffering? Didn't he, too, bleed that we might get healed?"

But...did Jesus ever get sick? I don't think so, for he was constantly the deliverer of maladies. But if he was indeed truly human, he would have had come down with a headache or flu at some point.

Anyway, the point is well taken. Jesus at least went through physical pain and discomfort, even of the worst kind: physical-emotional-psychological torture.

2. But certainly, sickness is not ideal. I will never prefer it. Like hell, sickness is not part of God's original plan. After all, it is Adam and Eve's fall from grace (and the rebellious angels, now devils, that tempted them) that brought it upon us, not God. Illness is inherently bad.

3. As for sickness per se, actually, there are sicknesses that are self-inflicted like lifestyle diseases, drug addiction, incidents due to carelessness, etc. And it is probably in this limited area where the wellness movement operates.