The Journey 108: Transformation In The Life Of Sick and Suffering

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Read: John 9:1-12

One of the most famous star in Hollywood is John Travolta. He came into the news a few years back because of a tragedy where his son died due to seizures. The news channel reported that his son who had autism, was never treated for autism because John Travolta belonged at that time to a church named “ Church of Scientology” that does not believe in the disorders like autism.  The doctrine of the church taught that psychiatric diagnoses are fake ailments invented by Nazi psychiatrist, so that they could give people drugs to keep them from realizing their true potential of controlling the physical world with their minds. Hence when Travolta’s son had seizures,  it is presumed that medicines were not administered. There are lot of church other than the church of scientology who has such beliefs, where the person or the church decides whether it is lawful to use medicines or not and how healing has to take place. One of the fundamental principles and belief that every believer should have is that healing is from God and that it is our Lord who is the fountain and source of all healing. Thus it is the mission of every believer to help the people who are sick and suffering to experience and realize God’s presence and His Hand in the healing of our sickness and suffering, and if possible be channels or instrument of God in the process of healing.  Only when we are clear about this fundamental principle can we address the issue of sickness and suffering.
                This week we are meditating on the theme “ Transformation in the life of sick and suffering” based on the John 9: 1-12. Here in this portion we find that the disciples are having a discussion on the reason for his blindness. Jesus makes a very emphatic statement in v: 3,4 where he says “ this has happened so that the work of God might be displayed in the life of blind man and then Jesus continues “ as long as is day, we must do the work of him who sent me……...While I am in the world, I am the light of the world”. Here is Jesus emphasizing that as long as He is in the world, He is going to do the will of the Father, whereby He would be a light to the people of the world. Here is Jesus Christ teaching the disciples that whatever be the condition of the people around us, if they are sick and suffering, if they are going through pain and living a life of darkness and does not experience light in their life, it is the duty and the mission of his followers to spread His light,  to shed away darkness and in the process bring about healing. What God requires from us also is the same thing that Jesus asked his disciples to do. Rather than holding on to strange beliefs, we need to ask whether we are channels of His grace and healing in the life of others. When other suffer through sickness and pain, God wants his healing power to be shared to others through His Son. We the community of believers are called to be the messengers of hope and healing. Only when we do that can we bring about transformation in the life of sick and suffering.
Are we channels of hope and healing or do we create blocks in the process of healing and hope?

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