Last week my wife and I were both “under the weather,” as the saying goes. After Easter, we flew to New Orleans to have a few days’ vacation and celebrate my birthday. On our return, Ruth contracted pneumonia and has been in recovery mode ever since. Initially I was head nurse and chief cook, until I caught a bad cough and cold last week, when the roles were reversed and Ruth looked after me. 

Neither of us get sick that often, so we weren’t used to it. Good health is a blessing, which you realize as soon as you no longer enjoy it. Falling sick changes the direction of one’s life, even if only for a short while. So it was that Ruth wasn’t strong enough to lead worship - fortunately her associate Thom was able to keep everything ticking along. Whatever plans or projects I had were put on hold in order to give Ruth the care she needed.

Members from church heard the news and brought provisions - we had a lot of nourishing soups dropped at our door, along with flowers and cards, including one from the confirmation class. It was really very touching. We were included in people’s prayers and that thought alone gave us strength and comfort. 

What was God saying to us in the sickness? That’s not an easy one to answer. Ruth caught a bacterial infection that laid her low. Her body’s strength was consumed with dealing with the illness and, with the aid of medication, she has now pulled through the worst of it. When you are going through all of this, the main focus is on surviving rather than on understanding.

Life slows down when you are sick. You have to learn to be patient, which was a piece of advice we received often from well-wishers. Other pneumonia sufferers warned us: “it takes time to recover from this.” So we stayed at home. You learn that the world still turns without you and it will still be there when you are ready to make your return. 

Is there any upside to being sick? The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “In illness, man experiences his powerlessness, his limitations and his finitude.” To my mind, that is a positive side of illness. When we are weak, God can be strong. Especially if we have a sickness of the heart, it can be easier for God to reach us. A friend once said to me, “How can God enter us, except through a broken heart?”

On the other hand, the Catechism warns that “illness can lead to anguish, self-absorption, sometimes even despair and revolt against God.” Sickness can test our faith in God, especially if we think that God is there to provide us with good health and good fortune. When it seems that God is taking away from us the very things that we need, it is less easy to think in terms of blessings. And yet, God blesses us in good times and bad.

There is one important thing that contributes to our healing, and that is time. “Time is a Great Healer,” is a saying often used in the context of psychological and emotional trauma, but it also applies to physical ailments. Actually, the mind and the body are linked, so one of the challenges of sickness is to keep a positive frame of mind. Being of a rebellious spirit, I usually rail against the illness. I may not get better as a result, but I feel better.

“All right?” people say as a greeting in England. The answer is always “good, thanks.” Woe betide you if you tell the truth. Save it for the doctor. The musician Dave Mason, who died last week, wrote a song with the lyrics, “Feelin’ alright? Not feeling too good myself.” I have been singing that since I heard the sad news. For some reason, it cheers me up. 

If you are reading this and are sick too, then let me know and I will pray for you. That’s part of the ongoing work of the kingdom of heaven. God hears our prayers - they all count. Each prayer is a small act of love. Even when we are sick in body, if we know how to keep loving then we are actually healthy, at least in God’s eyes. Better this way than the other way round, which is to be in perfect physical health but with a heart of stone. 

Please pray for me and Ruth. We will be grateful for your prayers, and the next time we meet, we will feel a closer connection to each other. Each prayer is like a breath of wind that helps keep the world turning. That is something that God has said to me in my sickness. The doctor’s medicine is good, but the medicine of faith can be stronger.

Father David