The Gospel Of Ecclesiastes: The Gift Of Health And Health

“There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens,” says the third chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes. We can state that just as there is “a time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. . .,” there is also a time to be healthy and a time to be ill. Certainly, a considerable portion of our human nature consists of being wounded and lacerated by the struggles we face, the imperfections of our interpersonal relationships, and the numerous opponents to our physical and spiritual health and well-being. Fortunately, God has bestowed upon humanity the gifts of faith and medicine for our overall health. The gift of faith fosters health, and motivates us to surrender to God Almighty. In addition, faith constantly reminds us that the Lord not only desires our health and well-being, but also knows how to give us what we need, and can give it to us.

A reassuring example of how faith fosters health is present in the Gospel of Luke (Chapter 18, verses 35-43). “Now as [Jesus] approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, 'Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. ' He shouted, 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me! ' The people walking in front

The appreciation and dependence of this gift should not necessarily be seen as a lack of faith, and these two gifts must not be perceived as contrary to one another. Consequently, we Christians can support the notion that medical science and religion should continuously collaborate with one another as people seek to be healed of their ills. In addition, while science cannot ignore healing and miracles that occur without "scientific" explanations, Christian healing ought to rely on the confirmation of medical science. The book of Sirach (chapter 38) beautifully exemplifies this