(450 words)
The changes we go through that bring us closer to God and set us free from the diseases of the soul can be compared to the changes that an infected body, for example with the flu, goes through in order to be cured. Our soul is sick because this world is sick, because creation is sick, because it fell together with man in the sin of Eden that brought him to lose the unity and peace and harmony he had with God (Lord of the Spirit). That’s why everyone needs healing.
But what causes more discomfort, the activity of a bacterium or virus or the body’s war on them? Well, it turns out that most of the pain a sick person experiences comes from the body’s war on the invader. It is the immune system that initiates, for example, the rise in body temperature (which creates great discomfort) to create living conditions that are not optimal for the virus. The immune system will not hesitate to inflict physical pain if it contributes to healing because logic says it is better to hurt for a limited time and be free of disease than not to hurt and die from it. God works in a similar way in healing the ills of the soul. The pain is the result of internal processes of change.
Physical healing is an automatic process, for the most part, and we will get through it even if we don’t initiate it. On the other hand, God will not act on the soul without us asking. The role of pain is also different in both cases. When we get the flu, taking painkillers does not detract anything from the healing process and there is no medical reason not to take them, but when God heals, pain plays an important role. Pain brings awareness to the healing process (which should be done with the active participation of the person), it spurs deep contemplation and reveals hidden things. It gives a new perspective to things, brings humility, and a desire to change (to get rid of the pain).
We don’t ask for pain, on the contrary, we pray for painless happiness. Yet there is no life in this world without pain, and in living people they attest to the constant war that takes place between darkness and light (even our bodies in this world are constantly battling harmful microorganisms 24/7, and this constant physical war symbolizes the spiritual one).
Because it can be assumed that every person is struggling and in pain, we must always be right to give each person spiritual help. Even physically, we don’t let an injured person stay in pain without trying to offer him some help.