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Good Physical Health and Spirituality: Are They Connected?

We hear it again and again, “If you have good health, you have everything.” Given a choice would you want wealth or good health? Would you prefer power and influence over good health? What do you do on a regular basis to maintain your own good health? What do you do on a regular basis to foster your spiritual growth? Fitness programs and health clubs are experiencing record participation. Jogging, bike riding, and walking are becoming our national pastime. Similarly, prayer groups and books on spirituality are increasingly popular. In fact, a recent cover story by Newsweek magazine indicates that 79 percent of Americans describe themselves as spiritual and that almost two-thirds say that they pray every day. In general the call to spirituality is an invitation from the Holy Spirit to pray and to live our relationship with God in all aspects of daily life—in good health and in poor health, in good times and in not so good times.

Two Medical Scenarios: What Are the Spiritual Implications?

From time to time, we all have a medical setback in our own life or in our extended family or in the lives of friends and colleagues. The symptoms might be: We just don’t feel well or we know something is wrong or we are not our usual self. Perhaps we lack energy or stamina. Perhaps we have persistent headaches. Perhaps a suspicious growth on an arm has to be x-rayed and analyzed. There are lots of possibilities and lots of reasons for aches and pain—and lots of reasons not to lose faith and trust.

Scenario One

You make a phone call to schedule an appointment with your family doctor. You find out that the earliest appointment is sometime next week. The day of the appointment finally arrives. As the appointment begins you describe your symptoms to the doctor. In addition to his usual exam, he recommends a series of in-office tests. You go through these tests. The results yield good news. The doctor explains what is causing your symptoms. He writes a simple prescription and assures you that your problem is not serious. You are relieved. The future already looks brighter. You will be back to good health in a short time. You decide to add a prayer of thanks as you quietly leave the doctor’s office.

Scenario Two

Your family doctor is just not sure what is causing your physical problem. He recommends that you see a specialist for more tests. The diagnosis is still uncertain. You now have more questions and concerns. You seek a second medical opinion. One thing for sure, you are frustrated. There are more hassles with your medical insurance company. You wonder what is going on. You ask your doctor not to hold back any negative news. You wonder how long your patience and trust will last. You try to regroup so you can carefully think through everything step by step. You begin to see the need for prayer and faith. You decide that prayer and faith are not in competition with good medicine. In fact, they can bolster your overall physical, mental, and spiritual strength. You become more confident. You deeply appreciate the support, encouragement, and prayer of your family and friends. You take things day by day, welcoming the good days and toughing out the bad days. For some reason, you add more silence to your prayers, reflecting on “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

What Is the Connection between Medicine and Spirituality?

We see it often, sometimes in our own family, sometimes with friends—people dealing with serious medical problems or who are terminally ill. They have a determined and noble spirit to fight and not lose faith and trust. They are models of heroic faith and endurance. They experience suffering and pain day after day. It might be a disability or chemotherapy or a long hospital stay. It might be going through test after test so the doctor can reach a clearer diagnosis.

What is it that nourishes the determined spirit, heroic faith, and unflappable trust of such patients? For the past thirty years, Dr. Herbert Benson, a professor of medicine at Harvard University, claims that many patients have taught him a great deal about how serious physical ailments inspire soul-searching and a revival of meaningful living. There seems to be a clear connection between the human spirit and how it can transform pain and suffering. The message coming from more and more doctors is similar: Spirituality is good for a person’s physical, mental, and psychological health.

What Difference Does This Make in My Life?

1. Comment on this axiom, “If you have good health, you have everything.”
2. Do you consider good health more important than wealth, power, and success? Why?
3. What are some of the things you do to maintain good health?
4. What do you consider is the lesson we learn from the Book of Job?
5. Do you think there is a connection between medicine and spirituality? Explain that connection.
6. What is your definition of spirituality?
7. How do you respond to a medical setback?
8. Give some examples of people you know who are heroic examples of faith and trust despite medical problems and challenges.
9. How would you describe a person’s overall attitude about health and happiness when his or her “glass is half-full”? “Half-empty”? What is the meaning of the “half-full/half-empty” figure of speech?
10. Beyond advances in medical technology such as new tests, procedures, drugs, and treatments, explain these statistics. Doctors’ appointments have increased by more than 20 percent over the last decade. Visits to the emergency room have increased by 23 percent over that same period, even though the number of hospitals has decreased by 15 percent.
11. Comment on the two medical scenarios that are featured in the essay (see paragraphs 3 and 4). Are they contrived? Are they realistic? Recall a medical scenario based on your own experience or on the experience of family or friends. In what way does your medical scenario connect with spirituality and prayer?
12. Pray together.

Whether in desperation or celebration,
we can always turn to God.
Nothing is too big for God to handle
not our sorrow, our anger, nor our anxiety.
Our prayers help us remember that we are one
with the Caregiver of All.

 -from Comfort and Be Comforted by Pat Samples (ACTA, 2001)

Connecting to Faith First® Legacy Edition
Theme: Sacredness of Life
Kindergarten, chapter 22
Grade 1, chapter 15
Grade 2, chapter 18
Grade 3, chapter 22
Grade 4, chapter 17
Grade 5, chapter 20
Grade 6, chapter 19
Junior High, Mystery of God, chapter 4
Junior High, Church and Sacraments, chapter 12
Junior High, Morality: Life in Christ, chapter 9
Junior High, Jesus in the New Testament, chapter 22

Connecting to Faith First®
Theme: Standing Up for What is Right
Kindergarten, chapter 22
Grade 1, chapter 15
Grade 2, chapter 18
Grade 3, chapter 22
Grade 4, chapter 17
Grade 5, chapter 20
Grade 6, chapter 21
Junior High, Liturgy and Morality, chapter 12
Junior High, Creed and Prayer, chapter 4