Spiritual reflections on illness
Article summary proposed by the Contacts review with LLM assistance
This article by Dr. Claude Hiffler, a physician, offers a theological and medical reflection on illness from an Eastern Orthodox Christian perspective. Emerging from a study workshop, it is framed within the concept of the "sacrament of the brother," a notion that articulates the encounter with the suffering other as a locus of divine presence. The author develops an anthropology grounded in the Fall as the origin of illness, fear, and the fragmentation of human desire, in dialogue with modern medicine and the great spiritual traditions. He argues that contemporary medicine, by setting aside all transcendence, remains insufficient to grasp the human person in his totality. The main contribution of the article lies in the articulation between medical, patristic, and spiritual data, proposing an integral vision of healing in which love, attentive listening, and prayer constitute fully valid therapeutic pathways.
This article has not been translated yet — it is available in its French version here.
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