Don't Lose Heart, My Dear

Please, my dear, don’t cry. I know it was a shock when the doctor said you have cancer. There are few words in the English language more frightening than that one. But don’t forget, the doctor also said there is a 100-percent chance for a full recovery. The disease you have is serious, but with intense treatment, the cancer can be completely eradicated and you will return to health.

It is a relief, you must admit, to know finally why you’ve been feeling so poorly for so long. There were the nagging pains and feeling of weakness. There were those long bouts of apathy and confusion. There were so many days when you went through the motions because you just didn’t feel like your normal self. We both suspected something was wrong, but we just couldn’t put our finger on it. Maybe, as we thought before the recent test results were revealed, it was simply the things one experiences at a particular stage of life. Maybe when one reaches a certain age, aches and pains and problems are common and normal.

However, now we know the cause of all those uncomfortable symptoms: cancer. Yes, I know it’s hard even to say the word. But say it we must. Cancer. There are malignant growths chewing away at your vital organs. It is a fact. It’s a depressing fact, to be sure, but a fact we must confront with all of our strength and will.

My dear, I know the future is frightening. The treatments you must endure in the short term will be painful and exhausting. There’s no sugar-coating that reality. Those cancer cells were doing their dirty deeds in secret, and it never even dawned on us that the disease was so widespread. But now it’s all out in the open. The diagnostic tests are conclusive beyond a doubt. The enemy has been exposed at last, and now all the powers of medicine are focused on removing each and every nasty cell. It’s even more comforting to know that the Great Physician has agreed to take on your case. He has the amazing ability, like no one else, to remove all filth and purify you completely.

So, do not despair, my dear. The coming months and years will be painful as you go through the surgeries and treatments. You will probably lose a great deal of weight and become a shell of your former self. You surely will be weaker for quite a while. Many people will see you and shake their heads, certain that your case is terminal with no chance of recovery.

But when that happens, please know that the cleansing process will already be well underway. The final outcome is already pre-ordained. When the treatments take effect and the cancer is removed, your strength will return and a new sense of vitality and holiness will fill you, such that you have not experienced is ages.

Don’t fret, my dear, and never lose hope. The Great Physician is on the case, and He assured us that the power of this cancer is nothing compared to His healing power. I believed He phrased it something like this, “The gates of Hell shall not prevail!” What a delightfully poetic way to put it.

You are precious, my dear, and you will be healed. The nastiness of this cancer has caused a great deal of pain, but it soon will be gone. Once again you will be strong and vibrant and a force for good in the world. After all, my dear, you are the Catholic Church, the bride of Christ. He has promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you, even during this season of scandal.