On God and Science

Psalm 37:1-7

Trust in the Lord, and do good. So you will live in the land and will be fed.
Be happy in the Lord. And He will give you the desires of your heart. Rest in the Lord and be willing to wait for Him.

I felt a tug in my heart as I read these verses. I feel that I am at a crossroads in my life right now. From where I stand, I see a multitude of roads… boy, am I blessed to have these many options. The opportunities are endless! Sadly, I do not know which way to go. One thing is sure – I long for a life of peace, simplicity and comfort (is it possible? I think it is!), and happiness with my loved ones. Having good friends won’t hurt.

And because I do not know which road to take, I find great comfort in these verses knowing that God knows all the desires of my heart. I just have to put my complete trust in Him. Stand still. Do not fret. Be happy! Napakabait mo, Lord. Pinag-aantay mo na nga lang ako, gusto mo pa rested at happy ako. Salamat po, Lord. I am sorry for times when I allow myself to wallow in sadness, self-pity, and negativity. Remind me that though my heart needs to rest and be still, I do need to “do good” and study and do my best to prepare for the exam (and everything else) that lies ahead. Amen.

Stop being angry. Turn away from fighting. Do not trouble yourself.

Oh Lord, please help me keep my temper, to hold back my tongue when it is dying to lash out. Smoothen the furrows on my forehead. Let me turn away from mindless fighting, arguing, and nagging. Let me not trouble myself. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Mark 9:14-29 A boy with a demon is healed

As I read today’s gospel reading, I thought that probably this boy has been born with epilepsy. The reading said that the boy had been like that “from the time that he was a child (verse 21)” and that “…it threw the boy down and came out of him. The boy was so much like a dead man… (verse 26)”. Looks like that the boy has been having generalized clonic-tonic seizures that were followed by the post-ictal state which explained why he appeared dead.

With these theories that I have though, I do not mean to undermine the healing power of God. Illness is a demon. On the contrary, these conjectures made me appreciate the power of God even more. Jesus said, “come out of Him!” and the boy was healed! Stories abound in the Bible of God’s great healing power – the paralytic who was brought down the roof (a stroke patient, perhaps?) or of the woman whose bleeding stopped after she touched the hem of Jesus’ cloak (menorrhagia? a myoma? von Willebrand disease?). Jesus is great! And He lives amongst us!

I am a doctor, a man (woman) of science. I spent four years of my life in a high school that boasts of the greatest science scholars in the country. But there are things that just cannot be explained nor straightened out by science. When Daddy died of cancer after chemotherapy, radiation, even targeted therapy, it made me question the beauty and power of medicine. We did everything we could. My father was a good man. I saw a number of people who had advanced stage/metastatic cancers who lived up to more than a year (even longer). But my Daddy was not healed. Was it because my family and I lacked faith? Was it because my daddy abused cigarettes which eventually gave him the disease? Or was it because God did not want Daddy to suffer some more? He knew what was best for him so He took him peacefully, quietly, surrounded by the people he loved the most.

I may never know the answers to these. I just know that the Lord did what He knew was best for Daddy and for all of us. I trust that things went the way He planned. I thank God for the time He gave us to prepare ourselves, to love Daddy and show him how much we really cared for him. I dare not question science for today I live knowing that science has given me electricity, this electric fan beside me, this laptop that I am working on. I live with the assurance that because of my kids’ vaccination, they will grow up not having the pockmarks of chickenpox or fear of German measles. Science is good. Knowledge is good. Progress is good.

Praised be Jesus!