When we were children, most of us dreaded taking medicine. Depending on what it was, it was often bitter, and we didn’t understand why it was necessary. Yet, our parents insisted because they knew it was for our good, even when we didn’t see it.

As an adult in my 80s, I now face a different kind of medicine—spiritual medicine. Christ’s teachings are this medicine. At times, they might be hard to swallow, challenging my pride, my desires, and the comforts I’ve grown accustomed to over the years. His words call me to humility, forgiveness, and a life of self-denial, which can often feel as difficult as any physical burden I’ve carried. Yet, just like the medicine I once resisted as a child, His teachings heal me, restore me, and make me whole. They go deeper than any earthly remedy ever could, reaching the heart, mind, and soul. In these later years, I’ve come to realize that this spiritual medicine is exactly what I need to sustain me, not just for the moment, but for eternity. Though His path may challenge me, I now trust that Christ’s teachings, even when difficult, are always for my ultimate good, shaping me into the person He created me to be.

We can’t ignore this spiritual medicine. Just as our bodies need healing, so do our souls. Christ, the Great Physician, offers us the remedy in His Gospel. Let us accept it, trusting that what may seem hard at first is ultimately for our eternal good.