Can you WILL illness away?

[markomalley]

Hi, first of all, sorry if this question is in the wrong sub-category.

I have a friend who is a non-practicing Catholic who believes a lot of nonsense, but one thing he mentioned recently is that people can WILL themselves better if they are sick - that someone who has cancer could will it away. He’s probably found cases of it online.

Do you believe this is possible? And if so how should a Christian view it? It seems to me the opposite of what we should do as a Christian, which is to depend on God.
The problem with my friend is, if he can will himself better if he gets sick, why would he need God, nevermind medicine?

Tough question.

First, no I don’t buy into the concept that a person can “will” their cancer away. Where they think about being healthy and that’s the only thing they do.

Having said that…

I do tend to think that the “will” plays a HUGE part in health and in healing and I also believe that the “will” can kill a person (a person can, over time, get so worn down that they quit fighting). The “will” causes one to take action. The “will” gives a person the motivation to exercise and eat right so the body has the tools necessary to heal itself. The “will” can make you receptive to receiving God’s grace…and miraculous healing is a grace that God can grant.

But all of those things are **secondary **effects of “the will”