Can Sin Make Us Sick?

On the Sunday of the Paralytic, Abp. Irineos examines the admonition of Christ, " Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee."  Can sin actually make us sick? This is a statement that today is shocking to many – a connection between our sins and bodily illness or infirmity – seems to run counter to what modern science commands us to believe.  But it has been a long held understanding of the apostolic fathers and the Church, that indeed, there is a connection between our sins and our bodily health and integrity.