Dear Friends
CRA President, Br Peter Carroll FMS.
After John the Baptist was imprisoned, he sent some of his disciples to Jesus to find out whether Jesus was really the Messiah. Jesus summed up his own ministry in his response: "Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor’. Among his contemporaries Jesus was renowned as a healer. All Christian sources attest to that and each of the four Gospels have narratives of Jesus healing. Wherever Jesus went, he healed people in body and spirit.
Jesus’ healings weren’t isolated acts; they formed part of his overall message, which was the proclamation of the reign of God. God is here, now! God’s mercy is available, now! This message was something new, and Jesus’ healing was testimony to it. Healing wasn’t confined to Jesus alone. Luke tells us that he sent out the twelve “to proclaim the reign of God and to heal”. In a very real way, all Christians are missioned to be healers.
Healing is defined as the restoration of wholeness, wellbeing and safety. Since we are imperfect humans and our relationships and communities are composed of frail humans, healing is a process that is required constantly. One only needs to look at our society, with its divisions and polarisations, shattered relationships and minds, betrayed, hurt and abandoned people, to know the truth of the statement. Christians have a special role to play in facilitating healing for individuals and communities. But, how?
Maybe the instances of Jesus’ healing provide some insights. There is a pattern which we can emulate. So, what were the characteristics of Jesus’ healing?
First, naturally, is love. Jesus healed because he was moved by love. Similarly, to facilitate healing, to be an agent of healing, we need to want what’s best for the other. We need to be motivated by respect for each person, irrespective of their personality, attitudes or actions.
Second, there is trust. People came to Jesus because they trusted him. They found him and his message attractive. He did what he said he would. Relationships of mutual trust are the context in which healing may be possible. Cultivating trust takes time and deliberate effort. How trustful are we?
Next is encounter – the wounded with the healer – the meeting of people in a trusting, respectful fashion. In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis has suggested encounter as a remedy to many of our world’s ills. He writes: “Life, for all its confrontations, is the art of encounter”. Such encounters can be a means of healing in themselves. An openness to dialogue and a capacity for genuine listening are prerequisites to meaningful encounter. Jesus listened first – what do you want, he asked.
In most cases, Jesus utters some words of healing. We know that words are powerful; they can build up or they can undermine; they can encourage or deter; affirm or hurt. Words need to be selected carefully; callousness must be avoided at all costs. Words that affirm, encourage, elicit the best in others – these are the ones that have the power to heal.
Finally, Jesus displayed gestures of healing. Often, it was a touch of one kind or another. We Christians can talk as much as we like, but until we follow in Jesus’ footsteps, and match our actions to our hopes and words, we will not be facilitators of healing. What healing gestures are most needed? What actions must we take?
We won’t be healers of physical ailments. However, there is every reason to believe that as Christians today we can work for, facilitate and collaborate in healing. This is what we are called to. Today, Jesus still sends out his disciples to preach the reign of God and heal.
Br Peter Carroll FMS,
President, Catholic Religious Australia.