Session 1
- This story was told to me by an Irish priest working in Plymouth, New Zealand who was cured of TB when he was young in Lourdes.
- “Whenever you enter a town… Heal the sick in it and say to them ‘The Kingdom of God is near’” These are in instructions of Jesus to the seventy (two) that Jesus sent on in Luke 10:9. In Matt 10:1 Jesus gives authority (power) to the twelve disciples “over unclean spirits to cast our then out and to heal every disease and every sickness.” And we se them doing this in Mark 6:13, “And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.
- We must pay attention to the healing of Jesus. Let’s look at the healing of the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12.
- [1] And when he returned to Caper'na-um after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
[2] And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them.
[3] And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
[4] And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay.
[5] And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."
[6] Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
[7] "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
[8] And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts?
[9] Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk'?
[10] But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" he said to the paralytic.
[11] "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home."
[12] And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
- To understand Jesus we need to take the story of the Fall into account. Sin, at the instigation of the Evil one, brought death and with it sickness into the world (Gen 3:16-19). For the Jewish people at the time of Jesus, they believed that when the Messiah came, sin, illness and the power of the Evil One would come to an end. So Jesus just does not heal hut brings total salvation to people. This is clear from the story of the woman with an issue of blood in Mark 5. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When she tells him her story, His reply is, “Daughter, your faith has saved you, go in peace.” This is even clearer in the story of Bar Timaeus in Mark 19. Jesus says to him, “Go your faith has saved you.” Immediately Bar Timaeus received his sight and “followed Jesus on the way” (Mark 10:52). Both of these entered into a relationship with Jesus through faith. This is full healing, the relationship with Jesus.
- The Church has continued with a healing ministry even since Jesus. The Apostles had the power of healing. We remember Peter healing the cripple at the gates of the Temple in Acts 2 and even his shadow would heal the sick. St Paul tells us that there is charism of healing that the Spirit gives to come in the community. In our day we see that most clearly in the lives of saints like Padre Pio. We even have a miracle from Pope St John Paul II here in Albert Part in 1986.
- Not everyone is given the charism of healing but the entire Church takes on the healing ministry. It does this by bring faithful to Christ’s expectation that “I was sick and you visited me” in Matt 25:36. It does this using hospitals and clinics. Today the Church runs 5,500 hospitals, 15,000 homes for the elderly and 18,000 clinics, in all 29,500 institutions. This is about 25% of the world’s health care.
- My story, eyes, tumor. Modern medicine as a gift of god.
Fr Donal McIlraith teaches Mission Awareness and Education in Fiji. He has just celebrated 50 years of priesthood.
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