I recently went to Rome for the International Colloquium on Healing
Prayer and the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic
Church, organised and promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Laity
in collaboration with ICCRS, International Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Services. The initiative was inspired by the "Instruction on
prayers to obtain healing from God" published in September 2000
by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and was attended
by invited representatives of the Roman Curia, and by theologians,
priests, bishops, religious and laity from the Charismatic Renewal.
There were also a small number of ecumenical guests.
As part of the Colloquium I was invited by the Pontifical
Council for the Laity to present a paper on Healing in Other
Christian Traditions, and in preparing for this I collected information
from a variety of sources, including the Orthodox Churches, the
Churches of the Reformation, and the Pentecostal and Neo-Charismatic
Churches. In this and the next issues of GOODNEWS I hope to share
with you some of the helpful insights I gained during my research.
In this issue I'm taking a brief look at a publication entitled
"A Time to Heal", a report on the Healing Ministry
prepared for the House of Bishops of the General Synod of the
Church of England, and published by Church House Publishing in
2000. The Review Group was chaired by the Bishop of Chelmsford,
and consisted of a representative selection of men and women
mostly involved in ministries of healing, deliverance, and caring.
They in their turn consulted widely outside the Group s membership.
So what sort of report is it?
To quote the last words from Bishop John Perry of Chelmsford's
short preface:
"A Time to Heal is offered as a contribution and resource
to the Church's continuing ministry of healing in obedience to
the commission of Jesus Christ to heal the sick. It is a gospel
imperative"
For me these words set the tone for what is to follow. This
is a report which understands that the hope of healing is an
integral part of the gospel, and encourages all Christians to
be actively involved in this ministry. It is an affirmation of
healing and its place in normal parish life. The first sentences
of the Introduction tell the reader:
"The healing ministry is one of the greatest opportunities
the Church has today for sharing the gospel. Wholeness is the
in-word: it is what everyone longs for. The purpose of this Report
is to encourage clergy and congregations in a wise and appropriate
exercise of this ministry."
This was not the first report of its kind. As early as 1953
the Archbishops of Canterbury and York set up a commission to
consider the theological, medical, psychological and pastoral
aspects of Divine Healing. They published a report in 1958 entitled
The Church's Ministry of Healing. This was the first time the
British Medical Association and the Church of England had worked
together, and the subsequent report was very well received. To
quote a few lines:
"To the Church then, as the Body of Christ and as
the community through which the Holy Spirit works, command is
given to heal the sick. Works of healing in the context of the
Church's ministry throughout the ages are signs of the Kingdom
of God to those who have eyes to see. Each act of healing is
a direct, personal and creative act of God in fulfillment of
his eternal purpose"
"A Time to Heal" builds on the solid foundations
laid by this earlier document. It begins by defining what we
mean when we talk about "healing", and as I found this
part particularly clear and helpful, I'II try to make a short
summary. We can use the word healing to properly describe many
things, from issues relating to national and international reconciliation
and social justice, or healing of the environment, down to people's
individual hopes and aspirations for wholeness in body, mind
and spirit. Such views can all be traced to a Scriptural understanding
of healing as wholeness, not only for the individual, but also
for the whole of God's creation. But when we think of Christian
healing, these words of Bishop Morris Maddocks are particularly
helpful:
"Christian healing is, first and foremost, about Christ.
It follows the pattern he set in his own ministry, and the commission
he gave to his disciples, and the fact that it happens at all
is the fruit of his work, both in the creation and in the salvation
of mankind. In both these mighty works, humankind has been created
and re-created in the image of God - has been made whole. This
is what distinguishes Christian healing from other types of healing.
It is the whole work of Christ, in a person's body, mind and
spirit, designed to bring that person to that wholeness which
is God's will for us all."
This definition still opens up an enormously wide field, so
the Report focuses on those who come to seek the Church's help
when they are sick or distressed in body, mind or spirit. In
doing so it covers Scripture and tradition, ecumenical expressions
of the healing ministry, professional care provision in parishes,
complementary medicine, deliverance from evil, healing for those
who dying or bereaved, and much more.
As I read "A Time to Heal", I was left in no doubt
that the Church of England believes that all the Church's healing
ministry is done in and through the person of Jesus Christ, and
is to be seen as a charismatic work of the Holy Spirit who operates
as he wills, using both sacramental and non-sacramental channels.
Whilst the sacraments are clearly channels for God's healing
power, and the Eucharist is the most commonly used form of healing
service, extraordinary signs and wonders are also to be expected.
God heals in many ways - through personal and corporate prayer,
the laying on of hands, and anointing with oil. Healing services
of a charismatic, non-liturgical style have their part to play,
with an emphasis on praise and worship, preaching that builds
up faith, and the use of the charisms - particularly the word
of knowledge.
I enjoyed reading this Report, and I warmly commend it to
you. The recommendations are extensive and very encouraging,
with a section on how to promote the healing ministry in a parish.
Why? Because -
"The basis on which a prayer ministry team exercises
this ministry is that it is a group of Christians who pray together
with faith, hope and love, seeking God's will."
Issues of leadership, accountability, training, confidentiality,
appraisal, team building, cautions, and guidelines for good practice
are all addressed in a straightforward way. There are many good things
to be learned from our Anglican brothers and sisters, not least the
importance of promoting and developing the healing ministry throughout
the Church. Every parish should have a healing team, and the challenge
facing all of us is to bring wide awareness of the central place of
this ministry within the life and mission of the Church and our society.
In the Introduction, three words are highlighted - visionary prophetic
and dynamic. For me, these three words could well be used to describe
"A Time to Heal".
