The Charism of Healing

Charles Whitehead The Charism of Healing

Charles Whitehead, chairman of the English National Service
Committee and popular speaker and retreat giver, shares his
experience and thoughts about Healing

One of the gifts the Charismatic Renewal has brought back into the life of the Church, is an appreciation of the importance of the healing ministry. St. Paul begins chapter 12 of his first letter to the Corinthians: "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant" (NIV). Sadly there still remains a lot of ignorance about all the spiritual gifts, including the gift of healing, but there is less than there was a few years ago. A pioneer in this ministry, Francis McNutt, puts it this way: "The greatest discovery I have made these past 30 years is that everyone can pray for a sick friend's healing, and not only can you pray, but many will actually be healed". Some in the Church would still be surprised to hear that today, as they believe that only saints and extraordinary people can expect anyone to be healed through their prayers. Most people's experience was that the names of sick people were given at Mass, but no-one visited them to lay hands on them, and the most we expected was that God would help them endure their sickness. We had largely ignored the advice in the letter of St. James "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). So it has been important for us to rediscover this part of our Christian heritage. Jesus said "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Life to the full means total well-being, and if we want this we will need healing.

Signs of the Kingdom

Today we can find people who have received a special charism or gift of healing (I Cor. 12:9). This doesn't mean they possess the ability to heal whenever they want, like riding a bike or driving a car, but that they are often used as channels for God's healing power. Every single healing

is a gift from God, and a more correct translation of I Cor. 12:9 might be gifts of healings, as each one is an individual encounter with the Lord of love and power. In the Gospels there are 41 specific instances of healing, and 727 verses (about a fifth of the Gospels) are devoted to the subject of healing. Why would Jesus give so much emphasis to healing? When Jesus heals it's a sign of the presence of the Kingdom of God, and the full process of healing in this Kingdom is total restoration - not just from sickness and oppression, but into the reign of God here and now. This healing flows in and through the Community of the Kingdom, the Church, and happens among those who are willing to request and receive it. It reinforces our message of salvation and forgiveness.

"They will lay their hands on the sick ..."

The New Testament teaches us that all sickness has its origins in the Fall, in other words in sin. But it's important to understand that not all cases of sickness are a result of specific personal sin - that was an Old Testament understanding of sickness. Of course it's true that if someone persistently abuses their body by taking hard drugs, for example, they are almost certain to become sick, but the reality is that before the Fall there was no sickness. So sickness came into the world as a result of the work of the devil and his kingdom of darkness, through the sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus, the second Adam, came to demonstrate God's reign in this life by taking authority over sin, sickness, demons, and death. So Christian healing is total restoration, not only out of sickness and need, but into the reign and Kingdom of God. Healings arc signs of the presence of the Kingdom of God, and Jesus passed

on this ministry to the 12 disciples in Matthew 10:1 and in Luke 9:1-6. Then in Mark 16:16-18 he gives it to all his disciples, and the early Church obediently carried on this ministry enthusiastically and effectively. So must we.

"It's all about Christ"

In the Anglican report "The Church's Ministry of Healing", these words conclude the chapter on healing in the New Testament:- "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 fulfilment of his eternal purpose". The authors of this report hold the view that all the Church's healing ministry is in the person of Christ, and can be seen as a charismatic work of the Holy Spirit, who operates as he wills using both sacramental and non-sacramental channels. I very much like these words from the Anglican Bishop Maurice Maddocks:- "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 own disciples; and the fact that it happens at all is the fruit of his work, both in the creation and 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." The reminder that healing is all about Jesus is timely. With the proliferation of New Age practices and other spiritualities, we must beware of seeking healing in any name other than the name of Jesus.

"Healing is Wholeness"

There's always a danger that we over-simplify the healing ministry by reducing it to my particular aches, pains, and physical or emotional problems. Of course Christian healing includes this, but it's much bigger and covers:

o National and international reconciliation
o Social justice
o Freedom from oppression and addiction
o Relationships - with God and with one another
o Lack of forgiveness
o Stewardship of God's creation
o Individual desires for wholeness in body, mind, and spirit
o Deliverance from evil influences and powers.

Ministry in all these areas can be traced to a scriptural understanding of healing as wholeness - not just for the individual, but for all God's creation. Healing is the wholeness of the total person and his or her environment.

"Praying for Healing"

In 1999 the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published a short document on healing entitled "Instruction on Prayers for Healing". It was in 7 sections, and presented a very positive view of the healing ministry. The sections are entitled: a consideration of sickness and healing; the desire for healing and prayer to obtain it; the charism of healing in the New Testament;
prayers to obtain healing from God in the Church's tradition; the charism of healing in a present-day context. It clearly encourages us all to pray for healing: "Not only is it praiseworthy for individual members of the faithful to ask for healing for themselves and for others, but the Church herself asks the Lord for the health of the sick in her liturgy". The final section on Disciplinary

Norms caused some controversy, as it appeared to limit the ways in which the healing ministry should be exercised . It certainly intended to correct some errors and abuses that were occurring, but we should remember that it is the Diocesan Bishop who has the responsibility for interpreting instructions, and who has the right to regulate liturgical services of healing. When the Church issues instructions like these, they come out other pastoral concerns, and her desire to help and encourage good practice.

"Healing Colloquium"

In November 2001, the Pontifical Council for the Laity co-hosted with ICCRS (International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services) an International Colloquium on the subject of "Prayer for Healing in the Catholic Church", which was attended by about 200 invited participants. In the mornings there were lectures from bishops and theologians, and in the afternoons and evenings we had contributions from people engaged in the healing ministry, including many testimonies of actual healings. There was also a desire to hear about the healing ministry in other Christian ecclesial communities and fellowships, and I was invited to speak on this topic in one of the morning sessions. Whilst some were dissatisfied with the structure of the Colloquium, this was the first such meeting and was a very important sign of the Vatican's openness and appreciation of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and our contribution to the life of the Church. It also showed a renewed interest in the healing ministry.

So the healing ministry is once again alive and well in the Catholic Church, although not everyone knows and appreciates this. But let's be careful not to limit what God is doing to our own particular needs. Healing is wholeness of the total person and our environment - it's the establishment of the Kingdom and Reign of God in our midst. And after all, to see that realised is the mission of the whole Church.

© Charles Whitehead

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