Healing
Some Questions Answered
John
Twisleton
The Scripture quotations
contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright
1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights
reserved
Introduction
If there is just one area where the charge of irrelevance against the
Church should fall it is that of the ministry of Christian healing
. At the same time the excesses of enthusiasts and the carping of cynics
have so confused the subject of healing that reasonable Church people are prone
to raise their eyebrows and steer clear of the whole business. In consequence the Church's healing ministry
has been reduced to the sacramental ministry of Anointing in many quarters
whilst diversifying into a lawless and unedifying free-for-all elsewhere.
The purpose of this examination of issues is to help build on the
current reclaiming of the healing ministry by the Church's centre ground. Many who welcome the Holy Spirit's rekindling
of expectancy upon God to heal today, desire to remain Catholic in the sense of
keeping reasonably balanced and obedient to the faith and practice of
Christians through the ages. It is this
constituency as well as the rational enquirer that should find encouragement
from the dialogue below.
Why does the Church offer healing ministry?
The short answer is that Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to ‘heal the sick and say ‘the
The Church’s ministry of healing takes its humble part within an
amazing process of 'gathering together' in a universe that to the outward eye
seems so full of human and material dissolution. 'Healing' is part of a process of drawing
together which flows from the heart of God.
When we encounter Jesus Christ we find in him the very drawing power at
the heart of the universe. Whereas to
the outward eye there is a pulling apart of things, an expansion, a
diversification about the universe, to the eye of faith God is 'gather(ing) up
all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth' Eph 1:10. God's desire as seen by Christians is this -
to draw all that is, visible and invisible, personal and material into the life
and glory and splendour of the Trinity. As
a Russian Churchman puts it, between the Trinity and hell there lies 'no other
choice'. Ultimately people are either
caught up into the movement towards personal union with the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit with the Church or they are heading for emptiness.
Scripture tells of how 'God...reconciled
us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation'
2 Cor 5:18. God's work of reconciliation
entrusted to us incorporates the linked aspects of forgiveness (the overcoming
of the power of sin), healing (the overcoming of the power of sickness) and
deliverance (the overcoming of the power of evil). The Church's ministry of healing takes its
place within this ministry of reconciliation which is itself
part of an overall sweep into wholeness, fullness, and complete belonging which
is the purpose of the Blessed Trinity.
What do Christians mean by 'salvation'?
One of the best definitions of salvation is the process described by
St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:18 where he speaks of Christians as people who 'with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of
the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same
image from one degree of
glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.' This transformation that Paul speaks of is
possible when the 'veil' of someone's unbelief comes down and God is able to
shine in their hearts ‘to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ' 4:6.
It is the heart of Christian belief that God, seeing the sickness and
sin, the bondage of fear and death abounding in his creation, sent his Son, Our
Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour.
The way to glory Paul speaks of was opened by the incarnation, death and
resurrection of Jesus who is now able to send his Spirit on the fellowship of
believers to transform them into the likeness of Christ ‘from one degree of glory to another'.
Salvation can be expressed positively as a drawing into relationship
with God through Jesus 'with all the saints'.
It can be expressed negatively in terms of a 'losing of the veil', an
ongoing loosening from the worldly powers of sin, sickness, fear, doubt, death
and the devil through the demonstrably greater power of the Lord's death and
resurrection.
In the Christian perspective salvation is corporate and not individualistic,
promoting human and social flourishing.
Why is there sickness in the world?
Though God uses sickness to bring people closer to him and to
fulfilment, it is not of his original design.
It resulted from the evil powers that came to play when he made man as a
free agent, dwelling at a distance from him in the created world. We know as Christians that God loves us with
an everlasting love (cf. Jeremiah 31:3) and wants us to love Him too. Such love can only be offered freely in the
world as he has created it. We have to
seek him from a distance to offer the love he so desires. Sickness is one consequence of our distance
from him. It loses much of its power
when we actively seek the Lord.
How can God favour a selection of the human race with supernatural gifts of healing?
The question resembles other questions such as why
By the gift of the Holy Spirit Jesus Christ has given authority to his Church to promote his salvation by preaching the good news, forgiving repentant sinners and healing the sick. He lives as risen Saviour wanting to share the fullness of his Life with us here and now, banishing evil's power. Though God brings healing to all people naturally and through the medical profession, where there is active faith in Christ there are new possibilities through Christ's promises.
In Christian tradition welcoming instrumentality under God is not seen
as guaranteeing an easy life. St. Teresa
of
At the same time those who live in the New Covenant hold that 'all things work together for good for those who
love God' Romans
What about the risk of disappointment associated with the healing ministry?
Once upon a time there was a young boy who was trying to open up a
flower whose buds were closed. No matter
how careful he tried to be he could not avoid bruising or damaging the bud as
he forced it open. "Why can't I
open the flower like God does?" he asked.
His mother replied, "But dear, God opens the flower from the
inside. And he only does this when the
climate is right for the flower, when there is warmth and light."
The Church's healing ministry advances as parishes build up the warmth
and light in congregations that helps people open up expectantly to God as
flowers do to the sun. Belief in the
power of prayer is always to be coupled to the sustaining of such believers
within the loving fellowship of the Church.
Healing like evangelism has no 'quick fixes'. It is always a matter of taking a step
forwards in a journey of faith. There
are times of disappointment when it appears outwardly as if a backward step is
being taken.
Such disappointments test and build up the loving fellowship of the
Church without which healing ministry is hollow. As the sacraments are instruments and
channels of the living Christ and effective signs to his body so Christians are loving instruments of the same Lord to one another and
to the parish. The incarnational
principle 'love needs a body' gives heart to a parish through its preaching,
its active participation in the Sacraments and its service to others. Listening ministries are at the heart of such
unconditional loving service and very often prepare the way for effective
healing ministry.
The encouraging of greater expectancy upon the Lord risks serious
disappointment only where people receive ministry in isolation without the
loving commitment of the Christian body as a whole. Otherwise disappointments in prayer become a
matter of 'bearing one another's burdens'.
Isn't the only prayer 'Thy will be done'?
Yes - but it really matters that we find God's will for our lives so
that we can pray and work for it in a specific fashion. Sometimes the prayer 'thy will be done' can
be uttered as a bowing to cruel fate. In
the Lord's prayer that clause is coupled to the phrase
'thy kingdom come' which expresses a looking towards God's possibilities
breaking into the world which includes our lives.
Through the ministry of the Church people are drawn closer to God to
discover more of him and of themselves and their needs. It is the bringing of such discerned needs to
Our Lord for his possibilities to engage upon them that constitutes the heart
of healing prayer. So the prayer 'thy
will be done' is prayed most powerfully and effectively when
A young man addicted to heroin took months before he discerned there
was a God, One who loved him and One who had power to
help him overcome his problems. Only at
this point did he pray with the Church that God's will be done in his life and
he be cured of his addiction. This occurred
in the months that followed and he remains free of heroin years later. The healing process involved much loving care
from a Christian community, the discovery of God as both loving and
all-powerful as well as the acceptance of Christian discipleship.
Are lay people equipped to involve themselves in healing ministry?
There are two issues hidden in this question. One is about professional conduct. The other bears upon the doctrine of the
Church.
Our Lord is understood to have given a special authority to heal to his
apostles. This is understood by most
Christians to have passed on to our bishops and priests. The 'apostolic mandate' to heal is seen as
focussed in the sacramental ministry of Anointing.
'Are any among you sick?
They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them,
anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and
the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be
forgiven.' James 5:14-15
At the same time every Christian is called to pray with expectation for
the needy, assured that God will answer their prayers, especially when their
prayer is joined to that of other believers.
'Again, truly I tell you, if
two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my
Father in heaven. For where two or three
are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ Matthew 18:19-20
The Church's healing ministry is a 'continuum' linking pastoral care
with faith expectancy, loving with empowering, individuals with the
community. In the same way it is
desirable that ordained and lay ministries run together. The restriction of public prayer to the
clergy denies the dignity and authority of every baptised believer. On the other hand all ministry
in the Church is under authority and the clergy are accountable for its decent
ordering and entrusting to people in good standing with their congregations.
The term 'lay' also contrasts with 'professional'. Inasmuch as the involvement of Christians in
the healing ministry is through their humble instrumentality under God, talk of
'professionalism' may be misplaced at times.
The manipulative excesses of some Christian groups have bred a healthy
concern for better practice but to restrict the healing ministry to clerical
'professionals' is surely to quench the Spirit.
Isn't it rather arrogant or at least credulous to expect divine intervention?
It is said that one with such a sceptical attitude stumbled into the
marriage at
The story is telling.
Christianity is a supernatural religion of grace if it is anything at
all. It goes beyond but not against reason.
The scientists of today see the world as less mechanical and predictable
and more 'open-ended' than their forbears.
In Christian revelation our Father in heaven has covenanted with his
adopted children to provide for their needs one way or another and on a
timescale according to his wisdom.
Unbelief is as great a barrier to receiving wholeness as arrogance or
credulity.
Christ never manipulated people. The 'healing ministry' can often fall
guilty of this since, unlike their Lord, Christians are imperfect instruments
of God. Those involved in this ministry
are expected to be in a growing awareness of their own need of grace before
they can be used by the Church in her ministry of healing.
All good things - money, power, sex, food - can be employed to the
glory of God or in a destructive fashion.
The same is true of 'the gifts of
healings' scripture speaks of in 1 Corinthians 12:9. There are people on the fringes of the Church
and within Spiritualism who purport to offer healing literally at a price. Since ultimate healing and wholeness are
found in the service of Jesus Christ any benefits received outside that
commitment must be ultimately flawed and short-lived.
Since healing and wholeness are rooted in the love of God they are to
be freely sought and given, which means people are free to turn away like the
rich young man who met Our Lord. It is
not the business of the Church to compel allegiance but to be transparent to
the magnetic influence of Jesus. In the
author's experience joy at discovering more of the Lord's love and provision
for oneself is more frequent than frustration as people are drawn to seek the
Church's ministry of healing.
What is the relationship between medicine and the Church's healing ministry?
The founder of Burrswood Christian Healing Centre, Dorothy Kerin speaking of 'these two instruments of God's healing power' insisted 'Martha and Mary must walk together'.
Sometimes 'Martha' and 'Mary' drift apart. Even Christian doctors can tend to believe
God's healing occurs through natural processes in the body alone, remaining
suspicious of specific intervention in answer to prayer. They are also extremely reserved about the
role of the devil and evil spirits. On
the other side some of the Church's ministers of healing can make claims for
healing in answer to prayer when the sickness involved would probably have got
better anyway. There are also occasions
when sickness is falsely attributed to evil spirits.
The partnership between 'Martha' and 'Mary' has enormous importance for
the promotion of healing and wholeness and is true to a God who is both Creator
and Saviour, covenanted to bless through nature and to perfect nature through
grace.
What about evil spirits and exorcism?
The existence of the devil is affirmed by scripture and the tradition
of the Church, not least in the rites of Christian initiation and healing.
God's work of reconciliation is a drawing into the fullness of life to
be found in the Trinity 'with all the saints'.
It is a work that incorporates the linked aspects of forgiveness,
healing and deliverance by which Jesus Christ overcomes the powers of sin,
sickness and all evil. Sometimes our
sins, sicknesses, fears etc. become habitual and take hold of us in such a way
that our repentance and prayer for healing seem insufficient to bring us
towards wholeness. This is when talk
emerges of 'breaking the grip' of something.
C.S.Lewis warned of two errors concerning the deliverance ministry:
underestimating the devil and overestimating him. His only power is that of the lie and
sometimes he uses it to blind us to his influence. His power of binding is countered by the authority
of Jesus given to Christian believers, especially through the apostolic
ministry.
Exorcism is a ministry reserved to the bishop and his chosen officers
who have a special gift of discernment.
Much damage can occur when eager priests or lay people enter deliverance
ministry without consulting those 'over
them in the Lord' 1 Thessalonians
Why should a parish work to expand its healing ministry?
A parish on the move is one where people are being transformed by the
life of Christ, growing spiritually and socially through ongoing discipleship
flowing to and from the eucharistic community. The healing ministry is one focus of this
movement. Where parishioners are led to
do business with God, to face their fears, their resentments, their lack of
acceptance of particular circumstances, they are freed to move forwards with a
lighter tread that brings joy to the Church.
Through the healing ministry many parishes are seeing a recovery in the
use of Sacramental
Confession and other forms of personal ministry as people rediscover their
individual need of grace. Through the expansion
of the healing ministry there is a resurgence in
listening ministries among the laity, the unconditional loving service that so
often helps prepare enquirers for the Gospel.
Recovery of confidence in the power of God helps the Church extend her pastoral
ministry into something that is even more life changing and upbuilding
of wholeness. As clergy and lay people
see themselves more as God's people working together for his glory there is a
natural pointing of others to God and the release of his possibilities into
locked up situations. 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days
ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his
garment and saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is
with you."' Zechariah 8:23
In what ways can a parish develop such ministry?
It is a matter of conviction and consensus. There needs to be conviction that the Gospel
is about the power of God to heal among other things. There also needs to be prudent leadership so
that a consensus can be built up about the most helpful ways of inviting people
to welcome healing in a particular Church.
Conviction, belief in God's promises to heal is at the heart of
developing the seeking of wholeness in a congregation. Such faith is kindled in
a variety of ways. The author had his
kindled by what was in fact a crisis of faith in which he was led to pray 'God,
if you're there, show yourself!'. God's answer was in
the end a recovery of a vision of him to wider dimensions than before which renewed
belief in the possibility of divine intervention in human situations.
Scripture study that allows the word of God to test and to draw out
people's experience of God and of the way prayers are answered is a proven
resource. Preaching and teaching accompanied
by wise leadership is a vital key, as is the readiness to let people share
their faith stories so as to encourage others in their seeking of wholeness in
Christ.
The providing of special services with a focus on healing and wholeness
is important provided they are linked to the healing significance of so many
aspects of life. The recent independent
report ‘Inequalities in Health’ is a reminder of the necessary partnership
prayer must have with action towards social justice.
A key factor in promoting the healing ministry is the identification
and encouragement of lay people in good standing with the congregation who
might be gifted to exercise forms of prayer ministry. Their role might be to assist the priest at
special services and to make themselves available with
him to offer prayer for those with special needs.
A focus on healing or the renewal of faith with accompanying rites
might be appropriate from time to time at the main Sunday Eucharist eg. The Baptism of the Lord, Pentecost, Remembrance-tide.
What is the healing significance of the Eucharist?
In the Roman Catholic Eucharist the priest may pray this silent prayer
of preparation before Holy Communion, echoing the teaching of 1 Corinthians
11:23-34:
'Lord Jesus Christ, with
faith in your love and mercy I eat your body and drink your blood. Let it not bring me condemnation, but health
in mind and body'.
The Anglican Book of Common Prayer uses the following words of
administration at Holy Communion:
'The Body of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting
life.'
Far from being peripheral the emphasis on healing has always been
there, right at the centre of the Church's life, in the Eucharist. Here the
words and works of Jesus are presented daily for the salvation and healing of
believers.
The healing significance of the Eucharist is something that might be
more frequently the subject of preaching and teaching. Since the model for true human wholeness is
to be seen in Jesus, our growth into full healing and wholeness is a matter of
being conformed to Our Lord, as in this deepest of encounters with him.
There should be a degree of reluctance to make the Eucharist a 'Healing
Service' by adding rites since the healing Gift offered there cannot be added
to, only more fully revealed. At the
same time the incorporation of the sacramental ministry of Anointing within the
Eucharist is well established and provides a reminder to the congregation of
the availability of such ministry.
What forms of 'Healing
Service' are to be recommended?
The term 'Healing Service' gives a focus more on human need than on the
grace of God. Other titles such as
‘Service of Praise and Healing’ have been preferred. It is sometimes preferable
to incorporate opportunities for personal ministry within the framework of
regular liturgical worship. This has the
advantage of directing people to God with the prayer of the Church in the
time-honoured fashion before inviting them to bring him their needs as
individuals.
Liturgical worship is also as far from 'manipulative' as worship can
be. At the same time the choice of
preacher, hopefully one who can excite expectancy upon God, is important. It is always important to clarify the
procedure for the laying on of hands etc. so that people know from the outset
of the Service what is available. Such
instruction best occurs if those leading worship can blend the themes of
welcome and challenge, penitence and expectancy.
1. A Service of Praise and Healing
Reflective songs are sung as
the people gather in Church
Welcome followed by
introductory scripture verse and acclamations of praise.
Jesus said, 'Heal the sick and
say, "the
All praise and glory to you, almighty Father, for you created us and
hold us in being by your love. You are our first beginning and our final
end. In you is the fullness of life and
at your right hand there is joy for evermore.
Response: Glory and praise
to you, O Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, for you loved us
and gave yourself for us. You came down to us to raise us up to you. In you is our
healing and salvation, our hope and resurrection. Response
All glory be yours, Holy Spirit of God,
proceeding from the Father, descending upon the Church to bring her unity and
holiness. You fill our hearts and change us from Christ’s image into his
likeness from glory to glory. Response
To God the Father, who first loved us, and made us accepted in the
Beloved; to God the Son who loves us and washed us from our sins in his own
blood; to God the Holy Spirit who sheds the love of God abroad in our own
hearts; to you, the one true God, be all love and glory for time and for
eternity. Amen
Hymn of Praise
Intercessions for the
Church, the world, all who suffer, for the sick and for ourselves followed by a
time of open prayer if appropriate and ending with a liturgical prayer
associated with the healing ministry.
Lord Jesus Christ, in the days of your flesh the sick were brought to
you for healing: hear us as we now bring to you in our prayers those who are
ill, in body or mind. May your presence
be with them to relieve suffering and distress, and to restore them to fullness
of life; for your great love's sake. Amen. Anglican Prayer for use with the Sick
Scripture,
Address, Hymn, Confession and Prayer for Forgiveness.
The Laying on of
Hands by priests, possibly accompanied by one or two lay people. One priest is also available alone for Counsel,
Confession or Anointing. As people come
up to the teams they are asked if there is anything in particular they want
prayer for. It is possible to request
prayer on behalf of someone who is not present.
During this ministry quiet worship continues as the congregation uphold
the healing ministry in their prayer.
Blessing, Hymn of Praise,
Cup of Tea
2. Evening Prayer with Laying
on of Hands
Order of Evening
Prayer, sung or said.
The Penitential Rite may be
at the beginning, prefaced by mention of the forthcoming ministry, or after the
Address.
Hymn, Address,
Invitation to receive healing ministry.
Laying on of Hands with organ/choral accompaniment.
Blessing and Recessional
Hymn
3. A Service of Praise and Healing before the
Blessed Sacrament
Welcome and explanation of
the Service.
Opening verses and responses
for Evening Prayer
Eucharistic
Office Hymn during which the Blessed Sacrament is placed in a Monstrance or
Ciborium upon the Altar.
A short penitential rite may
be incorporated near this place in the Service or immediately before the
healing ministry.
Psalms and Canticle,
Scripture, Address, Magnificat
Intercessions,
Our Father, Concluding Prayer for the Church's Healing Ministry eg. for the 27th
Sunday of the Year in the Roman Catholic Divine Office:
Almighty, ever-living God, whose love surpasses all that we ask or
deserve, open up for us the treasures of your mercy. Forgive us all that weighs on our conscience,
and grant us more even than we dare to ask. We make our prayer through our Lord
Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen
After a brief invitation to
both penitence and expectancy before God, people are invited to come forward to
receive ministry at one or more of three stations. Two or more teams of clergy, possibly with
laity, offer the laying on of hands. A
priest is available in a side chapel for Counsel or Sacramental Confession.
Another priest administers the Sacrament of Anointing to those in special
need. The people are told that it is
possible to receive the laying on of hands for oneself and/or on behalf of
someone else.
During these ministries the
congregation continues in reflective worship before the Sacrament led by a
music group or someone who makes prayerful announcement of hymns or devotions..
At the close of the healing
ministry there is another Eucharistic Hymn.
This is followed by a Prayer of thanksgiving for the Eucharist,
Benediction (silent blessing of the people with the Blessed Sacrament) and a
concluding Hymn of Praise.
4. Simple Healing Service
Opening Hymn and Welcome
Scripture, Address, Hymn
Open Prayer and
Intercessions for the Sick
Confession, Prayer for
Forgiveness and Invitation
Laying on of Hands as hymns
are sung
Blessing and Hymn of
Thanksgiving
Recommended Books
Acheson, Sir Donald (Chair) Inequalities in Health Report The Stationery Office 1999
Buckley, Michael
Christian Healing
CTS 1990
Church of England
Ministry to the Sick
1983
Cowie, Ian Prayers and Ideas for Healing Services Wild Goose 1995
Doctrine Commission of the Church of England The Mystery of
Salvation 1995
General Synod 1152D
Wholeness and Healing Draft Forms of Service 1998
Glennon, Jim Your Healing is Within You Hodder &
Guild of Saint Raphael The Ministry of Healing 1998
Lawrence,
Linn, Matthew
and Dennis Deliverance Prayer Paulist Press
1981
Lucas, Ernest (Ed)
Christian Healing – What Can We Believe? Lynx 1997
MacNutt, Francis Healing Ave Maria
Press 1974
MacNutt, Francis The Power to Heal Ave Maria Press 1977
Maddocks, Morris The Christian Healing Ministry SPCK 1995
Maddocks, Morris The Vision of Dorothy Kerin Eagle 1999
Maddocks, Morris Twenty Questions about Healing SPCK 1992
McManus, Jim Healing in the Spirit DLT 1994
Mitton, Michael and Parker, Russ Requiem Healing DLT 1991
Parker, Russ Forgiveness is Healing DLT 1993
Parker, Russ and Lawrence,
Price, Dilwyn Is anyone of you Sick?
Suenens, Cardinal Renewal and the Powers of Darkness DLT 1983
Twisleton, John
Confession – Some Questions Answered Church Union 1978
Healing
Some Questions Answered
‘Healing’ is a Gospel word. The
resurgence of the healing ministry within the Church is a sign of apostolic
vitality. It is also a source of
confusion and cynicism.
In this booklet
Published by St Pauls Publishing
ISBN 0 85439 585 7