- pastoral care of health -

"I AM THE LORD, WHO HEALS YOU ". THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A JOURNEY IN THE LIGHT OF THERAPEUTIC'OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD.

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In veneration of the name of God it is expressed the will of man to experience his saving and healing. That's why both in Ancient Testament it is in the work of Jesus in the Gospel healing is consequent to an obedient listening to the Word that saves

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Author
Ivano Liguori, Ofm. Capp.

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Miracle of healing of the blind man, narrated in the Gospel of John: 9, 1-41

Today there is much talk about healing and methods that lead to the recovery of several evils. It is not uncommon to come across turlupinatori that vaunted skills as healers at the expense of poor patients struggling with serious illnesses and disabling. Then there is also a certain pseudo spiritual world which has a vast arsenal of energy and spirit entities who are summoned to engage in healing and renovations. Those who submit to their influence and authority, ending in a dense tangle that presents a whole series of alternative therapies that are, however, disconnected from the principle of causality and lead with great safety toward a technical system which flows in the magical mentality and superstitious [cf. Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society, 1954; The technical system, 1977].

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GOD HAS A NAME THAT HEALS

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miracle of the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethsaida, narrated in the Gospel of John: 5, 1-18.

For the faithful Christian the situation is very different. Indeed, talk about healing and restoration is nothing but recognize the power of God over the world, then the natural laws that govern it, and express his authority as creator freely exercised for the benefit of all its children:

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"Thus says the Lord God: I am the Alpha and the Omega, One who is, who it was and who is, the Almighty!» [cf. AP 1,8]

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About this, I want to quote a passage from the book of Exodus that says:

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"If you give unto the voice of the Lord, your god, and do what is right in his eyes, and you wilt give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I do not t'infliggerò any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you!» [cf. Is 15,26].

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The thing that strikes more in this verse is the name of God that is presented on the basis of a clear therapeutic action of reorganization: "I am the one who heals you!»

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The therapeutic interventions of the divine name implies careful listening which leads to a clear path to sanctity. The reference to the diseases attests the consequence of an unhealthy life he repudiated God and broke away from him. God is not only the transcendent, the numinous, the almighty, the existing, but it is he who makes knowable and communicable own broadcasting its name. For he saith to Moses in the burning bush:

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"I am who I am!» [cf. Is 3,14].

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which is not only the expression indicating a mystery - in the theological sense of the word - but first of all it guarantees a presence that accompanies the People of Israel and that protects from every calamity, and free from all evil [cf. Shall 20,2; Pr 18,8]. It gave, communicating his name, He realizes salvation [cf. Shall 124,8], thus ensuring the health of those who are clothed with this name:

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"And he brought forth his people […], among the tribes there was not one feeble " [cf. Shall 105, 37].

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But we shy away decisively We need to use the magic of God's name! In the language of Scripture the name has an intimate relationship with reality signified, not only it is used to designate the person but expresses the personality, so we can say that the name manifests the heart, the fate that person is called to accomplish: the name realizes the vocation.

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The person of God is inextricably linked to the Alliance sanctioned by the Fathers of the People of Israel. God is above all the god of a people, of a nation that binds him with deep bonds of love and loyalty:

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"Say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is the title with which I will be remembered from generation to generation " [ cf. Is. 3,15].

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The covenant with the People of Israel that found in Abram, Isaac and Jacob, the privileged interlocutors of a relationship of love and fidelity drive us to understand that only in obedience to God - and thus active in listening to his Word - the Alliance celebrates, salvation materialize and health event becomes a journey of grace that recreates man starting a new relationship with his Lord.

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Obedience to the Word and listening to the same - in the fullness of time - they are specified in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, Word made flesh [cf. GV 1,3]. God through the work of the Son, recreates the restoring man in his heart a new covenant [cf. Gives 31,33], no longer based on the weakness of the Fathers of Israel but docile on the will of the Son who becomes obedient and determined the will of the Father unto death, even death on a cross [cf. Fil 2,8].

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OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD MADE FLESH is PRINCIPLE OF ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THE SPIRIT

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miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus, narrated in the Gospel of John: 11, 1-45

In the worship of God's name it expresses the will of man to experience his saving and healing. That's why both the Old Testament is the work of Jesus in the Gospel the healing is resulting in an obedient listening to the Word that saves [cf. Shall 81, 12-16].

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In his public ministry Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God, this becomes the favorable moment when the proclaimed Word becomes drug. In fact many of the healings that Jesus did take place in the frame of preaching [cf. MC 1, 29-32; MC 1, 40-45; MC 2,1-12; MC 3, 1-6; Mt 9, 14-31; LC 13, 10-17]. The Word of God - as well as the origin of creation - is generating an order and health condition where the chaos of sin and disobedience have caused human illness and death. In the same way, in the Christian community after Easter, obedience to the Word is underscored by ordering presence of the Holy Spirit that descends with plenty on the apostles at Pentecost and gives them authority in preaching and power of physical and spiritual healing. He says in this regard Cabasilas:

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"Who has the gift of […] heal the sick […] it has received from myron " [cf. Nicola Cabasilas, Life in Christ, 3, 2].

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Namely: from the sacred oil Chrismal a liturgical sign vehicle and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit conferred the sacred ministers. By virtue of sacred ordination and intimate conformity with Christ, Pastors of the Church not only consist of authoritative teachers of the faith but also medical experts with the duty to care for the sick sheep of his flock [cf. This 34,4].

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The post Easter apostolic community is charismatic community in the full sense of the word as proclaimed in preaching God works salvation in the risen Christ [cf. At 3] confirmation with the charisma of healing the new ecclesial community mission illuminated by grace, obedient to the Word and always renewed by the action of the Holy Spirit vivifying [cf At 2, 42 ss]. The church, therefore, Mindful of this history of salvation is called every day to preach and to heal.

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This speech we find faced by the Fathers of the Church with the theological concept of recast ontological, that is, of that transformation of the whole man through the action of divine grace which takes place - as with the Virgin Mary - in a heart obedient and available to the action of the Holy Spirit.

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The theological virtues that the Spirit of God instills in us in baptism, perform a continuous and progressive recovery of our humanity: Faith heals us because it frees man from the anguish of existence becoming confident [cf. John Chrysostom, Homily in 1 TM. 1,2,3; and Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, 118,18,3]; hope heals us the anxiety of death and anticipates a destiny of immortality in view of the resurrection of the body at work within us in the sacramental signs; charity is the great medicine offered by Christ, who heals all evil and all pain [cf. Barsanufio in Gaza, Letter 62].

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WANT TO BE HEALED?

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miracle of healing the only son of a widow, narrated in the Gospel of Luke: 7, 11-17.

The question that opens this paragraph III appears almost obvious, but it is not so. First, since being a question present in the Gospel we can not dismiss it as simple and banal. It is pronounced, almost like whipped, by Jesus himself in regard to the sick man at the Pool of Bethesda [cf. GV 5,6]. Finally, because this application is intended to check the actual desire to heal the sick, leaving to work in his person the grace of the Holy Spirit.

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In the Gospel we see how many times Jesus asks the sick on the desire of wanting to be a collaborator with God in his recovery. This question basically seeks faith: "Do you think this?» [cf. GV 11,25]; "Your faith has healed you saved ..." [cf. Mt 9,22; Mt 15,28; MC 5,34; MC 10,52; LC 18,42]. Having faith in the biblical man basically means believing in God's faithfulness. The very advent of the Messiah is preceded by promises in which God demonstrates his credibility by definitively realizing what he had announced in different ways through the times through the prophets.

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The therapeutic healing journey, we see narrated by the evangelists, and that is still valid for us today, It is possible through three steps: the first, It is the acceptance of one's personal situation - infirmity or sin - in the light of God's saving plan [cf. LC 7,36-50; LC 18,13; LC 18,39]. The second one, is the unlimited confidence in divine grace and the will to cooperate with it [cf. Mt 8,5-13; Mt 15,21-28]. The third, It is the real desire of conversion and final break with sin in all areas of their lives [cf. GV 4,16-19.29; 5,14; 8,11].

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The path that leads to healing can then be slower or faster, instant or in stages [cf. MC 8,22-26; LC 17,11-19] but what defines it is always the invalid obedience to the Word proclaimed and taught that becomes fertile ground into which arises a new existence healed. Since man is a complex being, its recovery is always twofold: Jesus healing the body heals the soul and forgiving sin restores vigor to the body [cf. MC 2,1-12].

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THE END OF HEALING IS FOLLOWING CHRISTI.

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miracle the healing of the centurion's servant, narrated in the Gospel of Luke: 7, 1-10

The man became obedient to the Word and that was it restored it is ready to be an apostle of the Kingdom, that the works of God to be proclaimed to the whole world. Take for example this Gospel passage:

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"Then he made his way through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of God's kingdom. With him went the Twelve and some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities,: Maria, called Magdalene, out of whom went seven demons; Giovanna, wife of Cuza, Director of Herod; Susanna and many other, who served them with their property [cf. LC 8, 1-3].

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Healing restores man because it will become the witness of the Kingdom and for humanity it realizes that there is a God who keeps promises. Consapevolizzarsi in this context is crucial, because the Christological event assumes all the concreteness of real life. It is one thing to follow a beautiful and captivating philosophical doctrine, Another is to give themselves an ideology that is considered successful, more is to witness with their own lives and their own wounds that Christ broke into my daily life has turned me touching my physical and spiritual fragility.

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As we have seen with the help of the Fathers of the Church, We are witnessing a transformation of being human that has no equal. The sequel of Jesus - also including the apostolic community - is substantially composed of disciples healed, by injured people who have been made grace and who have found the strength to proclaim the joy of healing: "We’ in your home, from yours, tells them what the Lord has done to you and the mercy he had for you " [cf. Mc 5,19ss]. Only the generosity of the Word and the teaching of Christ can enable the gratitude that is expressed in the gift of self to the Lord.

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The man given to God, as well as he understands well the Blessed Apostle Peter, He is able to love even with weakness, imperfection and infirmity [cf. Gv 21,15ss], and if some seemingly appear as partial healings, they refer to the great eschatological healing that will come at the end of time, because only there, in Paradiso, Health and holiness coincide in the mystery of Christ crucified and risen.

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Cagliari, 17 December 2018

III Week of Advent

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