Homily: Mass and Healing Service

This morning, Saturday, July 13, we celebrated a Mass followed by a healing service at our parish, St. Vincent de Paul in Wildwood, Florida. A nice crowd of folks attended and most took part in the healing service that included prayers over each individual and the laying on of hands. The sacrament of Reconciliation was also available. 

The Mass was for Saturday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time, and was celebrated by Father Cromwell. I assisted and was privileged to preach the homily.  

A video is embedded here, and the complete text follows:

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Readings: Gn 49:29-32, 50:15-26a; Ps 105; Mt 10:24-33

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Good morning. Praise God in His goodness, Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It's so good to see so many here early on a Saturday morning. And how good it is just to be here today. How good it is to come together this morning to thank our loving, merciful God for His gifts, especially His gift of life. And not just for the gift of this earthly, bodily life, and all that comes with it: 

The loves of our lives, and our family and friends;

The lifetime of experiences that form and transform us;

The beauty and wonder of God's Creation that surround us.

Not just for these gifts, but for the gift of our true vocation, the gift of eternal life.

Yes, indeed, we are receivers of God's gifts. I first learned this just as the Lord intended us to learn, from Him, but through another. I learned it from a disciple of Jesus, from my mom. 

Mom in the 1950s

She died on March 12, 1977. I had just flown in from the Philippines on emergency leave to be with her at Cape Cod Hospital. I had only a few hours with her before she died, but in that time, she said something remarkable to me:

"Everything is a gift," she said, "even this horrible disease. God takes it all and turns it to good. It has taught me so much."

At the time I was in my early 30s, too young, probably too dense, too broken, and too grief-stricken to understand what she was telling me. But if we listen, over time life itself has a way of teaching us the truth.

Yes, God takes it all and turns it into good, something we see demonstrated beautifully in today's first reading from Genesis.

Joseph, Jacob's fair-haired boy, had been treated rather shabbily by his jealous brothers. I suppose that's a bit of an understatement; in their hatred they'd actually planned to kill him but thanks to Reuben ended up just selling him into slavery.

And here they are, years later, cowering before a now powerful Joseph, afraid that he will take his revenge on them. But not Joseph, and to them he says these remarkable words:

"Have no fear. Can I take the place of God? Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end, the survival of many people. Therefore have no fear. I will provide for you and for your children" [Gn 50:19-21].

Did you catch all that?

Joseph and His Brothers in Egypt

That evil done by his brothers, like the evil that took my mother's life - "God meant it for good." Is Joseph saying that God desired the evil deeds of his brothers? No, not at all.  Joseph is simply telling his brothers and us exactly what Paul told the Roman's when he wrote:

"We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" [Rom 8:28].

Brothers and sisters, God calls us, just as He called Joseph. We "are called according to His purpose." Just think of what this means. As baptized Christians, you and I, each one of us, has an active role in God's plan for His Creation, His purpose.

We are called. We ain't just spectators, folks. 

But Jesus always challenges us. And it's through these challenges and our response that God reveals His plan for us. These challenges take many forms: physical illness, emotional distress, damaged relationships, spiritual dryness...and all involve suffering. And when we're in the midst of suffering, it can be hard to accept that we still have a role in God's plan. 

Diane and I are hospital chaplains, and on our assigned days we receive a list of newly admitted patients. We try to visit as many as we can. A few months ago, I stopped by the room of a man on our list. Unfortunately Diane wasn't with me that day, or I'm sure it would've gone a lot better.

Anyway, after I introduced myself, he just said, "Well, I'm kind of a Christian..."  I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but I figured it was a good start. He went on to tell me he'd just turned 60, had been retired for two months, but had suffered a heart attack. He was now recovering from emergency heart surgery.  But then he said something unexpected:

"I can't believe this has happened to me. I probably won't be able to do all the things I'd hope to do in retirement. What kind of life will that be? God sure does mess with you sometimes, doesn't He?"

I just looked at him and said, "Brother, you're alive! God has given you another chance to live, to do His will in the world. You should be overjoyed."

Listening to him, his real problem became evident,. It wasn't his disappointment over what just happened; no, it was his fear of what might happen.

Diane and I have never viewed this hospital ministry as a time to proselytize, to "convert" people. No, it's just a time to call them back into the loving arms of God, because that's what life is really all about. And quite simply fear was keeping this man from God's embrace.

In our suffering we so often ask God the wrong questions. Instead of "Why me, Lord?" perhaps we should be asking Him to ease our fears and help us accept our new role as a wounded disciple.

It's there in our readings, in both Genesis and Matthew. Twice Joseph tells his brothers not to fear. And Jesus? Three times in that brief Gospel passage he tells the apostles, "Do not be afraid..." 

Yes, God knows fear can paralyze. It can blind us to the reality of His love for us and undermine our faith. Most people think that the opposite of faith is disbelief or doubt or skepticism. But they're wrong. The opposite of faith is fear.

This is why Jesus, so often, tells us not to fear. It's why, throughout the Gospels, those who came to Jesus for healing, came to Him unafraid. They came to Him in faith. Had they been fearful they never could have approached the Lord.

They knew the truth about themselves but they weren't stopped by it. They didn't think, "I'm not holy enough. I'm such a sinner. Why would God heal me? Why would He even consider carrying out His will through me?"

Oh, they knew they were wounded. And they knew they were sinners, but they came to Him anyway. They came to Him in faith. They heard God's call and responded.

God calls, and in that call He reveals his plan for us. You and I are still growing up in Christ, still struggling to be like Him. How did Jesus put it?

"So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect" [Mt 5:48].

What does this mean? 

Well, since Jesus very clearly said: "The Father and I are one" [Jn 10:30], maybe if we just look at Jesus we can come up with an answer.

He certainly did a lot of preaching and teaching, didn't He? But the one thing He did everywhere He went was heal; and He called His disciples to do the same. St. Paul explained that call when he told the Galatians: 

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" [Gal 6:2].

That's right, we are to bear more than our own burdens; we must bear each other's burdens. In other words, we are healers - that's what we all are. We are all healers. OK, let me qualify that a bit: we're all wounded healers.

And we're wounded in so many ways: spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and, yes, physically. We're wounded because of our humanity, because of our fallen human nature and we can't escape it, not on our own. We need God's healing help.

What a marvelous paradox: we are healers in need of healing. Yes, indeed, we are wounded and we are healers - wounded healers - but God isn't finished with us.

In His patience, He waits for our response because He wants so much more for us. And through His grace He offers us mercy, forgiveness, and healing as we stumble along on our pilgrim way to the Kingdom.

How to be a wounded healer? 

Well, this morning you might try looking at the folks seated around you. They're wounded too, in need of God's healing grace.

Right now, just take a moment to turn to those seated near you -- you know, your neighbors, the ones you're called to love -- and tell each of them you will be their intercessor, you will pray for their healing. And tell them the same thing later when we extend the sign of God's peace to each other.

If you're going to be a wounded healer, the kind you are called to be, the kind filled with faith and not fear, you must extend God's love to others. How did John put it? 

"Perfect love casts out fear" [1 Jn 4:18].

And so today, lift up your own healing need to the Holy Spirit, who does God's work in the world. After all, He is the Lord and Giver of Life, so let Him fill you with His divine life, His grace, His peace. Give Him your permission to heal you. Place your need in His hands and let His will be done in your life.

And then, brothers and sisters, having abandoned yourself to God's will, you can turn your heart to another, and another, and another, to those who need a wounded healer in their lives.

Praised be Jesus Christ...now and forever.