“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk?” Mark 2:9
Much of modern health care focuses on physical symptom relief rather than getting to the root or origin of an ailment. Modern research is now more than ever beginning to look at cognitive and emotional realities of our health, seeing that past trauma and learned ways of thinking can affect our current reality and physical well-being. But this is still not the end of the story. Made in the image and likeness of God, we are made for a relationship with God. Our understanding of health and healing must also include this supernatural reality that man is made for Heaven. It must encompass our spirituality. And to properly care for our spiritual health we must look to the Divine Physician Himself.
Christ took on flesh in order to bring about authentic healing. In this great mystery of the Incarnation, we see that God, while still being fully divine, took on our humanity in order to bring us back into relationship with the Father. The restoration that humanity needed involved the whole person. The fullness of who we are includes both body and soul and so any conversation of true healing must include both.
The feast of the Annunciation points to this beautifully. Through the “yes” of Mary, Christ takes on flesh to make possible the healing of all mankind. In the example of Our Blessed Mother, we see that healing involves our human freedom in that we must freely permit God to work within us. It is through Mary’s “yes,” amidst uncertainty and the unknown, that Christ entered the world as man and brought healing. It is through the many “yes’s” of those seeking out Christ since her original “yes”, that he continues to heal today.
Just as Mary freely consented for the Lord to enter her totality in cooperation with His plan for salvation, the Lord is calling us to do the same. He desires to pour out his healing love upon our spirit, mind, and body. It is in the healing of our wounds brought about by the entrance of Christ into our very beings, that the salvific mission of Our Savior will spread like fire in a broken and weeping world. As He re-enters the world and restores the broken parts of ourselves in need of His touch, true and lasting healing occurs. As Christ replaces our brokenness individually, he can touch others through our very selves. The deeper he touches us, the deeper our own communion with Him becomes.
As previously mentioned, a key component of healing encompasses human spirituality. We know that every physical healing in the Gospel was simply a reflection of a deeper spiritual reality. We know that whenever a physical healing takes place at the hands of Christ, that the mystery of the Incarnation, that first came about at the Annunciation, once again manifests into human woundedness.
What is preventing the annunciation from taking root in your life? Whatever the source of our reluctance is, that is the very area that Christ desires to enter most.
This is why CMF CURO will be launching an all-new Spiritual Health Program this coming June, to assist our membership in knowing how to receive the healing love of Christ and discern exactly where this is needed in their lives. Our new Spiritual Health Program will serve as a source of encouragement and insight for those seeking complete restoration in body and soul. It will strive to illuminate the deeper spiritual reality that Christ desires to heal in our brokenness through our health care. We ask that you please pray for our efforts as we prepare for its launch and watch as more details are released in the coming months.
Co-authored by Mariah Buzza and Rebecca Wraith
