The Ascension of our Lord acts as a guiding light for our role as disciples. Acts of the Apostles says that Jesus told his apostles, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) With Christ’s Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit, the mission of evangelization is given to the apostles. It is now their mission to bring the truth, to bring the Good News to the world. At our Baptism, each of us is welcomed and brought into that mission. In our Baptism and Confirmation, we too are given the power of the Holy Spirit. We are all called to be Christ’s witnesses to the world.
But how do we do this? How do we prepare ourselves for this? To where do we go? The Acts of the Apostles instructs us here as well. We read that the apostles were looking for Jesus. With their eyes fixed on Heaven, the angels remind us that their mission involves action. Christ desired them to have action, to carry on his mission to a world in need through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mission in Action
The call to evangelize entails that we bring Christ, we bring the truth of the Gospels, to others. The apostles must go out. We too are called to go out, to become the laborers in the vineyard, to seek out those who are lost, who are confused, hurting. We are called to help them encounter the Truth, to encounter Christ. But how do we prepare ourselves for this mission? How do we begin to be His witnesses to modern day Jerusalem, Samaria and all the world?
We must be Fully Alive! The Lord can use us as his instruments when we make ourselves available to be his instruments. The Second Vatican Council document Lumen Gentium proclaims the unique role of the laity saying, “the laity are called in a special way to make the Church present and operative in those places and circumstances where only through them can it become the salt of the earth. Thus every layman, in virtue of the very gifts bestowed upon him, is at the same time a witness and a living instrument of the mission of the Church itself ‘according to the measure of Christ’s bestowal.’”[1] In order to be this living instrument, we must be Fully Alive, living in the fullness the Lord created us in Spirt, Mind, and Body. This is the goal of Catholic health care. This is Catholic wellness.
Seeking Wholeness for A Purpose
At CURO, we speak a lot about Catholic wellness which is this living in wholeness, seeing yourself in the fullness of who you are in Spirit, Mind, and Body. We know, based on the teachings of the Church, that the human person is the integration of these parts. When we are off balanced, or hindered in one of these aspects, we are not able to live out the mission of the Gospel. Now does this mean we must be perfectly living out all of these aspects at all times? No. But, it does mean that the more we strive for wholeness and wellness by integrating the more the Holy Spirit is able to work in our lives.
This is where our Integrated Model comes in. When we invite the Holy Spirit to purify and shine through all of the parts of our being, our physical, mental, and spiritual health, we are able to live in the fullness we are created for. This involves viewing our body as the gift that it is and caring for it as such. It also involves seeking out community so that we are not living in isolation. As Pope Benedict XVI reminded us in Spes Salvi, “No man is an island”. Finally, and most importantly, this involves allowing the Lord to be the Divine Physician in our life. To heal the parts of ourselves that need healing, and to unite our hearts to his. In this way, we are able to live the fullness of what Christ invites us to in his Ascension. In this way, we live Fully Alive in Spirit, Mind, and Body.
[1] Lumen Gentium 32.2
