HEALING OF THE BODY
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THE BIBLE SAYS:
"That evening they brought him many who were possessed by
devils. He drove out the spirits with a command and cured all who were sick.
This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: He himself bore our
sicknesses away and carried our diseases."
Matthew 8:16-17
The words of Jesus Christ:
"In truth I tell you once again, if two
of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in
heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I am there among them."
Matthew 18:19-20
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INDEX:
Ways in which
the body is healed.
Repentance of sin is required before healing can take place.
What do you do when you pray and
you don't get healed?
Ministers of Healing.
Healing through the Body of Christ
Healing through Relics of Saints
Vatican Teaching on Healing the Sick
Annointing
of Sick(Sacrament of the Church)
Prayer of Healing.
Additional Prayer of Healing
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WAYS
IN WHICH THE BODY IS HEALED
When the body becomes sick there are different ways in which the body can be restored
to health. There is a vast variety of illnesses and sicknesses in our world which
can afflict our bodies. It seems that there are three different ways in which
healing can take place in the body. They are:
1) The body heals itself through the natural recuperative ability that God has put into
the body. Such as cell restoration and the body's process in which white blood cells
attack and drive infections out of the body, the regrowth of broken and damaged bones
and damaged tissue through cell regeneration and by many other of the body's
healing processes which doctors are discovering every year.
2) The body can be healed when a person who is sick turns to a doctor
for medical treatment. God uses doctors to heal people. For
instance, a person having pneumonia can go to see a physician who diagnoses what the
illness is and prescribes an antibiotic for the person to take to be cured.
Usually, if the person with the pneumonia follows the doctor's recomendation and
takes the antibiotic and gets plenty of rest they will recover. Or a sick
person may have problems with their heart. They may go to the doctor who determines
that they have a blocked artery in their heart and recommends that a heart bypass be
performed otherwise the patient may die. The patient opts for the surgery and goes
to the hospital to receive the bypass surgery. If all goes well in surgery, they
will have their heart repaired and with ample rest they will be able to recover and return
to their work. God has given to doctors the knowledge and the ability to
heal the body.
3) Thirdly, God can heal the body through a miracle---a direct Divine
healing from God without the use of medicine or the direction and guidance of a
doctor. A person who has become sick may turn to God in prayer and beg Him for a
miracle. If God wills it and if the sick person has faith, God will grant
the miracle. Some people are healed through their own prayers to God.
Sometimes the sick person is healed when another person or persons pray for that
individual. And sometimes a sick person is healed when they go to see an individual
whom God has given the gift of healing. And sometimes a sick
individual is healed when they pray to the Blessed Mother or to a saint or a number of
saints. In the Bible, in the book of 1Corinthians 12: 4-11, God tells us
that there are a variety of powerful gifts that God gives to those people who believe in
His Son Jesus and who are willing to spend their lives being faithful to Him by living
out holy lives by not giving into temptations and by avoiding all sin.
1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
"There are many different gifts, but it is always the
same Spirit; there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the same
Lord. There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the same
God who is at work in them all. The particular manifestation of the Spirit granted
to each one is to be used for the general good. To one is given from the Spirit the
gift of utterance expressing wisdom; to another the gift of utterance expressing
knowledge, in accordance with the same Spirit; to another, faith, from the same Spirit;
and to another, the gifts of healing, through this one Spirit; to
another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the
power of distinguishing spirits; to one, the gift of different tongues and to another, the
interpretation of tongues. But at work in all these is one and the same Spirit,
distributing them at will to each individual."
PRIESTS
OR CLERGYMEN WITH THE GIFT OF HEALING
There are many individuals whom God has given the gift of healing to. If
a person is ill and they have not been able to overcome their illness, they can turn to a
Christian whom God has blessed with the gift of healing to receive a healing. In the Bible
Jesus tells us that if we have faith "all things are possible." In
the following passage from the Bible Jesus cures two blind men because they put
their faith in him:
"As Jesus went on his way two blind men
followed him shouting, 'Take pity on us, son of David.' And when Jesus reached the house
the blind men came up to him and he said to them, 'Do you believe I can do this?' They
said, 'Lord, we do.' Then he touched their eyes saying, 'According to your faith,
let it be done to you.' And their sight returned. Then Jesus
sternly warned them, 'Take care that no one learns about this.' But when they had gone
away, they talked about him all over the countryside." Matthew 9:27-31
God has given the Gift of Healing to certain individuals:
1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
"There are many different gifts, but it is
always the same Spirit; there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the
same Lord. There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the
same God who is at work in them all. The particular manifestation of the Spirit
granted to each one is to be used for the general good. To one is given from the
Spirit the gift of utterance expressing wisdom; to another the gift of utterance
expressing knowledge, in accordance with the same Spirit; to another, faith, from the same
Spirit; and to another, the gifts of healing, through this one
Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to
another, the power of distinguishing spirits; to one, the gift of different tongues and to
another, the interpretation of tongues. But at work in all these is one and the same
Spirit, distributing them at will to each individual."
There are Catholic priests whom God has given the gift of healing
to. Certain churches and monasteries have healing masses in which a Mass is said for
the people who are attending. The priest will also anoint people with Holy Oil for
healing to take place. Check with your local Diocese to see what ministries of
healing are available for Catholics. God has given the gift of healing to both
Catholic priests and to Protestant Ministers. You must be carefut about finding
these individuals, because some are legimate and some are not. Christ told us that
we would know the true disciple of Christ by their "fruits." This means,
does their behavior and their words truly reflect the Holy behavior that Christ talked
about in the Gospels.
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HEALING
THROUGH
THE RECEPTION OF
THE BODY OF CHRIST
When we attend Mass
during the week and receive the Body of Christ, spiritual healing takes place. A
person who has committed venial sins becomes cleansed of these sins when he takes in the
Body of Christ. The person must have already gone to confession and confessed
all their sins in order for spiritual healing to tatke place. Also, physical
healing may take place when a person receives the Body of Christ. All kinds of
illnesses can be healed including: cancer, AIDS, diabetes, heart disease, blindness,
hearing problems, internal problems, handicap problems, etc. This
is because Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist(The Body of Christ). God
and all His Power are present. Which means that if God wills for an
individual to be healed, healing can take place. A person who is sick or injured
should first go to confession. Then when they go to Mass and receive the Body of
Christ, directly after receiving HIM, they should ask God for a healing.
******
HEALING
THROUGH THE RELICS OF SAINTS OR RELICS OF THE CROSS OF JESUS
Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, Catholics have been
healed of all kinds of diseases and ailments by touching the relics of a Saint or the
relics of the Holy Cross of Christ. God has put a divine blessing on bone fragments
of Saints, and on objects or clothing that Saints of the Catholic Church have come in
contact with. Catholic have been healed by touching a piece of the wood of the
genuine Cross of Christ.
There are 1st, 2nd and 3rd class relics relating to Saints. A
first class relic would be a part of the body of the Saint, usually a bone fragment.
A second class relic would be something the Saint came into direct contact with,
like a piece of clothing. A third class relic would be anything, like a piece of
cloth that has been touched to a first class relic.
Check with your local parish. They should have a first class relic
of the saint after which their church was named after. Or check with your Diocese.
******
ANNOINTING
OF THE SICK/A SACRAMENT OF THE CHURCH
From the Vatican Web Page:
Not only is it praiseworthy for individual
members of the faithful to ask for healing for themselves and for others, but the Church
herself asks the Lord for the health of the sick in her liturgy. Above all, there is the
sacrament «especially intended to strengthen those who are being tried by illness, the
Anointing of the Sick.»(8) «The Church has never ceased to celebrate this sacrament for
its members by the anointing and the prayer of its priests, commending those who are ill
to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them.»(9)
Immediately before the actual anointing takes place, in the blessing of the oil, the
Church prays: «Make this oil a remedy for all who are anointed with it; heal them in
body, in soul, and in spirit, and deliver them from every affliction»(10) and then, in
the first two prayers after the anointing, the healing of the sick person is
requested.(11) Since the sacrament is a pledge and promise of the future kingdom, it is
also a proclamation of the resurrection, when « there shall be no more death or mourning,
crying out or pain, because the old order has passed away» (Rev 21:4). Furthermore, the
Roman Missal contains a Mass pro infirmis in which, in addition to spiritual graces, the
health of the sick is requested.(12)
REPENTANCE OF SIN IS REQUIRED BEFORE HEALING CAN TAKE PLACE
Before a person can be healed of an illness they must
repent of their sins to God. Repentance means to turn completely away from
sin. If a person was committing sins of lust such as, fornication, adultery or
homosexuality, they must completely give these sins up if they expect God to heal
them. If a person was committing sins of alcoholism, drug abuse, murder(including
abortion), stealing, lying, child abuse, having hatred toward any person or persons or any
other sin; they must give these sins up if they expect God to heal them. Often
God will allow people to get ill so that they come to realize their sinfulness and turn
back to Him. The Bible says in Luke 13:1-5:
"It was just about this time that some
people arrived and told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that
of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, 'Do you suppose that these Galileans
were worse sinners than any others, that this should have happened to them? They
were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they
did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell, killing them all? Do
you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in
Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you
will all perish as they did.' "
Again in Luke 5:17-25, we see that it is necessary to
repent and have your sins forgiven by God if you expect Him to heal you:
"Now it happened that he was teaching one
day, and Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who had come from every village in Galilee,
from Judaea and from Jerusalem, were sitting there. And
the power of the Lord was there so that he should heal. And now some men appeared, bringing on a bed a paralysed man whom they
were trying to bring in and lay down in front of him. But as they could find no way
of getting the man through the crowd, they went up onto the top of the house and lowered
him and his stretcher down through the tiles into the middle of the gathering, in front of
Jesus. Seeing their faith he said, 'My friend,
your sins are forgiven you.' The scribes and
the Pharisees began to think this over. 'Who is this man, talking blasphemy?
Who but God alone can forgive sins?' But Jesus, aware of their thoughts, made them
this reply, 'What are these thoughts you have in your hearts? Which of these is
easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Get up and
walk"? But to prove to you that the Son of man has authority on earth to
forgive sins,' --he said to the paralysed man--'I order you: get up, and pick up
your stretcher and go home.' And immediately before their very eyes he got up,
picked up what he had been lying on and went home praising God."
Jesus told this man "My
friend, your sins are forgiven you.". This means that the man
had repented of his sins and Jesus knowing this forgave him his sins and healed him.
Had not the man repented of his sins, it is very unlikely that he would have been
healed.
Another point that can be seen from this scripture is this verse:
"And
the power of the Lord was there so that he should heal." This
verse tells us that where ever Jesus is present the power of healing is available because
JESUS is all powerful and HE IS GOD.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU PRAY
AND YOU DO NOT GET HEALED?
When you pray for a healing and
the healing does not occur you must considering the following:1. Don't give up praying and seeking help for a illness or sickness you may have.
God wants us to be persistant in our prayers. If God does not heal you today, He may
heal you tommorow or in a week, or in a month or in a year. In the Bible many of the
people who were healed by Christ had to suffer for years from their illness. The
woman who had problems with an issuance of blood from her body suffered for 12 years
before God healed her through Jesus Christ(Luke 8: 43-48). God allows suffering and
sickness to occur in our bodies for a reason. In some cases He allows the suffering
to occur to bring about spiritual growth in the individual. It could be to bring
about the virtues of humility and patience for someone. Many of the great saints were
sent great suffering including beatings, stonings, illnesses and maladies and all types of
personal misfortunes. God uses suffering to purify the soul---to remove bad sinful
habits, to prepare the soul to be with God for all eternity. Saint Paul recounts his
sufferings:
2
Corinthians 11: 23-29 (New Jerusalem Bible)
"Are they
servants of Christ? I speak in utter folly--I am too, and more than they are:
I have done more work, I have been in prison more, I have been flogged more severely, many
times exposed to death. Five times I have been given the thirty-nine lashes by the
Jews; three time I have been beaten with sticks; once I was stoned; three times I have
been shipwrecked, and once I have been in the open sea for a night and a day; continually
travelling, I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from brigands, in danger from my
own people and in danger from the gentiles, in danger in the towns and in danger in the
open country, in danger at sea and in danger from people masquerading as brothers; I have
worked with unsparing energy, for many nights without sleep; I have been hungry and
thirsty, and often altogether without food or drink; I have been cold and lacked
clothing. And, besides all the external things, there is, day in day out, the
pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. I anyone weakens, I am weakened
as well; and when anyone is made to fall, I burn in agony myself."
When we suffer we must not always think God is angry with us or
we have sinned and we are being punished or that Satan is deceiving us, sending us some
kind of illness. God sends us suffering for purposes of purification. Saint Teresa of Avila suffered
horribly in her life when she followed Christ. She suffered from a horrible
neurological disease as well as from many other chronic illnesses, illnesses so severe at
times that she would have to be in bed at times for months. Saint Teresa reached
something that is called "Spiritual Union of the soul with God" or
"Mystical Marriage". This is the highest level a human being can reach while
still living in the flesh on this earth. God sent Saint Teresa many illnesses so that
she could reach this high spiritual level. At this spiritual level, there is no
more sin in the soul, the soul is no longer capable of sinning against God, it has been
purified. The soul has become a living Saint. But, this type of spiritual purification
requires great suffering and most people are not capable of this type of life filled with
so much suffering.
But no one likes
to suffer and so it is good for us to seek healing.Not all of us can be a Saint Teresa or
a Saint John of the Cross. Jesus told the story in the Bible of the persistent widow
who did not give up, but kept knocking on the doors of Heaven until God finally answered
her:
LUKE 18: 1-8
Then he told them a parable about the
need to pray continually and never lose heart. 'There was a judge in a certain
town,' he said, 'who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone. In the same
town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, "I want justice
from you against my enemy!" For a long time he refused, but at last he said to
himself, "Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person, I
must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me, or she will come and
slap me in the face." '
And the Lord said, 'You notice what the unjust judge has to say?
Now, will not God see justice done to his elect if they keep calling to him day and night
even though he still delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to
them, and done speedily. But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on
earth?'
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In the above Bible verse it says concerning
God: "even though he still delays to help
them?" God will at times delay to answer the prayers
of an individual concerning their needs. He has a good reason for doing this.
But, He does not want people to give up and stop praying, but to continue with their
prayers.
2. If you have prayed and God has not healed you, consider seeking help
from a medical doctor. God may want to heal you through the work of a medical doctor
rather than through a miracle. Let God show you the way that He wants to heal
you. When God heals us through the work of a doctor it is still God healing us even
though we may not realize it.
3. If you have prayed and God has not healed you consider finding a Christian priest or
minister to pray over you for a healing. Sometimes God will not heal us when we
pray, but will heal us through a "man of God" who has the special "gift of
healing."
4. If you have prayed and God has not healed you examine your life
carefully and try to see if there is some sin that stands between you and God that may
keep God from healing you. It could be a sin of lust, or a sin of gluttony or a sin
of unforgiveness. Scripture tells us that unless we forgive others their sins, God
will not forgive our sins and He will not heal us:
Matthew
6: 14-15(Douay_Rheims Bible)
14 For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly
Father will forgive you also your offences.
15 But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your
offences.
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5. Lastly, God may require that a person does penance for their past sins before He
heals them. In this case God will send many good works for an individual to do
before He heals them. The person in this situation should be patient and cooperate
with God by doing the good works that He sends them with the hope that at any given time
or day God can heal them and that a person's persistence in good works and prayer will
eventually pay off and God will heal them.
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PRAYER OF HEALING
If you are sick you can say the following prayer for the
healing of your body. There is mighty power in the Blood of Jesus. Every day
throughout the 365 days of the year, God heals people because of the suffering His Son
Jesus endured for us on the cross and because they put their faith in Jesus and turn away
from their sins. Believe in the power of Jesus to heal, deliver and set you free:
PRAYER TO THE PASSION
AND WOUNDS OF JESUS
A Very
powerful Prayer To Obtain A Favor:
PRAY
THE FOLLOWING:
O
great passion! O deep Wounds! O Blood shed in abundance! O
meekness! O God of meekness, O cruel death, have mercy on me and grant my request if
it be for my salvation.
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Promises
Of Our Lord
"I will grant all that shall be asked of Me through the invocation of my Holy
Wounds."
"With my Wounds and my Divine Heart you
can obtain all."
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(State
your prayer request to GOD)
(PRAYER
CONTINUED)
PRAY
THE FOLLOWING:
"Eternal
Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal those of our souls."
( 300 days indulgence each time
this prayer is said.)
"My Jesus,
pardon and mercy, by the merits of Thy Holy Wounds."
(300 days indulgence each time this prayer is said.)
(With
ecclesiastical approval)
Prayer is from the Monastery of Our Lady of
Mount Carmel, 745 St. John's Place, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11216
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ADDITIONAL
PRAYER THAT MAY BE SAID TO BRING A HEALING
PRAY:
LITANY OF THE
MOST
PRECIOUS
BLOOD OF
JESUS
Lord, have
mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
Have mercy on us.
Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, of the new and Eternal Testament,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Price of our salvation,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, river of mercy,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Victor over demons,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Courage of martyrs,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Strength of confessors,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, bringing forth virgins,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Help of those in peril,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Relief of the burdened,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Solace in sorrow,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Hope of the penitent,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Peace and Tenderness of hearts,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, Pledge of Eternal Life,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, freeing souls from Purgatory,
heal
us.
Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor,
heal
us.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
V. Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord, in Thy blood,
R. And made of us a kingdom for our God.
