How Jesus heals today

Very often, when we approach the Lord for a healing what we are really looking for is a cure. If that is our desire, we may find ourselves disappointed and even in despair. But there is no sacrament, for example, that can stave off death inevitably. The only way the disease of death will ever be cured will be by the glorious coming of Christ. Until then, though, we all called to live in Hope, not in despair. This is what a healing brings. A cure delays death, but still leaves us with the same fear. A healing, on the other hand, comes in such a way that it brings hope, even if death follows shortly after.

I remember once when I was called to anoint an elderly woman dying of pneumonia. She was unconscious, and her breathing was very laboured. Her daughter was there, very sad, and she asked me to give her mom the “last rites”. I explained to her that we don’t actually have “last rites” in the Church, and that this sacrament was really for healing. After the prayer, something moved me inside to say to the daughter, “Look for the healing. It might not be what you expect — it might not be a cure — but look for the healing that brings hope.”

A couple of days later I saw a death announcement in the newspaper. I visited the funeral home, and tapped on the shoulder of the daughter, expecting her to turn to me with great sadness on her face. Instead, her face lit up when she saw me and she said, “FATHER! When you said to look for the healing, you weren’t kidding!”

Astonished, I asked her what she meant. She explained that she left her mother’s hospital room later that night to get some sleep at home, hoping that her mom would still be there when she got back the next morning. Not only was mom still alive, though, she was sitting up in bed, totally conscious! They had a lovely conversation, said many beautiful things to each other, and then her mom decided to take a nap. She died peacefully in her sleep.

Was there a cure? No. Her mom still died. But was there a healing? You bet. A new life was given to that elderly woman, even if only for a time, and just enough to open everyone up to the possibility of hope. And that is how Jesus continues to heal us today.