Jesus greatly desires to heal His people. Throughout Scripture, Jesus always healed those who came to Him. He desires to heal us too. The Lord tells us, “For I will restore you to health; of your wounds I will heal you . . .” (Jeremiah 30:17)
Jesus desires not only to heal our physical bodies, but also, and probably more importantly, our spirit and souls. We must,
on our part, prepare to receive His healing touch.
So often, we approach the Lord asking to be healed,
yet do not see or are not willing to relinquish the very things in our lives that keep us from the fullness and abundance in life
He has for us. There are numerous things that can block our openness to the healing power of God. We must do all
we can to resist the tactics of the evil one. As we come to the Lord asking for His healing, let us consider and address the following:
1) Pride, Unconfessed Sin and/or Ongoing Sinful Patterns.
Our attitude should reflect humility, a willingness to allow God to have
His way, and honesty (no hidden sins). “My sacrifice, O God is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God,
you will not spurn.” (Ps. 51) When we are humble, we are open to God's way. We must seek to rid ourselves of pride (including
that pride which keeps us too ashamed or afraid to honestly confess our sins), self-seeking, habitual sinful patterns, and all other
sins. Receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation is a wonderful way to prepare to approach the Lord for healing. The Lord
can free us from the bondage of habitual sin when we approach Him in humility and with a contrite heart.
2) Lack of Forgiveness, Bitter Root Judgements, and Resentments.
Failure to forgive and holding on to resentments are very common
blocks to healing. When we are consumed with negativity over someone else or their behavior, when our thoughts are full of bitterness,
fear, self-pity, or dreams of revenge, there is little room for love or the quiet voice of the Spirit within.
Judgements we made about others, particularly our parents, who we are commanded to honor, can block healing and cause a bitter root
to take hold. Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and
cause trouble, thorough which many may become defiled.” We must repent of our own sinful behavior, renounce judgements we have made,
and forgive others. The Lord’s prayer is clear about our call to forgive. Forgiveness is a decision and an action, not
a feeling. Choosing to forgive does not mean that what others did was acceptable. We are called to love the sinner and
hate the sin. Choosing to forgive frees us from continuously being hurt and held in bondage by our unforgiveness. Forgiveness
is a choice that frees us.
We need to simply tell the Lord that we choose to forgive the person who hurt
us, and pray for the Lord’s blessings for that person. If we take the actions to forgive, the Spirit will gradually work on the feelings.
Sometimes before we can forgive, we have to pray and ask the Lord for the grace and willingness to forgive.
3) Involvement with
the Occult.
Most of us are aware of blatant occult practices. There are many more subtle occult practices. These
are far more dangerous to practicing Christians, because of the deception behind them which deceives and entraps some Christians. 1John 5:21 tells us, “Children, be on guard against idols.”
The occult has infiltrated the fabric of
American society, from children’s cartoons and toys (Pokemon, some video games) to our system of medical care (Yoga, TaiChi, acupuncture,
etc.), to accepted and sometimes revered organizations such as the FreeMasons and Shriners. The occult has surreptitiously made
its way into some church programs. We hear and read of various New Age and Zen Buddhist practices, the Course in Miracles, Ennegrams
for spiritual direction, and use of guided imagery, being promoted in some parish programs in this country. The books, Unicorn
in the Sanctuary: The impact of the New Age on the Catholic Church by Randy England and Catholics and the New Age by Mitch Pacwa,
S.J. give an astonishing overview of how so many in the church have been deceived by practices that appear good, but are really the
work of the enemy.
If we have been involved in any way at all in occult practices, even “innocent”
involvement, we must repent of and renounce our actions. Just because we “didn’t know” does not protect us from harm. A child still gets burned when he touches a hot stove even when he did not know it was hot. So too with occult involvement.
4) Generational Problems.
Problems often pass through the generations in our family. Exodus 20:5-6 says, “I the Lord your
God am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third
and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation, on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
So many families are troubled and in need of healing. Areas needing God’s healing include relationships (marriages, parents/children,
step-parents/children), abuse, addictions, and the effects of the sins and hurts by those living and those in generations past.
Our ancestors provide us with an inheritance that plays a part in who we are. Just as physical characteristics
are passed generation to generation (such as a mother’s eyes, a dad’s nose, etc.) so too are patterns of behavior (creativity, stubbornness,
etc.), illness, and spiritual effects. Our spiritual inheritance is based on the blessings and sins of our ancestors and the
effects of these blessings and sins on the present generation. (See Exodus 20:5-6; Deuteronomy 27-29; 2 Kings 17:14; Baruch
3: 1-8)
The effects of sin on humankind have been present since the original sin of Adam and Eve. As generation upon generation passes, the effects of sin continue and compound. Many difficulties in our families result from
the effects of sin, our own and those of our ancestors. The effects of these sins can be healed through the power of God.
We have inherited blessings, as a result of our ancestors who loved, honored, and served God. We should stop and give God praise
and thanksgiving for the many blessings that have been passed on to us because of those who came before us.
The most effective way to deal with generational problems and sins is to bring them to the Lord in the context of a Generational Eucharist. In this special Mass we “stand in the gap” for our families, repent for and renounce the sins “of the fathers”, renew our Baptismal
vows, and pray for healing of the effects of sins in the present generation and the generations to come.
The
sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice (Catechism 1367), the sacrificial gift of Christ. The redemption won by Christ consists in this, that he came “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28), that is he “loved
his own to the end (John 13:1), so that they might be “ransomed from the futile ways inherited from their fathers” (1Pet 1:18). (Catechism
- 622). Thus we seek Christ to heal us and set us and our families free from all that binds us.
Praying
for the dead is traditional in the Church. We pray prayers committing the deceased to the mercy and presence of God. In
the Mass for generational healing, we do the same, recognizing the mercy and grace of God and the support of the Communion of saints. The Catechism teaches: ”In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim
members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and ‘because
it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins’ she offers her suffrages for them.” Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.” (Catechism:
958)
The Generational Eucharistic is a beautiful means of seeking God’s healing for our families. It is a time to seek God’s healing for those we love and to thank Him for the many blessings and love we have received from living
and deceased family members. Many, through Generational Eucharistic Celebrations, have been blessed by God and received healing
of family relationships, illnesses, addictions, and emotional wounds.