March 5, 2022 - Pastor Message
04/16/2024“Are there people sick among you? Let them send for the priests of the Church and let the priests pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise them up, and, if they have committed any sins, their sins will be forgiven them” (James 5:14-15).
“The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two Sacraments of Healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 14-21).
We conclude our several week journey through the sacraments with a reflection on the Sacraments of Healing. We enter into the life of God’s saving grace through the Sacraments of Initiation, and we receive special graces to serve others as witnesses of Christ in the Sacraments of Service. Unfortunately, however, the power of grace isn’t the only power at work in the world. Until the kingdom of God comes in its fullness, the power of sin also prowls the world, seeking the ruin of souls. It comes in many forms and guises, but its goal is always the same, to separate us from the love of God in Christ. When the power of sin prevails in our lives, therefore, the only remedy is to immerse ourselves in God’s saving love again, which is what we do when we celebrate the Sacraments of Healing: Penance and Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick.
We less often think of the physical and psychological aspects of sin. Sin is not just a choice. Before and beyond any choices by human beings, sin is a power, a force that sows disorder, corruption, and death in the world, even in the order of nature itself. One of the most powerful weapons sin wields in this effort is serious illness. By afflicting human beings with illness in body and mind, sin seeks to reap a harvest of despair in our souls and to turn us away from God. While natural treatments, such as medication, surgeries, and therapy, can help address the physical and psychological dimensions of illness, only grace can heal the spiritual dimension, which is why we celebrate the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Just as physical and psychological illness can negatively affect us spiritually, however, we believe that spiritual healing can also have positive effects on our physical and psychological health. As human beings we are one mind, body, and spirit and a holistic approach, rooted in faith and imbued with grace through the sacrament, is the best medicine for overcoming the destructive power of sin.
This concludes our journey through the sacraments, but our reflection on the healing power of God’s grace has just begun. As we emerge from the shadow of COVID, an overwhelming reminder of the destructive power of sin in the world, we will focus in a special way in the coming months on the theme of healing on all levels mind, body, spirit, and community. COVID has left deep wounds in all these aspects of our lives. But by taking advantage of the opportunities for healing provided by our faith, we can rise from the ashes of COVID, not in the throes of despair or cynicism, but in the hope that comes from God’s healing grace.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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