Monday - 14th Week of OT 2017 - Seeking out the Divine Physician

We often think of healing, healing from some physical trauma or emotional trauma, as a passive endeavor. We even have a saying that “time heals all wounds”. But the characters in the Gospel show us the importance of taking an active role in our own healing.

The royal official seeks Jesus out. The woman with the hemorrhages, as well. Jesus is passing through Capernaum and these people make extra effort to seek out the divine physician. The official comes and kneels down before the Lord, places his trust in his ability to bring life to his daughter. The woman with the hemorrhages reaches out, she pushes her way through a crowd just to be able to touch the tassel of his cloak.

Kneeling down, petitioning, trusting, grasping at the Lord, these postures the Christian faithful are to take throughout the spiritual life. When we are physically injured, suffering from illness, or even afflicted with deep emotional wounds, we are to actively seek the healing that comes from the Lord.
This doesn’t mean that we forego going to the doctor’s office, the hospital, to therapy, or support groups. God certainly works through our earthly physicians. But through our medical care or mental health care, we are to be reaching out for the healing that can only come from God.

There is of course a spiritual analogue to this. Man, wounded by sin is to actively seek out the Lord’s mercy. The soul without faith is to seek out the Lord in baptism. The Christian soul falling to sin after baptism must seek out the Lord’s mercy in the Sacrament of Confession.

We seek the Lord’s healing for ourselves, but also, like the royal official pleading for life on behalf of his daughter, we must plead for those who have become deadened to the life of faith. We “plead the blood” as the old preachers say—the blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross, which has become the fountain of all mercy.

Yes, the Lord is the source of all healing, but we must actively seek Him out. For the healing of all the wounds of sin and division, we turn all the more to the Lord, for ourselves and for those incapable or unwilling, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For a healing of all the wounds of division afflicting the Church, for an end to heresy and schism, for turning away from all doctrinal error and hardness of heart, we pray to the Lord.

For spiritual healing and mercy upon all those who have fallen away from the Church, those who have fallen to mortal sin, for those who blaspheme, for the conversion of atheists and non-believers, we pray to the Lord.

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, we pray to the Lord.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for deceased priests and religious, for those who have fought and died for our freedom, we pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, hear our prayers. May the grace of Christ Your Son, the Divine Physician, bring healing of our sinfulness, and make us worthy of the kingdom of heaven, through the same Christ our Lord.