He went around the whole of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and curing whatever illness or infirmity there was among the people. His fame reached the whole of Syria; and sufferers from every kind of illness, racked with pain, possessed by devils, epileptic, or paralysed, were all brought to him, and he cured them. Great crowds also followed him, from Galilee and the Ten Towns, from Jerusalem and Judaea, and from Transjordan. (Mat. 4:23-5)
The gift of healing comes from God; indeed the agent of healing is the Holy Spirit. The human instrument brings that Spirit fully down to earth and initiates a process of restoration that accompanies him wherever he goes. It therefore follows that the two requirements in the healing ministry are an openness to God and a deep concern for one's fellow creatures. These prerequisites are summed up in the two great commandments: loving God with all our being, and loving our neighbour as ourself. This latter clause requires, and indeed assumes, self-love also; an acceptance of oneself and one's various difficulties and inadequacies with a warm-hearted sense of humour, and a gratitude to the Creator that one has been given life with its infinite possibilities despite these inadequacies of character. As soon as we can accept ourselves in this open-hearted spirit, we can forget ourselves in service to God and our fellows, and at last the Holy Spirit can start his life-enhancing work in us and then through us to those around us. The gift of healing is in essence an ability to make rapid and deep soul-relationships - psychic empathy it could be called - with other people, and then becoming the channel through which the Holy Spirit can perform his renewing and sanctifying work. The mere psychic empathy will effect the transfer of spiritual power from one person to another, and some of those with a healing gift are neither believers in God nor especially admirable people. If they remain at a spiritually debased level they can progressively drain those around them, and in the end cause harm. This is why a gift of healing must be a part of a deeper spirituality, one in which the person offers it, and indeed himself, unconditionally to God and to his fellow men. His reward is not pecuniary but purely the joy of seeing one who "was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found" (Luke 15:32).
Such a person is a focus for the healing power of the Holy Spirit wherever he finds himself. He does not need to display any characteristic gestures to implement the flow of the Holy Spirit, since he is always an instrument of God's peace and a constant source of pardon, hope and joy. The basis of such a healing faculty is the assiduous practice of prayer. This prayer, it should be noted, is not one for healing powers to be made manifest in one's life, but simply an unfailing awareness of the divine presence within one's being and around one in whatever situation one finds oneself. In other words, contemplative communion with the Most High is the foundation of an authentic healing ministry. One need not ask God for the gift so much as be worthy to receive it, for when it is given it has to be dispensed without condition, so that one's very life is no longer a purely private matter but is the life that Christ lives in one. There is no glamour in a truly healing ministry; there is only unmitigated service that is lightened by the power of discernment given one as the work proceeds. But such a life of dedication to God and the brethren is the height of spirituality, compared with which all worldly rewards are meretricious dross. It was for this service that we were conceived, and each in his own way has to fulfil it in his life no matter what his particular trade or occupation may be. A person serving behind a shop counter can be a minister of healing when he flows out in concern to the customer and gives his whole attention to serving him and satisfying his demands in gracious solicitude. When we yield of ourselves spontaneously to a stranger in difficulties and help him on his way, we are performing a healing act far in excess of the superficial assistance we may be affording. We are giving him not only expert advice but also something of the spirit within us. This is a high interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, who healed the stranger fallen among thieves and battered by them no less significantly than the inn-keeper to whom he later entrusted the wounded man.
It cannot be stated too often that the essence of healing is an attitude of quiet, unobtrusive hope that emanates from the humble soul shriven of the dross of material desire by the winnowing experiences of life. It is the second simplicity that we all have to know if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven as a little child. The wisdom of the serpent and the harmlessness of the dove that Jesus enjoins on his disciples are the qualities displayed by such a heavenly person: the wisdom comes from God and is transmitted to the humble soul who has no regard for proprietary rights, but is an untroubled agent of all God's gifts to those around him. There is, in this respect, an important difference between a virtuous person and one who is holy. The virtuous person, excellent in his own way, keeps well within the demands of the moral law and is a fine, reliable citizen and colleague provided those around him are equally trustworthy. But there will usually be a tendency to judge others uncharitably if they fail to attain his high standards. This was the essence of the spiritual failure of the Pharisee who thanked God that he was so much better than other people, especially the wretched tax-gatherer who stood next to him (Luke 18:9-I4). Virtue can all too easily become a god in its own right and exclude the Living God of love; the same can apply to even the finest religion, as the world's history shows all too often.
A holy person, by contrast, brings God closer to all the people he meets. He does this by the spiritual radiance that emanates from him. By nature a holy man is simple in his life-style - even if he possesses considerable wealth - and humble in his attitude to all whom he encounters in his daily rounds. This humility is a transparency of the personality so that other people, no matter how ignorant they may appear to the world, are accepted unconditionally for what they are, children of God. The result is that the humble person can learn something from everyone he meets and from every circumstance in life, no matter how unpropitious it may appear. The secret of relating deeply to other people is an attitude of self-giving to the moment at hand with as few preconceptions and prejudices as possible to cloud the vision and colour the judgement. When one enters the ministry of healing in such an attitude of self-abandonment to the divine providence - to quote the title of de Caussade's spiritual classic to which allusion has already been made - the Holy Spirit flows through one and initiates the essential healing work. The more one tries to assist the work of the Holy Spirit, the more one interposes one's own will in that work, and at once an obstruction is set up. Just as the finest personal relationships depend on an activation of the souls within the people involved, so the gift of healing works most effectively when the souls of all involved vibrate in harmony together. A holy person, being close to God, brings the Holy Spirit down to the consciousness of all whom he encounters.
Holiness is something more than mere virtue: it is an attitude of complete harmlessness and love. It is a divine simplicity in which a knife-sharp discrimination is developed. This simplicity is no mere naivety - a capacity to be deceived because one's knowledge of the world is defective. It is, on the contrary, an intuitive grasp of the whole of life, informed by the undistorted action of the Holy Spirit working in the full personality, but executed in unselfconscious charity. In fact there is only one fundamental act of will that is needed for the healing ministry: to place oneself unconditionally at God's service and to practise his presence in absolute stillness. In this state one is an immaculate vehicle for the Spirit of God, and a healing will be given that touches and renews the soul. This in turn may affect the body also, but here other considerations must be given due weight: the extent of bodily disease, the person's will to be healed, his attitude to life, and the fact of human mortality. We can never demand physical results from a healing session; all we can look for is spiritual renewal. Following in its wake -and sometimes dramatically preceding it - there may be a physical healing also.
All this indicates that a healing gift comes from God but that it is our great privilege to use it to his honour and glory and to the benefit of those around us, our perpetual neighbours in this life and that which is to follow. The difference between a person who has a natural gift of healing, but whose aspirations are essentially selfish and predatory, and a true minister of spiritual healing does not lie in the source or nature of the healing power. All power comes from God, "who makes his sun rise on good and bad alike, and sends the rain on the honest and the dishonest" (Mat. 5:45). There is only one Holy Spirit who gives life and potency to all the creation. Whether that life becomes a blessing or a curse, and whether the potency is creative or destructive depends on the use put to it by the creature. Spiritual gifts can assume a demonic character if the honour is appropriated by those who possess them; we remember once more the statement of Christ that not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven even if he displays miraculous powers in his name. It is those who do the Father's will who alone will enter (Mat. 7:21-3). This will is mirrored in Christ's life on earth, and therefore the closer our own lives approach his life, the more perfect will be our healing presence.
To spell this out in greater detail, Jesus never took credit for his powers, but gave acknowledgement always to the Father. He gained nothing personally from his work - except, of course, an increasing reputation for holiness and spiritual understanding. He coveted neither money nor political power, neither social advantage nor academic honours. His work was to herald the kingdom of God in the world, for which purpose he was prepared to sacrifice his own life on the cross of human despair, so that even despair could be resurrected in a fresh hope of eternal love. Indeed, there is only one quality worthy of desire: love, which is the very nature of God. Love alone prevails when all else has undergone the attrition of ageing and mortal death. Therefore the gift of healing is used to its best advantage in a person filled with self-giving love, whose only desire is to save what is lost, as Jesus said in connection with the repentant tax-gatherer, Zacchaeus (Luke 1.9:10). There are no techniques of spiritual healing, only the assiduous practice of contemplative prayer and a life dedicated to the service of one's fellows.
It must be emphasized, however, that this selfless devotion to God and our fellow creatures includes ourselves also; the love of one's neighbour is to equal that of oneself. Until one is healthy in body as well as in mind, heart and soul, one will not be able to do one's work effectively in the world. Therefore a balanced diet and attractive living conditions, far from being an indulgence to the flesh, are prerequisites for an effective healing ministry. Likewise, there is a limit to the work any one person can do; if that limit is exceeded a physical and mental breakdown will inevitably follow. Therefore one must learn not only how and when to say "No" but also how to delegate one's work to other servers on the way. To admit one's limitations is a practical exercise in humility, and to drop one's cloak over the shoulders of those who are to continue the work when one is no longer available oneself, in the manner of Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 19:19-21), is the acid test of spiritual generosity.
It follows therefore that no healing ministry worthy of its name can ignore the teaching aspect. The person seeking healing should be instructed about the levels of the human personality: body, mind and soul with special emphasis on the glory of the spirit in man which is in communion with the Holy Spirit of God. He should also be taught that true faith is an unobstructed openness to God, however he may be conceived, and not an absolute reliance on any person, no matter how gifted he may be. The informed healing minister is a sacrament: Christ works through his hands and speaks from the teaching of his lips. The essence of both giving and receiving healing is a suspension of judgement, so that one becomes once more a little child to whom alone is the kingdom of God available. This judgement includes both credulity and incredulity: the Holy Spirit's work is hindered as much by attempts to spur it on as by a closed attitude of mind to all categories of thought that transcend the narrow bounds of reason. This incidentally implies no contempt for rational thought, but simply an acknowledgement that there is more in heaven and earth than are contained in the tenets of science and philosophy, at least as far as these have developed up to the present time. As we learn more about spiritual healing and the laws that govern it, so the bounds of human reason will be extended, and the scientific world-view, which is basically sound enough, will be broadened by the inclusion of new data.
The secret of constructive living is balance - a balance between body and soul, between mind and heart, so that each is given its due rewards and taught its austere responsibilities. It is in this frame of reference that the various agencies of healing work in greatest harmony - medical science, psychotherapy, the charismatic healing gift and the sacraments of the Church. The uniting principles are an attitude of humility in all who minister and an assiduous practice of prayer. This acts, amongst other ways, to get the selfish ego out of its place of dominance so that it can effect its proper work of service to God and our fellow creatures. We generally do our best work, whether in the realm of relationships or in artistic or scientific creativity, when we are least aware of ourselves; it is a matter once more of the life we live no longer being merely our own life, but the life that Christ lives in us. His openness to the Father is ours also, and remarkable feats become attainable to us according to our capacity to contain and work with the Holy Spirit. It is in this context that a healthy body, an accomplished mind and an ardent heart find their greatest value. An intellectually articulate person can communicate more effectively than one who is illiterate, just as a person of warm, affectionate nature is more easily approachable than one who is cold and withdrawn. But neither intellectual mastery nor overflowing affection will effect a healing ministry; for this the Holy Spirit is mandatory, and as Jesus tells Nicodemus, that spirit blows, like the wind, where he wills; we can hear the sound but we do not know where he comes from nor where he is going (John 3:8). The most unlikely people may be chosen for this work, while the traditional religionist may be completely unresponsive to the flow of God's Spirit.
Some healers of a spiritualistic turn of mind believe that their gift comes from discarnate sources in the life beyond death, and often claim to know the identity of their inspirer (or "control", or "guide", as it is usually called). Such claims need not be dismissed out of hand; we know too little about these mysterious matters to enjoy the luxury of dogmatic utterances for or against them. The doctrine of the Communion of Saints can be invoked to include such discarnate entities as once walked our earth as we do at present. But in fact this is of secondary importance; what matters is God and his work among us. What means he chooses to bring his Spirit down to us is not primarily our business. We tend, as humans, to become so enmeshed in the glamour of personality, whether of this world or the next, that we all too easily lose contact with the Source of all being. Furthermore, a reliance on a discarnate personality can have a stultifying effect on our own powers of discrimination. Therefore, although it seems highly probable that intermediaries exist in the psychic and spiritual worlds that interpenetrate our own, and some of these may well be true messengers of God's Spirit for our education and healing, it is right that our spiritual sight should be lifted up to God himself in prayer rather than diverted to discourse with psychic entities, no matter how uplifting their teaching may be. If their teaching is authentically spiritual it will bring us closer to God, so that we will not have to devote our time to communicating with them. The most serious criticism of psychic communication in general is its trivial nature, added to which, of course, there is the danger of infiltration of malign psychic influences emanating from mischievous entities. The greatest psychic powers cannot be compared in excellence to the sacraments of a living religious tradition and the ageless wisdom that has proceeded from the lips and lives of its saints. The effect of charismatic power will soon be dissipated if it is not accompanied by a spiritual teaching of high potency that changes the very life of the person desiring to be healed.
The same principles are true of healing services in a church as part of its regular liturgy. The mere laying-on of hands at the altar rail is not enough; it must be accompanied by an authoritative teaching ministry aided, if possible, by a counselling service. In this way the mind is brought into the full ambience of God's healing. The Holy Spirit works in these manifold ways, and if the assistance of those who are medically qualified is also available, a very powerful healing ministry is afforded to those in need. Nowadays the concept of holistic medicine is current; it includes, in addition to the healing arms already mentioned, a stress on diet and meditation and sometimes also such unorthodox therapies as homeopathy, herbalism and acupuncture, whose scientific basis remains obscure. It is probable that a strongly-psychic basis attends these forms of treatment, and in addition there is a very close emotional empathy between the practitioner and his patient. We should be open to all advances in the healing ministry, no matter where they originate. But our discernment must always be active and alert. The psychic mode of communication is much more intimate than the intellectual approach used by the medical scientist. It depends on a close rapport between therapist and patient. Therefore the moral integrity of the therapist is especially important, since he can easily impose his prejudices on the mind of his patient. Repeating the advice of Jesus, we need the wisdom of the serpent and the harmlessness of the dove in all our healing work, and nowhere is this more true than in those therapies with a psychic basis.
In a healing ministry the dangers especially to be recognized are a tendency to dominate the lives of those who come for help and a zeal to prove the ways of God by virtue of the healings accomplished. These "ways of God" accord with our own understanding rather than with God's will. Therefore such a limited view will tend to attribute a failure of physical healing either to a lack of faith or deep, unacknowledged guilt for past sins. But God sees differently from man: we see the surface while God looks into the heart. When a person's failure to get well is summarily attributed to his lack of faith, insult is often added to the injury he has already sustained. In such a heartless accusation it is faith in the healer that is questioned rather than trust in God; the healer sees the failure to respond as a tacit impugnment of his own gift and is thereby diminished as a person. It follows therefore that we should not enter a healing ministry until we ourselves are at least fairly well integrated as people and do not need success or the plaudits of others to sustain our rather shaky identity. Likewise, there should be no financial charge for a spiritual gift. If a thankful person wishes to make a contribution he need not necessarily be deterred, since it can also be a healing act to receive from someone overflowing with gratitude. It is true that happiness lies more in giving than in receiving (Acts 20:35), but there is a peculiar graciousness and humility in being open to the praise and gifts of others. The important requirement is, of course, to give the glory to God, so that the praise falls away from oneself as easily as water off a duck's back, and we can thank God in unison with the healed one for all that has been achieved. The reward of having a healing gift is to see the afflicted person rise from despair to joy; compared with this, money is irrelevant.
Since it is preferable not to depend for one's subsistence on spiritual gifts, it follows that one's living should be earned in some other way, if this is at all practicable. This approach has the added advantage of taking the one who ministers healing out of the rather restricting confines of his work into the greater world where he can consort for at least a part of his time with vigorous, healthy people. The constant demands of the sick and the emotionally distraught cannot but have a depressing effect on those who minister to them on a spiritual level. It is for this reason that a complete break in the atmosphere of surrounding gloom is necessary each day in the lives of those involved in the work of healing and counselling. The toll of psychic depletion (evidenced in Jesus' ministry when he felt the power leave him after the woman with haemorrhages had touched him quite deliberately, as recounted in Mark 5:25-34) can be enormous if the power is not constantly replenished by a break in the routine of work especially when this is attended by prayer.
When we study the ministry of Jesus, especially as described in Luke's gospel, we cannot fail to note his ability of escaping from the pressure of the heavy demands made on him, not only by the infirm but also, at times, by his rather obtuse, insensitive disciples. When he was alone, he was in deep prayer (Luke 3:21, 5:16, 6:12). He could also pray alone in the company of his disciples (Luke 9:18, 9:28-9, 11:1, 22:41), whom, no doubt, he taught the way to a deeper, more comprehensive prayer life than the mere repetition of traditional sentences that so often passes for prayer and is in fact the betrayal and finally the death of a living faith. Real prayer is an elevation of the mind to God so that we can commune with him in rapt attention and in deepest love. Sometimes Jesus took his disciples with him where they could be alone in the noiseless tranquillity of nature before the crowds caught up with them and their outer peace was disrupted (Mark 3:7, 6:45). The inner peace of Christ, however, was never shattered, for he was in constant communion with his Father. It is thus that all who are involved in a ministry of healing should proceed in their private lives. When they too can know an inner peace that does not need results or acclaim to substantiate it, they have attained the apogee of their healing work. No more do they have to justify God's ways to man; they simply bring into manifestation the love of God who uses the whole world as a healing sacrament for our benefit.
The secret of spirituality, from which all healing gifts derive, is a simplicity of life-style (including the food we eat), openness to the advent of each new day and all it brings with it, and empathy with all who communicate with us. There is a joy inherent in all life when we can give of ourselves fully to it, - and in that joy a radiance emanates from us to all our neighbours. This is the heart of our healing ministry: it is a gift of love to all who will receive.