Physician, Heal Thyself – #107

Some suggestions to enable this Physician (The Church) to carry out its mandate of healing effectively:

1. A life of pure prayer and renewal of hearts. St. Theresa of Avila once said, “Believe me, and do not let anyone deceive you by showing you a road other than prayer.” Part of the problem is our prayerlessness, and even when we pray, it’s not pure, authentic prayer. The goal of prayer is to bring us into an ever-deepening experiential awareness that Christ is the “Soul of our soul,” to awaken us to this reality, and to effect an ongoing transformation in us, so we can influence and touch the world as Jesus did. With prayer, we gradually put on the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), whose will and love become ours, and we are able to love and heal others as He did. So, I suggest we return to prayer and renewal of our hearts.

2. Let’s stop hiding and face our humanity. We are frail and nothing without grace. If you are up today, pray for others who are down, instead of gossiping, being judgmental, and acting with the self-righteousness of a Pharisee. Consider the following examples from scripture:

– Abraham, the father of our faith, lied at least twice (Genesis 20:1-7, 12:10-20) when he was under pressure.

– Noah, the righteous man, succumbed to nudity and drunkenness (Genesis 9:20-21).

– Samuel, the great prophet, was prejudiced and judged people by appearances, and the Lord had to correct him (1 Samuel 16:6-7).

– Saul, the first king of Israel, consulted a witch when things were unclear (1 Samuel 28:7) and lied in 1 Samuel 28:12.

– David, the man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), committed adultery, ordered the bloody murder of an innocent man, and took the man’s wife as his own (2 Samuel 11 & 12).

– Solomon, the wisest man, committed adultery, became foolish, polygamous, and followed other gods in his old age (1 Kings 11:1-4).

– Samson, the strongest man, had sex with a harlot/prostitute and eventually got his ministry short-circuited by this same woman (Judges 16:1).

– Elijah, who had many miraculous experiences, later became suicidal, requesting death (1 Kings 19:4).

– Peter, the rock on which the church was built (Matthew 16:18), denied Jesus and the whole Jesus movement at least three times (Mark 14:66-72) and went back to fishing (his old job) when things were unclear (John 21:1-3).

Listen up! You are human, embrace your humanity, and embrace the humanity of others too. Be gentle and patient with others. Condemn the sin, but help the sinner up. Ask for grace because we are hopeless without God’s grace.

Everyone has two images: the self-image (comprising habits, behavior, temperaments, psychology, and worldview) and the ideal self-image, which we all aspire to – the image of Christ. The movement from the self to the ideal image, becoming like Christ, is a journey. It’s a process of development, and like all developments, failure is a necessary part of the journey. To develop means to attempt something a bit beyond one’s capacity, and sin, plus moral failure, is possible throughout the entire journey. Anyone who disputes this fact is yet to comprehend the “human condition.” Given the right circumstances and motivations, anyone of us is capable of anything. We are human, and our failures and mistakes shouldn’t depress and imprison us but make us seek God out even more so that He can heal us and strengthen us.

A balanced spirituality is both humanistic and eschatological. The human part makes failure a possibility; that’s why we are encouraged not to judge others (Matthew 7:1-2). Even God Himself does not propose to judge a man or woman until their life is over. Moreover, as Christians, we must not neglect each other, especially in times of need. Galatians 6:2 encourages us to bear one another’s burdens. God will hold us accountable for neglecting our brothers and sisters in times of need. When someone’s need is greatest, that’s when we should rally around the person and help. When a brother or sister is down, that’s when we should show genuine concern, rally around, and help the person up.

WATCH OUT FOR THE SEASON FINALE…

Shalom, and God bless you.

#MonkReflection #PhysicianHealThyself