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Healing the
JOHN PAUL II Healing Center
Transformation in the Heart of the Church
Whole
Person
Workbook & Journal
Dr. Bob Schuchts
JPII
HEALI NG
CENTER
2927 Kerry Forest Parkway
Tallahassee, Florida 32312
www.JPIIHealingCenter.org
Copyright © 2015 by
Dr. Bob Schuchts
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the expressed written permission of
Dr. Bob Schuchts.
Printed in the United States of America.
All images used with permission.
Scripture texts, unless expressed,
are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament
© 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C.
and are used by permission of the copyright owner.
All Rights Reserved.
No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form
without the permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Cover, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1601.
ii
“Healing
is an essential dimension
of the apostolic mission and of Christianity.
When understood at a sufficiently deep level,
this expresses the entire content of redemption.”
Pope Benedict XVI,
iii
Jesus of Nazareth
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23
“Before {Jesus’} gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us,
allowing us to become truly ourselves…. His gaze, the touch of his heart heals us through an undeniably painful
transformation “as through fire”. But it is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of his love sears through us like
a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God.”
POPE BENEDICT XVI, Spe Salvi, 47
iv
Healing the
Whole
Person
Talk 1
Healing the Whole Person
Talk 2
Wholeness in Christ
Talk 3
Facing our Brokenness
Talk 4
Prayer for Inner Healing
Talk 5
Redemptive Suffering and Healing
Talk 6
Healing Grace and the Sacraments
Talk 7
Spiritual Gifts and Healing
Talk 8
Living in Freedom
Appendix
A Meditation on Healing and the Cross
The tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
The Tree of Life
John Paul II Healing Center Available Resources
PAGE 1
Healing the
Whole
Person
Talk #1
Healing the Whole Person
A.
Wholeness and Communion
A.1.
Catholic means “according to the whole”
“The word ‘catholic’ means ‘universal,’ in the sense of ‘according to the
totality’ or ‘in keeping with the whole.’”
— Catechism of the Catholic Church, #830
A.2.
We are destined to share in holy communion with the Trinity
“God’s very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love
in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself
is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has
destined us to share in that exchange.”
B.
Broken Communion and Fragmentation
B.1.
At the fall of mankind, we experienced five broken communions
• Between us and God (spiritual)
• Between us and others (social)
• Within us ... mind and heart (psychological)
• Within us ... body and soul (physical)
• Between us and nature (ecological)
B.2.
This resulted in concupiscence and the fragmentation of our personhood
“In the loss of grace that was the Fall, in our rebellion against God, all
marriages, all the harmonies, disintegrated.”
— Steve Kellmeyer, Sex in the Sacred City, page 31
C.
Salvation and healing
C.1.
Healing is central to the Christian faith and our Redemption
“Healing is an essential dimension of the apostolic mission and of
Christianity. When understood at a sufficiently deep level, this expresses
the entire content of redemption.”
— Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, page 176
NOTES
PAGE 3
NOTES
C.2.
The word “salvation” is variously translated as ... save, rescue, deliver, heal
and make whole
“In the Gospels, the word therapeuo (which means to heal) appears 36
times… the word sozo (which is literally translated ‘to save’) is used to mean
‘to heal’ 12 times … Salvation includes the action of healing … ‘and as
many as touched it were made well (saved)’ (Matthew 14:36).”
— Fr. Emiliano Tardif, Jesus Lives Today, pages 55—56
D.
Jesus’ Mission of Healing
D.1.
Jesus’ name means “God saves.” The whole history of salvation is God’s
intervention into the world to bring healing to our entire being.
“Jesus offers a salvation that embraces the whole person. He didn’t come
just to save souls. He is concerned with the total person, which means both
the soul and the body.”
— Fr. Emiliano Tardif, Jesus Lives Today, page 56
D.2.
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would heal us completely
Physically
“Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your
God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to
save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be
cleared; Then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb
will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe.”
— Isaiah 35:4—6
Spiritually
“But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him was
the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.”
— Isaiah 53:5
Psychologically
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed
me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the
prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of
vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn.”
— Isaiah 61:1—2
E.
Healing and Mercy
E.1.
Jesus’ healing is an expression of God’s merciful love and compassion
PAGE 4
“The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love.
The Lord is good to all, compassionate to every creature.”
— Psalm 145:8—9
E.2.
“In the study of the Lord’s compassion we have a complete revelation of the
Lord’s willingness to heal. During his earthly ministry He was everywhere
moved with compassion and healed all ‘them that had need of healing’ ...
In the Scriptures, compassion and mercy mean the same thing.”
— F.F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer, page 70
E.3.
God’s love sees us in our wholeness
“Whoever truly wishes to heal man must see Him in his wholeness and
must know that His ultimate healing can only be God’s love.”
— Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, page 177
F.
Types of Healing
F.1.
We are comprised of a body, soul, and spirit in unity
“Although a human person is composed of Body, Soul and Spirit (1st
Thessalonians 5:23), the person is one and indivisible. We distinguish
these three aspects only for clarity of understanding. It is impossible to
distinguish exactly how the body, the soul and the spirit interrelate, but it
is certain that each part affects the others in a variety of ways and that we
must look for health in each of these parts if we want a fully healthy human
being.”
F.2.
Basic types of healing and integration
“While there are different kinds of healing, it is important to see their
interrelatedness, as Dr. Philipe Madre has insisted: ‘it is always the whole
person, in his or her deepest unity, that receives a grace of healing and not
just a part of them, be that physical or psychological or spiritual.’ While
one cannot draw a direct line from sickness to sin (c.f. John 9:2), there are
many instances where forms of sickness, physical or psychological, have their
origins in sin and in resistance to the will of God:
• Physical healing (healing of physical body, inside and out)
• Psychological healing (healing of wounds to human psyche: mind, heart)
• Spiritual healing (deliverance from sin and evil, filling with Holy Spirit)
• Spiritual blessing, reconciliation with God”
— Doctrinal Commission of ICCRS, Guidelines on Prayers for Healing, pages 37—38
F.3.
We may also speak of other types of social and ecological healing
• Healing of relationships (marriage, family, community)
• Intergenerational healing (family tree)
• Healing of Body of Christ (from division to wholeness)
• Healing of society (justice ministries regarding poverty, discrimination)
• Healing of spaces and territories or nature
— Doctrinal Commission of ICCRS, Guidelines on Prayers for Healing, pages 38—39
NOTES
PAGE 5
NOTES
G.
Fragmentation in the Healing Professions
G.1.
In our theology, we may insist on the integration of the person, but in
practice we are all too willing to accept fragmentation.
In practice we often think of a physical illness as just that—physical—and
we look for help strictly at a physical level. Similarly we do the same for
emotional and spiritual problems. Too often, we treat these as totally
distinct illnesses and seek help from totally different sources.
G.2.
Healing, which has always been the domain of the Church, has become
a “professional” enterprise over the years. Presently we have “professional
healers” who rely on science as the source of healing. God is often
nowhere in the picture.
• Physicians and other medical personnel ... treat the physical body
• Mental health professionals ... treat the “psyche” (soul)
• Priests and Ministers ... treat the spiritual dimensions
G.3.
Professional healing further fragments the person into parts. Think of all
the specialty areas that treat the human body when it is ill:
• Neurology
• Ears, Nose and Throat
• Digestive
• Endocrinology
G.4.
There are five distinctive classifications in Florida for healing “psyche”
• Psychiatrist—Focusing on the intersection of mind and body
• Psychologist—Focusing primarily on testing and mental illness
• Marital and Family Therapist—Focusing on relationships in the family
•
Social Worker—Focusing on social networks and community healing
• Mental Health Counselor—More of a generalist category
G.5.
“For 100 years, western culture has wrongly regarded soul disease as a
psychological disorder. ... Behind all soul disease lies a determination to
avoid worship (requiring the humility of brokenness and the central value of
forgiveness) and service (requiring that our passion for God’s glory be
PAGE 6
stronger than all other passions) in search of personal wholeness.”
— Dr. Larry Crabb and Dwight Edwards, The Power of Connecting, page 7
H.
Healing and the Church
H.1.
We need to fully restore the ministry of healing to the Church
“Your experience of prayer and healing, particularly inner healing, will be
NOTES
valuable, for it will help re-actualize a charism which was very familiar to the
primitive Church and forms part of our Christian heritage”
— Cardinal Leon-Joseph Suenens, Renewal and the Powers of Darkness, page 102
H.2.
Health Care has always been associated with the Church throughout history
“The history of health care has been intimately interwoven with the history
of the Church. The Church has always been involved in the care for the sick
and in their restoration to wholeness. One example is nursing care, always the
domain of the church until 20th century. Most often nuns were nurses, more
than a profession—a vocation.”
— Dr. Harold Koenig, Lecture
H.3.
New Age sees wholeness, but fails to see the ultimate source of healing
Ironically the New Age Movement, which is rooted in the heresy of
“Docetism,” is much more integrated in its view of healing the whole
person. Yet, New Age healing also fails to see persons in relation to a
personal transcendent God.
I.
Love is Healing
I.1.
Deprivation of love is the source of our illnesses
“The avoidance, rejection, or deprivation of love is the source of all
functional (physical, psychological, and spiritual) illness.”
— J. Brennan Mullaney, Authentic Love, page 17
I.2.
Only love heals
“Love heals. Healing is an integral part of human love. Where love is,
healing is constantly occurring.”
— J. Brennan Mullaney, Authentic Love, page 17
PAGE 7
NOTES
I.3.
Love transcends the boundaries of self
“When I love you, my heart, the center of the center of me, the spirit of
me, leaves the confines of my body and I move into you. If you are lost,
even unto yourself, I go in search of you. It is strange this power of love, for
sometimes I find you even before you have found yourself, and
finding you, I will never let you go.”
“Finding you, I stand inside in your shoes, inside your skin, looking out at
the world through your eyes, seeing what you see, hearing what you hear,
feeling what you feel, not just understanding your heart (empathy), but
suffering the pain of your hurts right along with you. When there is grief
unwept, buried in your heart my heart grows heavy as I fight away tears
with you. You want to cry, but cannot so my throat hurts.”
“When you recount the agony of childhood rejection, my chest hurts.
When you are unjustly treated, I rage even when you cannot. And when
you remain bewildered, still lost, I speak to you with my eyes, silently
saying, ‘Here you are - right here! See? You are the one I am loving.’”
“Sadly though, as you discover yourself, you rediscover the wounds that
sent you into hiding, and with those wounds comes pain boiling up from
the deep, and my heart suffers right along side of you. Finally then, you
cry, and I taste salt.”
“But when you sing, my heart burns along in harmony. Inside you, I can
see clearly the beauty, the courage, the honesty, all your virtues - the unique
goodness that you are. Here inside you, I can see, absorb, and unite with
the spirit of you that may not have been apparent at all from the outside.”
“Here, within, I can see unique value, strengths, and wonderful
yearnings that no one could see from the outside—goodness buried
beneath pain and pain’s obnoxious symptoms and defenses that may have
pushed people away. Loving you, I experience you from outside in and
inside out simultaneously; I remain me while growing in oneness with you,
uniting with you, and in a very real way, albeit mysteriously,
PAGE 8
becoming you.”
— J. Brennan Mullaney, Authentic Love, pages 18-19
Journaling Activity: Encountering Jesus
1.
NOTES
Read Isaiah 61: 1.
Isaiah 61: 1-2
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
release to the prisoners
2. Apply the promise of Jesus to your life.
2a. In what ways has your heart been broken? Be specific.
2b. Where have you been imprisoned, or spiritually bound? Be specific.
2c. What personal afflictions do you need healed? Be specific.
PAGE 9
Journaling Activity continuted
JOURNAL EXERCISE
3. Meditate on the image entitled The Good Samaritan. The artist, Johann Karl
Loth, depicts the Good Samaritan as an image of Jesus. Notice the details of
the painting. Notice the thoughts, feelings, and desires that stir in your heart
as you pray with the painting.
Write out a prayer acknowledging the areas you mentioned in question #2.
Ask Jesus to speak to your heart about what he desires to do for you.
PAGE 10
Healing the
Whole
Person
Talk #2
Wholeness in Jesus Christ
A.
Wholeness in Christ in Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians
A.1.
Ephesians chapters 1—3 establishes our identity and security in Christ
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven
NOTES
and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of
his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and
grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love
of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the
fullness of God”
— Ephesians 3:14-19
A.2.
Ephesians chapter 4 lays out a vision for our growth and maturity in Christ
“But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift
… for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of
faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of
the full stature of Christ. ... living the truth in love, we should grow in every
way into him who is the head, Christ ... from whom the whole body ... brings
about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love.”
— Ephesians 4:7-16
A.3.
Ephesians 5-6 describes our life of purity in Christ
“So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ
loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God
for a fragrant aroma. Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be
mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or
suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving. Be sure of
this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”
— Ephesians 5:1-5
PAGE 11
NOTES
B.
Human Development and Wholeness
purity
The fruit of love
maturity
Growth in love
security
Rooted and grounded in love
B.1.
Security ... “rooted and grounded in love”
“The root of the word ‘affirmation’ is ‘firm.’ In the language of Saint Paul,
affirmation means to help the ‘hidden self ’ of another ‘grow strong’ or firm,
through the quality of our presence (Ephesians 3:16).
“Our sense of belonging comes from what psychiatrist Dr. Conrad Baars
calls ‘affirmation.’ … ‘Unaffirmed’ ... is another way of describing a person
whose inner core is not firm and who feels disconnected, first of all from
his or her real self … Unaffirmed people cannot ‘grow up’ until their core is
made firm through the gift of affirming, unconditional love. … Unaffirmed
people did not make themselves so. No human being chooses to feel
insecure and inferior.”
— Dennis Linn et al., Belonging, page 87
PAGE 12
“We cannot affirm ourselves … we can open ourselves to receive
affirmation and we can build on what we receive, but first it is a gift that we
receive from others.
“We cannot become our true selves until another person affirms us. ... We
become our true selves when we see our goodness reflected back to us in the
eyes of another person who loves us. ”
— Dennis Linn et al., Belonging, page 90
B.2.
Maturity ... “growing up into the fullness of Christ”
“Maturity is about reaching one’s God-given potential. It means
maximizing our skills and talents and using them effectively, while
growing into the full capacity of our individual design”
— Dr. James Friesen et. al, The Life Model, page 29
“It is characteristic of mature love that it calls into play all man’s
potentialities; it engages the whole man, so to speak. Contact with the
visible manifestations of God’s love can awaken within us a feeling of joy
born of the experience of being loved. But this encounter also engages our
will and our intellect. ... But this process is always open-ended; love is never
‘finished’ and complete; throughout life, it changes and matures, and thus
remains faithful to itself ”
— Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, #17
B.3.
Purity ... “glorify God with your body”
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within
you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought
with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
— 1 Corinthians 6:19—20
“The reason for Christian purity is precisely in consecration. We are not
our own; we belong to the Lord. We cannot use our bodies for our own
pleasure, for some personal satisfaction as an end in itself. That is a
defilement of the temple of God; it is desecration, the exact opposite of
consecration. And how much defilement and desecration we see in the
world today?”
— Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, Sober Intoxication of the Spirit, page 90
“Christian purity is not a refusal of or a disdain for love. On the
contrary, it is the cultivation of love—of true love that is. What the world
calls love is usually nothing more than empowered egotism most of the
time. No one lives in love without sacrifice, without renunciation. The
capacity that people have to give to another is equal to their readiness
to deny themselves. Eroticism is the real tomb of love, for it is only an
unbridled pursuit of oneself for oneself. … Keep yourselves pure; fall in
love with purity! Be the fragrance of Christ.”
— Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, Sober Intoxication of the Spirit, pages 91—92
C.
Primary Identities
C.1.
Jesus models the four primary identities of every man
NOTES
•
•
•
•
Son—He is both Son of God and Son of Man (Joseph and Mary)
(Luke 1)
Brother—Jesus is our brother in sharing a common humanity
(Hebrews 4)
Bridegroom—Jesus is the Bridegroom that comes to marry the
Bride (Ephesians 5)
Father—Jesus reveals the Father and has many children (John 14)
PAGE 13
NOTES
C.2.
Mary models the four primary identities of every woman
• Daughter - She is daughter of the Father, and of Joachim and Anna
• Sister- Mary is our sister in sharing our humanity fully
• Bride - Mary was bride of Joseph and Holy Spirit, imaging the Bride,
the Church
• Mother - Mary is the mother of Jesus, and also our Mother
C.3.
Every man and woman also matures through these four primary identities
•
As Sons and Daughters we learn to trust, receive, enjoy, play, and
obey
• As Brothers and Sisters we learn to share, challenge, support, and
belong
• As Husbands and Wives we learn to be intimate, chaste, self-giving
and united
• As Fathers and Mothers we learn to generate, provide, guard, guide
and bless
D.
Psychosexual Development
•
Attachment
(womb to 2)—Develop secure love bonds with mother/
father
•
•
•
•
PAGE 14
Identification and Attraction (3-5)—Identifying with same
sex parent and healthy bond with both parents. Exploring opposite sex
attraction.
Sex-Role Identification and Peer Group Belonging (6-12)—
Social identification and development with peers of sexual identity and
relationships
Sexual Exploration, Self-Control, and Identity Development
(13-22)—Learning how to manage relationships and sexual arousal and
attraction; developing a social and personal identity with our sexuality
Sexual Fidelity and Fruitfulness (adult)—Living out sexual
identity in intimate relationships in family and community as
celibate or married persons and being fruitful in that love by
reproducing and caring for offspring (Spiritual and natural children).
Helping to shape sexual development of others as parents and
parental figures.
Ages & Stages
Primary Identity
Psychosexual Challenge
Womb to 2
Son or Daughter
Bonding
3-5
Son or Daughter
Identity and Attraction
6-12
Brother or Sister
Belonging and Assimilation
13-22
Brother or Sister
Exploration and Self-Mastery
22+
Spouse and Parent
Intimacy and Fruitfulness
E.
Core Questions
E.1.
Core questions for boys
“Little boys want to know, ‘Do I have what it takes?’ All that rough and
tumble, all that daring and superhero dress up, all that is a boy seeking to
prove that he does have what it takes. He was made in the image of a
warrior God. Nearly all a man does is fueled by his search for validation,
that longing he carries for an answer to his question”
— John and Stasi Eldredge, Captivating, 46
E.2.
Core questions for girls
“Little girls want to know, ‘Am I lovely?’ The twirling skirts, the dress up,
the longing to be pretty and to be seen - that is what it is all about. We are
seeking to answer our question.
“God gave Eve a beautiful form and a beautiful spirit. She expresses beauty
in both. Better, she expresses beauty simply in who she is. Like God, it is
her essence”
— John and Stasi Eldridge, Captivating, 36
E.3.
Rituals of Blessing ... African tribe ritual into manhood
— Gordon Dalbey, Healing the Masculine Soul
F.
Developmental Wounds
F.1.
Wounds against Security
“If the wounds of our childhood were left uncomforted by your earthly
father, you may never feel comforted in God’s presence. And you may
spend your entire life looking for a place of safety and belonging, longing
for a home. “And without mother’s ‘strong’ love, children may grow up with an
inherent fear of relationships and life that may be difficult to uproot.
“Breaches in the mother’s love whether they were caused intentionally or
unintentionally, can leave a wound in a child’s heart that can last a lifetime.”
— Jack Frost, Experiencing Father’s Embrace, pages 98, 118, 122
F.2.
Wounds against Maturity
“The degree of trauma associated with abuse will be related to many
factors…. But in every case of abuse the dignity and beauty of the soul has
been violated. … With all the factors being equal damage will be in direct
proportion to the degree it disrupts the protection and nurturance of the parental
bond”
— Dr. Dan Allender, The Wounded Heart, pages 36-37
NOTES
PAGE 15
NOTES
F.3.
Wounds against Purity
“C. S. Lewis on Masturbation: For me the real evil of masturbation would
be that it takes an appetite which, in lawful use, leads the individual out of
himself to complete, (and correct) his own personality in that of
another and finally in children (and even grandchildren) and turns it back;
sends the man back into the prison of himself, there to keep a harem
of imaginary brides. And this harem, once admitted, works against ever
getting out and really uniting with a real woman. For the harem is always
accessible, always subservient, calls for no sacrifices or adjustments and can
be endowed with erotic and psychological attractions which no real woman
can rival. Among these shadowy brides he is always adored, always the
perfect lover; no demand is made on his unselfishness, no mortification
ever imposed on his vanity. In the end they become the medium through
which he increasingly adores himself… And it is not only the faculty of
love which is thus sterilized, forced back on itself, but also the faculty of
imagination... Masturbation involves this abuse of imagination in erotic
matters... and thereby encourages a similar abuse of all the spheres. After
all, almost all the main work of life is to come out of our selves, out of the
little dark prison we are all born in. Masturbation is to be avoided as all
things are to be avoided which retard this process. The danger is that of
coming to love the prison.”
— Leanne Payne, The Broken Image, pages 81-82
G.
Sacraments Restore Development
G.1.
Restoring the stages of life
“The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important
moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase, healing and
mission to the Christian’s life of faith. There is thus a certain resemblance
between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life”
— Catechism of the Catholic Church #1210
G.2.
Restoring communion with Jesus
“God is invisible. Sacraments allow us to touch him. God is incommunicable.
Sacraments are our communion with him ... The communion of God and
humanity is a living reality in the person of Jesus Christ.”
— Christopher West, Good News About Sex and Marriage, page 48
PAGE 16
Baptism
United with Jesus through Holy Spirit
Reconciliation
Restoring purity in Jesus
Eucharist
Abiding communion with Jesus
Confirmation
Blessed by Father in union with Jesus
Anointing of the Sick
Restoring wholeness in Jesus
Matrimony
Restoring family life in Jesus
Holy Orders
Restoring Church in Jesus
H.
Restored Wholeness in Christ
H.1.Restored Security
NOTES
in Christ
“To the extent that true Christian community is being formed we can
expect the growing presence of healing power. ... A true community is
one where the giving of each member is to the point where each accepts
responsibility for the other and shares his very self. The teaching of the
New Testament is that there is a special power available to those who come
together in the name of Jesus”
— Fr. Michael Scanlon, T.O.R., Inner Healing Prayer, pages 63-68
H.2.Restored Maturity
in Christ
“Life brings each of us inescapable traumas that block maturity. God’s
redemptive activity comes to us in two ways. He brings healing to our
trauma (fear based bonds) and adopts us into his family (love based bonds).
Both ways boost us through our blocks to maturity, along the way to
wholeness. With these boosts we will be able to live from our hearts He
gave us, our true identities will emerge and our relationships with family
and community will be characterized by joy”
— Dr. James Friesen et. al, The Life Model, pages 26
H.3.Restored Purity
in Christ
“Purity is a virtue, an aptitude that we acquire through consistent
‘abstention from unchastity.’ In this sense it demands a painful process of
crucifying the flesh. But at the same time purity is a gift of the Holy Spirit,
given only through redemption in Christ. Purity matures in the heart of
the person who cultivates it, to the point that the person enjoys the fruits of
the victory won over lust. ”
— Mary Healy, Men and Women Are from Eden, pages 48-49
“Chastity is the joyous affirmation of someone who knows how to live selfgiving, free from any form of self-centered slavery ... Chastity makes the
personality harmonious. It matures it and fills it with inner peace.”
— Pontifical Council for the Family, The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality, #17
PAGE 17
JOURNAL EXERCISE
Journaling Activity: Assessing Your Wholeness in Christ
1. Read and Meditate on Hosea 11: 1-4
“When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called
them, the farther they went from me, sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to
idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew
them with human cords and the bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an
infant to his cheeks; yet though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I
was their healer”.
a. Read the passage once to get familiar with the text
b. Slowly read the passage a second time
c. Very, very slowly read the passage a third time
Pay attention to which word, words, or phrases rest in your heart
Talk to God about what is on your heart...and listen...What is he speaking to you through this passage?
2. Describe your attachments with your parental figures (mother, father, grandparents and siblings or others) while growing up. Were you secure in their love?
Who was affirming in your life?
PAGE 18
Journaling Activity continued
3. Look over the table on Stages of Development.
Apply this to your own development.
3a. In what ways did you grow in development
according to God’s design?
JOURNAL EXERCISE
Primary Identity
Womb to 2
Son or Daughter
Bonding
3-5
Son or Daughter
Identity and Attraction
6-12
Brother or Sister
Belonging and Assimilation
13-22
Brother or Sister
Exploration and Self-Mastery
22+
Psychosexual Challenge
Ages & Stages
Spouse and Parent Intimacy and Fruitfulness
3b.Where was your growth disrupted?
4. In what ways is purity revealed in your life?
4a. When and how have you experienced losing your sexual purity?
4b. How and when has your sexual purity been restored?
4c.In what specific areas of your sexuality do you desire God’s healing?
PAGE 19
NOTES / JOURNALING
PAGE 20
Healing the
Whole
Person
Talk #3
Facing our Brokenness
A.
NOTES
Sin
A.1.
Sin is an offense against God, self and others
“Sin is an offense….it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused
by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and
injures human solidarity.”
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1849
A.2.
Concupiscence, a consequence of sin, diminishes our freedom
“Concupiscence brings with it the loss of …. interior freedom….
- St. John Paul II, Theology of the Body, 32:6
A.3.“What
I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what
I hate ... For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.”
— Romans 7:15, Romasn 7:19
B.
Roots of sin
B.1.
“The root of sin is in the heart of man”
B.2.
“The tree of knowledge of good and evil…[is a] symbol of the covenant
with God broken in man’s heart”
— St. John Paul II, Theology of the Body, 4:1
B.3.“To
reach it, it is not enough to stop at the surface of human actions. It is
necessary to penetrate inside.”
— St. John Paul II, Theology of the Body, #24:3
C.
Seven Deadly Sins
C.1.The early Desert Fathers’ identified seven deadly sins (strongholds of sin)
PAGE 21
NOTES
C.2.
Deadly Sin
Idolatry
Pride
Self
Envy
Status or Possessions
Gluttony
Food or Drink
Lust
Sex or Relationship
Anger
Control
Greed
Security or Wealth
Sloth
Comfort
Each of these deadly sins bears bad fruit.
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good
fruit. For every tree is known by its fruit.”
— Luke 6:43-44
Tree of Anger ... Root, Sin & Fruit
fruit—sins of flesh
Self-righteousness, judgment,
bitterness, resentment,
depression,
passive-aggressive behavior,
gossip, sarcasm
Rage, revenge, retaliation,
murder, violence, malice,
verbal abuse, insults, slander
deadly sin
Anger
root of sin
Ungodly Self-Reliance
Each of the deadly sins has a similar root and fruit structure
PAGE 22
NOTES
D.
Sin and Wounds
D.1.Sin
and wounds have different sources and effects
“The source of personal sin is choice: ‘We all like sheep have gone astray …’ (Isaiah
53:6). Wounds were {frequently} inflicted apart from our choice. Sin is an act of
self-infliction while a wound is inflicted by the sinful acts of others … and result
in a state of emotional woundedness due to misinterpretations made about the
act. We did not choose to be hurt, rejected or violated; nevertheless the wound is
present.”
— Dr. Ed Smith, Theophostic Beyond Tolerable Recovery, page 221
D.2. Sin
and wounds have different sources and effects
•
Personally—the one offending and the one offended (including God)
•
Socially—“Every sin harms the communion of persons (CCC #953)
•
Generationally—The
consequences are intergenerational (Exodus 20:5)
D.3. David’s
sin with Bathsheba illustrates all three effects
...Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “The sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.” Thus
says the Lord: ‘I will bring evil upon you out of your own house. I will take your wives
while you live to see it, and will give them to your neighbor.
— 2 Samuel 12:10-12
D.4.The
story of Amnon and Tamar illustrates the consequences
“But she answered him, ‘No my brother! Do not shame me! That is an intolerable crime
in Israel. Do not commit this insensate deed. Where would I take my shame? And you
would be a discredited man in Israel. So please, speak to the king; he will not keep me
from you.’ Not heeding her plea, he overpowered her; he shamed her and had relations
with her.”
— 2 Samuel 13:12-14
“Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long tunic in which she was clothed. Then,
putting her hands to her head, she went away crying loudly.”
— 2nd Samuel 13:19
PAGE 23
NOTES
E.
Seven Deadly Wounds
E.1.
Wounds are strongholds of mind and emotion based in identity lies
“More often than not, the emotional pain we feel in the present tense has
been triggered by lie-based thinking, which is rooted in memory. Lie-based
thinking is the false belief one holds in memory learned
during a specific life event”
— Dr. Ed Smith, Healing Life’s Hurts, page 27
E.2.
Seven deadly wounds are each a personal taste of hell
•
•
•
•
•
Hell is the experience of complete separation from God.
The seven deadly wounds are tastes of hell.
They are reflections of experience where we are disconnected from God.
Each of the wounds has an “identity distortion” or lie associated with it.
Each of these “identity lies” is true of the demons who speak them, but
they are not true of us in Christ. Yet these lies often get planted in our
hearts as young children through our misinterpretation of painful events.
Wounds
How they Distort our Identity
Abandonment
“I am all alone. No one understands me”
Shame
“I am bad, dirty, perverted ... it’s my fault”
Fear
“If I trust, speak, confront, I will be hurt or die”
Powerlessness
“I feel overwhelmed ... I don’t know what to do”
Rejection
“I am not loved or wanted ... I have no value”
Hopelessness
“It’s never going to change ... there is no hope”
Confusion
“I don’t know what is happening to me”
— Dr. Ed Smith, Beyond Tolerable Recovery, Appendix
E.3.
Seven deadly wounds are interrelated with the seven deadly sins
• Sin not only causes wounds, it also grows out of wounds. Remember
Jesus said, “woe to those who caused these little ones to sin” by
wounding them (Matthew 18).
•
We often sin as a way of trying to escape the
suffering caused by the wound.
•
PAGE 24
We need to examine the area of sin pattern and see behind the sin to
the wound that is giving power to the sin. The following example with
anger demonstrates (page 37).
“When God sees sin He sees pain in us.”
NOTES
— Saint Julian of Norwich
Self-righteousness, judgement,
bitterness, resentment, depression,
passive-aggressive behavior,
gossip, sarcasm
Rage, revenge, retaliation,
murder, violence, malice,
verbal abuse, insults, slander
deadly sin
Anger
root of sin
Ungodly Self Reliance
wounds
Rejection, fear, powerlessness
lie
“I am not loved ...
no one wants or desires me ...
I am not good enough ...
I am not valued or important.
lie
“I feel helpless ...
I don’t know what to do ...
everything is out of control”
lie
“If I trust I’ll be hurt ...
I need to protect myself or
something bad will happen.”
PAGE 25
NOTES
F.
Bitter Root Judgments and Inner Vows
F.1.
Bitter root judgments are ways we respond to the hurt of sin
“See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root
spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled.”
— Hebrews 12:15
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you
be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out
to you”
— Matthew 7:1-2
“When we experience a wound and close our hearts in un-forgiveness
we inevitably form judgments about the other person, ourselves, or life. These
judgments then become restrictions to our heart that cause us to perceive reality
with distortions, and limit our ability to experience God’s merciful love and
healing presence. We reap what we sow in the areas of judgments.
— John and Paula Sandford, The Transformation of the Inner Man, pages 237-266
F.2.
Inner Vows are decisions we make to save ourselves from hurt
“Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not
swear (vow) falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn
(vow).’ But I say to you, do not swear (vow) at all ... And do not swear
(vow) by your head ... Let what you say be simply ‘yes’ or ‘no’; anything
more than this comes from evil.”
— Matthew 5:33-37
“An inner vow is a determination set by the mind and heart into all the
being in early life … There are good and helpful vows as well as destructive
ones. Even the good ones need to be released, so that we are not impelled
by the flesh, but by the Spirit in freedom. … We must discern in each
case whether a vow is in fact at the root of trouble. Where inner vows do
lie at the root, seldom are they the sole factor even if major. They work in
tandem with bitter roots, resentments and fears, etc.”
PAGE 26
— John and Paula Sandford, The Transformation of the Inner Man, pages 191-204
inner vows
Promises we make to ourselves out of
fear, wounds, or judgments.
“I will never be like my mother, father, brother, abuser”
“I will not trust or be vulnerable”
NOTES
beliefs
Lies - what we believe about us
Judgments - what we believe about others
wounds
filled with
pain
G.
Spiritual Strongholds
G.1.
Strongholds are fortresses of our minds and hearts that become prisons
“Strongholds are like concrete fortresses we’ve constructed around our
lives block by block, ordinarily over the course of years. We created them,
whether or not we were aware, for protection and comfort.
Remember the shelters in Gideon’s day? Inevitably, however these
fortresses become prisons. At some point we realize we no longer
control them. They control us.”
— Beth Moore, Breaking Free, page 226
G.2.
Unconfessed sins and unhealed wounds become strongholds
“If you don’t conquer Satan’s temptation right at the threshold of your
mind you will begin to mull his thought over, consider it an option and
eventually choose to act it out. Repeated acts form a habit and if you
exercise a sinful habit long enough, a stronghold will be established in your
mind. Once a stronghold has been established you have lost your ability to
control your behavior in that area.”
— Dr. Neal Anderson, The Bondage Breaker, page 54
PAGE 27
NOTES
G.3.
Strongholds affect spiritual, psychological, physical and relational health
•
Spiritual strongholds
destory trust and communion with God;
distort our perception of who God is
•
Psychological strongholds fragment our souls, minds, and emotions
•
Physical strongholds
•
Relational strongholds
may harm our bodies through stress and disease
damage trust and intimacy in relationships
H.
Demonic Strongholds
H.1.
Demonic influences may hinder our freedom in a particular area of life
“Loss of control normally starts small and grows over time in visible
control. A lie is planted and believed. A temptation is acted out. A
wound is incurred and left to fester. Our life changes according to what we
believe—to us it is true. We see the world as we are, not as it is.
Just as there is an instant in time when a person with a cold caught it, there
is an instant in time when a demon begins executing its plan against a
person, when it enters a person, etc... ”
— Andy Reese, Sozo Training Manual, page 25
H.2.
We need to be able to identify the entryway for these demonic strongholds
“I ask the Lord to show me the entryway, the faulty foundations, the lies on
which the person has based his thinking … following are some of the most
common points of entry:
• Response to trauma
• Involvement in the occult
• Self-inflicted curses (or pacts with the devil)
• Circumstances of birth (abandonment and rejection)
• Association and environment (friendships or entertainment)
• Willful sins (repeated sexual sins out of lust can lead to bondage)
• Family sin (family of origin and generations)
PAGE 28
— Neal Lozano, Unbound, pages 42-48
I.
Barriers to Facing Our Brokenness
I.1.
Shame keeps us hiding in fear
“‘Then the eyes of both were opened, and they realized that they were
naked; they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths’
NOTES
(Genesis 3:6). This passage, which speaks about the reciprocal shame of
the man and the woman as a symptom of the fall … should be considered
in its context. Shame touches in that moment the deepest level and seems
to shake the very foundation of their existence. ‘I heard the sound of your
step in the garden, and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself ’ (Genesis 3:9-10). A certain fear is always part of the very essence of
shame.”
— St. John Paul II, Theology of the Body, #27:1
I.2.
Pride leads us to put on a false front
“Before we examine the advantages of admitting our broken state, let’s look
at the disadvantages of pretending. This is what your life will look like if
you deny your brokenness:
• You will lie constantly for fear that someone will see how ‘messed up’
you are
•
You will lead a double life - one that is ‘Christian’ and one that is hidden
• You will be super spiritual and moralistic in order to throw people off
your trail
• You will be superficial in your relationships and be what others want
you to be
• You will feel constantly guilty
•
You will project a false self because the real self is unacceptable to you
• Sometimes you will hate yourself and believe that God hates you
These are the characteristics of someone who needs to ‘have it all together’.
He is not free to be who he really is.”
— Russell Willingham, Breaking Free, page 126
PAGE 29
NOTES
J.
Facing Our Broken Condition
J.1.
Admitting our broken condition
“You may be wondering what advantage there is to admitting your
broken state. Doesn’t that just empower the problem and give glory to
Satan and keep you stuck in the victim role? The answer is no. The fact is
all of us are broken. We have no choice in that matter. (Romans 8:20). We
only have two choices—what form our brokenness will take and whether or
not we will admit our brokenness. “However the man who understands the
grace of God and admits his broken state has great
advantages. If you move in the direction of truth and honesty, this is what
your life will look like:
• You will not need to hide
• You will seek out other honest people whom you can trust with your
brokenness
• You will know that brokenness is a permanent part of the human
condition
•
You will know that your sexuality is broken and will take time to heal
• You will be gracious toward other broken people instead of critical and
self-righteous
• You will know that change, growth, maturity and wholeness are a
process and not an event
• You will be patient with yourself, but not permissive
• You will live in constant gratitude for a God who accepts you,
brokenness and all
• That gratitude—not fear and guilt—will be the motive for your
obedience”
— Russell Willingham, Breaking Free, pages 126-127
J.2.
Facing our Negative Emotions
“God has created us with the ability to experience negative emotions for a
reason! If we can learn to recognize their purpose, negative emotions can
be very constructive. Having a negative emotion can actually be a positive
experience, if we can learn to return to joy and respond to it
appropriately”
PAGE 30
— Ed Khouri, Restarting, page 37
Journaling Activity: Facing Your wounds
JOURNAL EXERCISE
1. Pray with Psalm 139.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you
discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it
altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge
is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or
where shall I flee from your presence?
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for
I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the
depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in our book were written, every one
of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious
to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. Search me,
O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous
way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
1.a.Read the passage once to get familiar with the text
1.b.Slowly read the passage a second time
1.c.Very, very slowly read the passage a third time
Talk to God about what is on your heart ... and listen ...
2. Using the handout of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil (See page 87),
see how your sins and wounds are interconnected. To do this:
2.a.Reflect upon your habitual sins. What are sins you continue to fall into?
Write these on the top of the tree where it reads, “Fruit, Manifestaton of Sin.”
Deadly Sin
Pride
2.b.Identify the primary deadly sin(s) that keep(s) you bound.
Write those in on the trunk of the tree.
Envy
Gluttony
Lust
Anger
Greed
Sloth
PAGE 31
Journaling Activity continued ...
JOURNAL EXERCISE
inner vows
3.
Promises we make to ourselves out of
fear, wounds, or judgments.
“I will never be like my mother, father, brother, abuser”
“I will not trust or be vulnerable”
beliefs
Lies - what we believe about us
Judgments - what we believe about others
Using the diagram to the left, identify your wounds,
beliefs, and vows and record in your journal:
wounds
filled with
pain
3.a.Identify an event where you were wounded.
Describe it. What happened? 3.b. Which of the Seven Deadly Wounds did you experience through that event? Wounds
Abandonment
Shame
Fear
Powerlessness
Rejection
Hopelessness
3.c. What beliefs about yourself are held in those wounds? (e.g. Abandonment: I am alone,
unprotected, not understood).
PAGE 32
Confusion
Journaling Activity continued ...
JOURNAL EXERCISE
3.d. What judgments did you hold against others from that event? (“Men are selfish; Life is dangerous; etc.”) 3.e. What inner vows did you make in to protect yourself in that wound? (“I will never trust anyone again; I will not be
vulnerable; etc.”) PAGE 33
NOTES / JOURNALING
4. Return to the handout of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. Fill in the bottom part of the tree by writing in
the wounds, beliefs and vows.
• Can you see how your sins and wounds are interconnected? Describe this in your journal.
5. Write a prayer in your journal asking for God to free you from your sins and heal your wounds.
PAGE 34
Healing the
Whole
Person
Talk #4
Prayer for Inner Healing
A.
Contemplative Prayer
A.1.
Contemplative prayer is focused on Jesus and in Him the Father
“Contemplative prayer seeks him ‘whom my soul loves’. It is Jesus and in
him the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning
of love and we seek him with the pure faith which causes us to be born in
him and to live in him. In the inner prayer … our attention is fixed on the
Lord himself.”
A.2.
It is an intense experience of prayer, seeking healing of our inner being
“Contemplative prayer is also the pre-eminently intense time of prayer.
In it the Father strengthens our inner being with power through his Spirit
‘that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith’ and we may be ‘grounded
in love.’”
B.
Prayer of the Heart
B.1.
Inner healing prayer is an encounter with Jesus in our hearts
“According to Scripture it is the heart that prays. …The heart is our hidden
center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God
can fathom the human heart and know it fully. ... The heart … is the place
of truth … the place of encounter.”
— Catechism of the Catholic Church #2562-2563
B.2.
In our hearts we see our experiences in light of His truth and compassion
“Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. ‘I look at him and he
looks at me’ ... His gaze purifies our heart; the light of the countenance of
Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the
light of his truth and compassion.”
NOTES
PAGE 35
NOTES
C.
God’s Power
C.1.
Inner healing prayer is empowered by the Holy Spirit
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed
me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the
prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of
vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn; To place on those
who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, To give them oil of
gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless
spirit. They will be called oaks of justice, planted by the Lord to show
his glory.”
— Isaiah 61:1-3
C.2.
Inner healing relies on God’s power to restore our souls
“The essential action, that which differentiates healing of memories from
psychological methodologies, is the action of the Holy Spirit, pointing to
the presence of the Lord who is there. He has, as it were, walked into the
darkest hell of our existence; and even in the midst of the unfolding
memory drama, we look with the eyes of our heart and (as so often happens)
are enabled to see Him. We received from Him that healing word, glance,
or embrace we’ve so long needed. We forgive others their darkest sins
against us and He forgives us our sins and we receive from Him who
manifests the very love of God the Father the healing grace we’ve been
unable to receive before. We find out that He was there all along and that
healing action, had we only been able to look up and receive it.”
— Leanne Payne, The Broken Image, page 24
D.
Healing of Wounds
D.1.
In inner healing we ask Jesus to heal our psychological wounds
“You may ask just what is inner healing? What is healing of memories? It is
Jesus healing hurts and setting captives free. ... Inner healing is the healing of
the inner man: the mind, the emotions, the painful memories, the dreams. It
is the process through prayer whereby we are set free from our feelings of
resentment, rejection, anger, self-pity, depression, guilt, fear, sorrow, hatred,
feelings of inferiority, condemnation, or worthlessness. Inner healing is the
renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).”
PAGE 36
— Betty Tapscott and Fr. Robert De Grandis, Forgiveness and Inner Healing, page 13
D.2.
We ask Jesus to walk back into our life experiences to shine His light there
“In praying for inner healing we ask Jesus to walk back into our past and
heal every hurt. ... It is not seeing how much garbage we can remember.
It is throwing away all the garbage that is there. It is having Jesus shine
His divine light in all those dark places where Satan has hidden hurts and
painful memories. It is having Jesus walk hand in hand with us through
every second in our lives and being right there with us during unpleasant
situations and times of trauma. ... Every experience we have ever had has
molded our personalities. ... All of us need inner healing to some degree or
another.”
— Betty Tapscott and Fr. Robert De Grandis, Forgiveness and Inner Healing, pages 14-15
E.
A “New Heart”
E.1.
In salvation, we are promised a “new heart” by God
“Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Not for your
sakes do I act, house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you
profaned among the nations to which you came. I will prove the holiness
of my great name, profaned among the nations, in whose midst you have
profaned it. Thus the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord
God, when in their sight I prove my holiness through you. For I will take
you away from among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands,
and bring you back to your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon
you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will
cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I
will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to
observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your fathers; you shall
be my people, and I will be your God. I, the Lord, have promised, and I
will do it.”
— Ezekiel 36:22-28; 36
“The Lord’s anointing is ‘to heal the broken hearted’ (Isaiah 61:1); ‘we pray
for a clean heart and a steadfast spirit’ (Psalm 51:12). We are promised
‘a new heart and a new spirit.’ (Ezekiel 36:22-28). The Lord intends us
to know a new heart, a clean heart and a fleshy heart in place of a broken
heart, a wounded heart and a hardened heart. This is the Lord’s work and
in his time we know it.”
— Fr. Michael Scanlon, Inner Healing, page 54
E.2.
Inner healing prayer eventually transforms and restores our hearts
NOTES
“In a moment of grace that appears to be a climax of memory healings—
there is a crumbling of the hardened stony heart, or there is a washing clean
and new wholeness to the wounded heart, or there is a replacement of the
broken heart with the Lord’s pastoral heart.”
PAGE 37
NOTES
F.
Healing of Root Issues
F.1.
Wounds of un-love are at the root of our brokenness
“Wounds caused by a lack of love, or a distortion of love, are often at the
root of our brokenness. That’s why we call it ‘healing broken hearts’ …
healed by a positive experience of love. It is not enough to discover the
roots of the conflict. We must fill the emptiness with the merciful love that
flows from the heart of Jesus.”
F.2.
Wounds from early childhood are often the deepest roots that need healing
“We have made frequent reference to the healing of father memories. This
is because the scars of an unloving father relationship are so much at the
root of other problems. Normally children are introduced to God as Father.
If ‘Father’ means judgment, punishment, distance and abandonment, then
the child accepts God as such. Therefore a lifetime of spiritual activity can
be built on a sick foundation. ... The person accepts neither that God loves
him nor that intimacy and union with God are possible.”
“Our experience coincides with the findings of psychologists; that many of
the deepest hurts go way back to the time when we were most vulnerable
and least able to defend ourselves. There is a good deal of evidence that
some hurts go back before birth while the child is still being carried in the
mother’s womb. Just as John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth’s womb when
she heard Mary’s greeting, so every child seems sensitive to the mother’s
moods.”
— Francis MacNutt, Healing, page 147
G.
Deeply Held Beliefs
G.1.
Emotional pain is rooted in identity lies contained in our hurt memories
PAGE 38
“In the healing ministry we are not dealing with the symptoms, but with
the cause of problems. We shouldn’t spend too much time on the symptoms,
since they are only the surface aspect of the problem. We should work to
try and discover the basic cause. When Jesus healed it was effective at every
level because he untied the basic knot that caused all the other complications.”
“What we truly believe is made evident through our feelings. ... The present
emotional pain is an indicator that a lie-based belief is being exposed. All
lies have their original root in a memory source. When the lies contained
in these memory sources are identified and exposed to the light of Christ,
freedom can follow.”
— Dr. Ed Smith, Healing Life’s Hurts, pages 30-31
G.2.
The Holy Spirit brings truth and love into those root wounds
“When the Spirit of Christ brings truth into my thinking, He replaces the
NOTES
lie with truth, and I find genuine release and peace where I once only knew
pain. ... God is not limited in the way he chooses to deliver His truth to us.
Theophostic Prayer Ministry is but one method He uses. ... [But] Cognitively
receiving truth may have little or no impact on releasing a person from the
lie-based emotional pain in his or her life unless it is delivered to the heart
by the Holy Spirit”
— Dr. Ed Smith, Healing Life’s Hurts, page 31
H.
Forgiveness
H.1.
Forgiveness is central to inner healing
“God wants you to be free. He wants to heal you—spirit, soul and body.
However, we can never be completely free and healed until we forgive.
Forgiveness is the foundation for all healing. ... Many times unforgiveness
is also accompanied by hate, resentment, revenge, anger and bitterness. If
we allow these negative emotions to remain in our spirits, we perhaps will
end up with a physical problem such as arthritis, high blood pressure,
stomach problems, colitis or heart problems.”
— Betty Tapscott and Fr. Robert De Grandis, Forgiveness and Inner Healing, page 1
H.2.
Genuine healing requires forgiveness from the heart
“Forgiveness is a necessary part of the renewing process, but one should not
attend to it first. Before true forgiveness can be given, a wounded person
must understand clearly what the debt is that needs to forgive and why he
needs to release it. True forgiveness is a consequence of taking an account
of the debt that a person is owed and identifying the lie-based thinking that
has ‘joined’ the person to the debtor. The person must also find genuine
release from his own pain so that he can have compassion, toward the one
who has hurt him. …When the lies are removed and replaced with divine
truth, people are liberated from their old ‘victim’ mentality and freed to
find compassion and forgiveness for those who harmed them.”
— Dr. Ed Smith, Theophostic Prayer Ministry, page 99
PAGE 39
Praying for Inner Healing
1.
Identify the current distress symptoms
• What is currently distressing the person? What do they desire?
• What is the current trigger event and what are they feeling in that situation?
• What do they believe in their heart about themselves? (stronghold lie)
• What do they believe in their heart about other person? (judgment)
2.
Ask Jesus (Father or Holy Spirit) to show you the root of problem
• Encourage person not to try to pray or figure out—just listen and receive.
• The root may be one memory or a series of memories, or a feeling.
• The root may also be a womb experience or generational problem.
3.
Identify the painful experience and corresponding belief (lie)
• The pain and lie should match with initial distress and lie.
• If there is more than one memory identify the common thread.
• If the root problem is pre-verbal, there may not be memory only feelings.
• If the root issue is generational there may not be any emotion.
4.
Ask Jesus to reveal what he desires the person to know
• Some see pictures (Jesus revealing Himself to child).
• Some have a revelation of truth (“I am not to blame”).
• Some have a release of pain (I am not feeling alone anymore).
• Some have just a sense or an inner knowing (I am loved).
5.
If a person does not receive anything from Jesus—look for barriers
• The problem may be control due to an inner vow or judgment.
• The problem may be dissociation due to early trauma.
• The person may experience abandonment from God.
• The barrier may be a wall of anger, fear, denial or hopelessness.
• Ask the Lord to reveal and minister to the barrier and its source.
6.
When the person receives the healing from Jesus
• Check to see the fruit in the memory and original issue (compassion, peace, joy).
• Check the belief connected to original lie and judgment.
• Give thanks to Lord and seal the healing in His Blood and Spirit.
PAGE 40
tree of life
fruit of the spirit
(love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, selfcontrol)
virtue
(faith, hope, love,
prudence,
justice, fortitude,
temperance)
fruit of the spirit
virtue
(faith, hope, love,
prudence,
justice, fortitude,
temperance)
fruit of the spirit
Seven Contrary Virtues
Patience overcomes anger
Humility overcomes pride
Chastity overcomes lust
Diligence overcomes sloth
Abstinence overcomes gluttony
Kindness overcomes envy
Liberality overcomes greed
root of grace
{communion with god}
“I will let God love me in the places where
I feel most vulnerable and dependent”
renunciation of
the vows
the truth about
my identity
renunciation of
the Judgment
SEVEN SIGNS OF HEALING
Connected and understood replaces abandonment
Pure and worthy replaces shame
Safe and secure replaces fear
Empowered and liberated replaces powerlessness
Accepted and valued replaces rejection
Hopeful and encouraged replaces hopelessness
Understanding and enlightenment replaces
confusion
PAGE 41
Prayer for Sealing and Blessing
Father,
I thank you for this healing
through the name of Jesus Christ
and by the power of your Holy Spirit.
I praise you for your great mercy and power,
and for sending Jesus
in the power of the Spirit
to heal our broken hearts
and to free us from all bondage.
I ask now for you to seal this healing
and to close any remaining doorways,
by the precious blood of Jesus,
and the gentle ministry of your Holy Spirit.
I pray that you will bless
(me or other person)
now with a new infilling of your Spirit
and with a new understanding
and authority
of (my/their) identity in Jesus Christ.
Please especially bless (any area of wounding).
PAGE 42
Healing the
Whole
Person
Talk #5
A.
Suffering and Redemption
A.1.
Human suffering is an experience of evil
“Man suffers whenever he experiences any kind of evil. … Man suffers
on account of evil, which is a certain lack, limitation, or distortion of
good. We could say that man suffers because of a good in which he does
not share, from which in a certain sense he is cut off, or of which he has
deprived himself.”
— St. John Paul II, Salvici Doloris (On Human Suffering), #7
A.2.
Redemptive suffering is a means of grace
“Everyone knows pain is evil, but most do not realize pain is also very
important work. Instead, many people see only the pain of the Cross and
mistakenly think Christians view pain as good. They see only the pain, and
cannot see beyond it to grace. Thus they do not understand why one man
chose to dwell in the center of our desert of pain. One man stood tall in
the thrashing, fractured world, stood still and absorbed into Himself all the
pain the world could deal out. He did this so grace, the power necessary
to heal the world, could pour through Him like water through a pipe, like
water to a dry desert, to heal a dying world.”
— Steven Kellmeyer, Sex in the Sacred City, page 46
B.
Jesus’ Active Redemption
B.1.
In Jesus’ suffering and death on the Cross, human suffering is redeemed
“In the Cross of Christ not only is the redemption accomplished through
suffering, but also human suffering itself has been redeemed, Christ—
without any fault of his own—took on himself ‘the total evil of sin.’ The
experience of this evil determined the incomparable extent of Christ’s
suffering, which became the price of the redemption. The Song of the
Suffering Servant in Isaiah speaks of this.”
NOTES
PAGE 43
NOTES
B.2.
Jesus bore our sins and our wounds on the Cross
“He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to
infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held
him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he
endured, While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was
the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed”
— Isaiah 53:3-5
Jesus Christ Our Redeemer: Isaiah 53
our need
for
redemption
Our Redemption
through
Christ’s Sacrifice
He was accustomed to
infirmity, spurned and
avoided by men, He was
spurned and not esteemed
He bore our infirmities
By His chastisement we are
made whole
He was a man of suffering
and acquainted with grief
He endured our sufferings
By His stripes we are healed
Offenses
He did no wrong, oppressed
and condemned, He was
taken away, He submitted
to harsh treatment
He was pierced for our
offenses, He won pardon for
our offenses, the will of God
is accomplished through
Him
Guilt
He was innocent but falsely
accused, He opened not his
mouth, spoke no falsehood
Upon Him was the guilt of
us all
He bore our guilt and many
are justified
Sins
Smitten for the sin of the
people, gave His life as an
offering for sin
He was crushed for our sins,
our sins are taken away
Death
Cut off from the land of
the living, a grave assigned
among the wicked
He shall see the light in
fullness of days
He shall see his descendants
in long life
Wounds
Sufferings
PAGE 44
Jesus’ Identification
with our
Condition
C.
Jesus Suffers in Truth and Love
C.1.
Jesus “descended into Hell”, and tasted the full effect of sin and wounds
NOTES
•
abandonment—He
experienced abandonment by his friends and by
God
•
•
•
•
•
•
C.2.
shame—He
was publicly condemned and humiliated
fear—He faced the fear of violence, death, rejection, and abandonment
powerlessness—Jesus willingly submitted to powerlessness on the
Cross
rejection—Jesus was despised and rejected by the people
hopelessness—Jesus faced his death without giving in to despair
confusion—Jesus’ identity was totally confounded in the public eye
Jesus left us an example of how to suffer without sin or losing our identity
• Jesus continued in his suffering to receive His true name from the
Father
• He did not believe the lies - the messages of the wounds
• He did not sin in response to being wounded - breaking the cycle of
sin and wounds
“For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of a
consciousness of God, that is a grace ... For to this you have been called,
because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you
should follow in His footsteps. ... He committed no sin, and no deceit was
found in his mouth. ... When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when
he suffered he did not threaten; instead he handed himself over to the one
who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body, so that, free from
sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
— 1 Peter 3:19-24
D.
Mary Exemplifies our Receptive Redemption
D.1.
In communion with Jesus, we are called to share in His sufferings
“The Redeemer suffered in place of man and for man. Every man has his
own share in the redemption. Each one is also called to share in that
suffering through which the redemption was accomplished. He is called
to share in that suffering through which all human suffering has also been
redeemed. In bringing about the redemption through suffering, Christ has
also raised human suffering to the level of the redemption. Thus each man,
in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the
redemptive suffering of Christ… .”
PAGE 45
NOTES
D.2.
We are united with Jesus sacrifice through Mary (icon of the Church)
“That supreme act of sacrifice took place on Calvary and we ourselves were
there united with Jesus as his other self and bride in Mary. There we offered
ourselves with him by giving our consent and acceptance through Mary. On
Calvary Mary is no mere spectator; she was deeply involved in that
supreme act of Jesus. She alone saw Calvary as a sacrifice; others saw it only as
the cruel and unjust sacrifice of an innocent man. Jesus alone is our Savior, for
he alone was the priest and victim of sacrifice, offering himself as the head of
all mankind to remove the debt of sin and reinstate us into friendship with the
Father. But to do that he needed our consent and acceptance, and that is what
Mary gave in the name of all mankind …”
— Fr. Bartholomew Gottemoller, Mary: God’s Supreme Masterpiece, page 43
E.
E.1.
Jesus suffering and death is the means for our healing
“When it was evening, they brought in many who were possessed by demons, and
he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been
said by Isaiah the prophet: ‘He took away our infimities and bore our diseases.”
— Matthew 8:16 - 17
E.2.
Our Healing is dependent on facing our own suffering with Jesus
“We are told that Jesus died for our sins, yet we are also told in Isaiah 53:4,
“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” The truth is that any
wound of the soul so deep that it is not healed by our own self-
searching and prayer is inevitably connected with a subconscious awareness
of sin, either our own sin or our grievous reactions to the sins of others. The
therapy that heals these deep wounds could be called the forgiveness of sins or it
could be called the healing of memories. Whatever one calls it, there are in many
of us wounds so deep that only the mediation of someone else to whom we
can ‘bare our grief ” can heal us.’”
— Agnes Sandford, The Healing Gifts of the Spirit, page 110
E.3.
Our redemptive suffering helps us overcome our tendency to sin
“Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the
same attitude (for whoever suffers in the flesh has broken with sin), so as not
to spend what remains of one’s life in the flesh on human desires, but on the
will of God.”
PAGE 46
— 1 Peter 4: 1-2
F.
Demolishing Strongholds
F.1.
By His death and resurrection Jesus gives power to demolish strongholds
“For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war,
NOTES
for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to
destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to
the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5) … Now let’s consider what Saint Paul meant by
demolishing strongholds. The word demolish implies a kind of destruction
requiring tremendous power, to be exact, divine power. Much of the reason
believers have remained in a yoke of slavery is because we swat at our
strongholds like they are mosquitoes.”
F.2.
Human effort is useless in demolishing strongholds
“No amount of discipline or determination will do it. Satanic strongholds
require divine demolition.
• Every stronghold is related to something we have exalted to a higher
level than God in our life.
• Every stronghold pretends to bring something we feel we must have:
aid, comfort, the relief of stress, or protection.
• Every stronghold in the life of a believer is a tremendous source of
pride for the enemy. Let that make you mad and determine to stop
giving him satisfaction.
Often the enemy will stir up pride in us to keep strongholds from being
broken. Humility is a necessary part of the mind—set for someone ready to
be free… the proud are never the free.”
— Beth Moore, Breaking Free, page 226-229
F.3.
Strongholds are broken when the lies supporting them are replaced with truth
“Demolition of strongholds really begins when we expose and tear down the
lies fueling our strongholds. We cannot repeat this enough deception is the
glue that holds a stronghold together. By the time a stronghold exists, our
minds are covered with lie.”
F.4.
In place of demonic strongholds, Jesus himself becomes our stronghold
“My strength, your praise I will sing; you, God, are my fortress, my loving God.”
— Psalm 59:18
PAGE 47
NOTES
G.
Virtues and the Fruit of the Spirit
G.1.The
Tree of Life is filled with virtues and spiritual fruit
“Baptism is the foundation of our Christian identity. When we were baptized,
God gave us some incredible gifts. In addition to washing our souls clean of
original sin, he infused us with sanctifying grace, gave us the three theological
virtues of faith, hope, and charity, bestowed on us the seven gifts of the
Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety,
fear of the Lord), granted us moral virtues (prudence, justice, temperance),
and empowered us to bear the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit (charity, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty,
self-control, chastity). To have an identity in Christ is to live out these freely
given virtues and qualities in the unique way the circumstances of our lives
demand. To have an identity in Christ is also to pursue the reason God put
us on this earth. What are we here to do? What is our mission.”
— Gregory Popcak, For Better … For Ever, page 21
Tree of Life: Life According to the Spirit
Love
Patience
Peace
Gentleness
Faithfulness
Goodness
Kindness
Joy
Self-control
Cardinal Virtues
Prudence
Fortitude
Temperance
Justice
PAGE 48
Theological Virtues
faith, hope, & love
G.2.Self-reliance
seven deadly sins are overcome with the seven contrary virtues
The Contrary Virtues were derived from the Psychomachia (“Battle for the
Soul”), an epic poem written by Prudentius (c. 410). Practicing these
virtues is alleged to protect one against temptation toward the seven deadly
sins. These are under the larger umbrella of the cardinal virtues.
G.4.
The fruit of the Spirit replaces the manifestation of sins
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit
are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you
from doing what you would. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not
under the law. Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity,
licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness,
dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn
you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit
the kingdom of God.”
— Galatians 5: 16-21
H.
Healing Graces
H.1.
Healing is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit
“You can really know the ‘peace of God, which passes all comprehension’
(Philippians 4:7), walk in genuine victory and release those who have hurt
you. I say this because I have found peace in places that I have never known
peace before as I have allowed the Spirit of Christ to lead me into places
that I did not want to go in my memories and have felt the pain those
memories contained. I have found peace in every memory that I have
visited, and look forward to the freedom that is still yet to come. ... In
summary, genuine healing will exhibit characteristics that demonstrate its
validity. The healing will be permanent and will not require maintenance to
sustain it. It will result in lifestyle changes and enhanced personal
relationships. The final outcome will be the presence of true compassion
and forgiveness of those who have hurt us.”
— Dr. Ed Smith, Healing Life’s Hurts, pages 108-109
NOTES
“God’s greatest gift to mankind is our call to share in his own divine life of
friendship: to be united with God, as he is in himself, in all the riches of his
ineffable being, and not merely as he can be known through his creation.
But in this life we can only know God, as he is in himself, though Faith,
that is, through believing what He has told us about Himself, especially
through Jesus. And we can only unite ourselves with Him as such, only
through Hope and Love based on that Faith. Hence, in this life, our
friendship with God can only be lived through the three theological virtues
of Faith, Hope and Love.”
— Fr. Bartholomew Gottemoller, Mary: God’s Supreme Masterpiece, page 135
G.3.The
(root sin) is overcome with theological virtues
PAGE 49
NOTES
H.2.
Seven signs of healing (and communion) replace the seven deadly wounds
When we are healed in a particular area of our life we find freedom in
the areas where we were wounded. To illustrate, if we have experienced a
wound of abandonment (with feelings of being alone or not understood),
we will experience the opposite after the wound is healed. Rather than
abandonment we will experience communion with feelings of being
connected and understood.
Signs of Healing and the Fruit of the Spirit
Love
Patience
Peace
Kindness
Faithfulness
Self-control
Goodness
Joy
Gentleness
truth
I am not worthless—I am loved and accepted
truth
I am not alone—God is always with me
truth
I am not dirty—Jesus cleansed me
Seven Signs of Healing
Understanding and enlightenment replaces confusion
PAGE 50
JOURNAL EXERCISE
Journaling Activity: Inner Healing Prayer
1. Pray with Romans 8:31-39
What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for
us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who
acquits us. Who will condemn? It is Christ [Jesus] who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril,
or the sword? As it is written:“For your sake we are being slain all the day; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all
these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Romans 8: 31 - 39
Talk to God about what is on your heart ... and listen ...
2. Reflecting on your time receiving ministry these past 2 days (during inner healing prayer, reconciliation, adoration, journaling,
interaction with others)
a.
In what way did you experience “the love of Christ” and His “intercession” for you?
PAGE 51
JOURNAL EXERCISE
b. In what ways are you now free from condemnation?
c.
In what way has “Christ conquered overwhelmingly” through His love in the midst of your suffering?
3. Review your prayer ministry experience by addressing the following questions:
a.
What was your “current dilemma” where you experienced emotional pain?
b. What “root memories” were revealed to you?
c.
What “core beliefs” (lies, judgments and inner vows) about yourself or others kept you bound?
PAGE 52
JOURNAL EXERCISE
d. How did Jesus reveal his love and truth to you in that memory (or those memories, if more than one)?
e.
What is the “new identity” that you received from Jesus in the healing?
f.
Describe the suffering you experienced in this time of ministry? How was it redemptive and healing?
4. Using the handout of the TREE OF LIFE (See page 88), fill in the areas of the tree corresponding to what you received
in prayer. Start at the bottom of the tree:
a. Record the “Truths” you received about your “Identity in Christ” in the space below and them write them on the Tree of
Life diagram at the roots.
b.
Check the fruit of the healing in your emotions. Circle the ones below in the “Seven Signs of Healing” and then record
them underneath the root systems in the tree diagram.
Seven Signs of Healing
PAGE 53
JOURNAL EXERCISE
c.
Which of the “Theological Virtues” (Faith, Hope and Love) were experienced in the ministry time? In what ways?
Write them at the base of the tree diagram.
d.
Which of the “Cardinal Virtues” (Prudence, Fortitude, Temperance or Justice) or “Seven Contrary Virtues”
(Patience, Humility, Chastity, Diligence, Abstinence, Kindness, or Liberality) were evidenced during or after your
ministry time. Record that at the trunk of the tree.
e.
Identity which of the “Fruit of the Spirit” (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness, Goodness, Gentleness
and Self-Control) you experienced through the ministry or after. Write those down here - and then place on the top
of the Tree of Life diagram.
PAGE 54
Healing the
Whole
Person
Talk #6
Healing Grace and the Sacraments
A.
Oil and Wine
A.1.
Jesus as the Good Samaritan
NOTES
“A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest
happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by
on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw
him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came
upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the
victim, poured wine and oil over his wounds and bandaged them. Then
he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him.”
— Luke 10:30-34
A.2.
Wine and oil are Biblical images of love and Sacrament
In his commentary on Luke’s Good Samaritan, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
describes wine as an image of love (charismatic movement of God) and oil as
an image of Sacrament (institutional movement of God).
“This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is
beyond all understanding and description. Scripture speaks of it in images:
life, light, peace, wedding feast, wine of the kingdom, the Father’s house, the
heavenly Jerusalem, paradise: ‘no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart
of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.’”
A.3.
Healing requires both the charismatic and Sacramental
“The institutional and charismatic aspects are co-essential as it were to the
Church’s constitution.
— St. John Paul II, Lay Members of Christ’s Faithful People, December 30, 1988
PAGE 55
NOTES
B.
Grace
B.1.
Sanctifying Grace
“Grace is first and foremost the gift of the Spirit who justifies and sanctifies us.
But grace also includes the gifts that the Spirit grants us to associate us
with his work, to enable us to collaborate in the salvation of others and in
the growth of the Body of Christ, the Church. Sanctifying grace is the
gratuitous gift of his life that God makes to us; it is infused by the Holy
Spirit into the soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it.”
B.2. Sacramental Grace
“The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant
are necessary for salvation. ‘Sacramental grace’ is the grace of the Holy Spirit,
given by Christ and proper to each sacrament. The Spirit heals and transforms
those who receive him by conforming them to the Son of God. The fruit of
the sacramental life is that the Spirit of adoption makes the faithful partakers
in the divine nature by uniting them in a living union with the only Son, the
Savior.”
B.3.
“Charismatic Grace”
“There are furthermore special graces, also called charisms after the Greek
term used by Saint Paul and meaning ‘favor,’ ‘gratuitous gift,’ ‘benefit.’
Whatever their character—sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of
miracles or of tongues—charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace”
B.4. Healing requires both the charismatic and Sacramental
“The institutional and charismatic aspects are co-essential as it were to the
Church’s constitution.
— St. John Paul II, Lay Members of Christ’s Faithful People, December 30, 1988
C.
Effects of Grace
C.1.Grace
PAGE 56
cleanses us
“Sanctifying grace is the gratuitous gift of his life that God makes to us; it is
infused by the Holy Spirit into the soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it.”
“Sanctifying grace cleanses us of sin and its effects”
— Pope Benedict XVI
C.2.Grace
fills us
“What is the difference between sanctifying and Sacramental grace?
Sanctifying grace cleanses us of sin and its effects; Sacramental grace
communicates the indwelling of God Himself into the cleansed soul; which
NOTES
in turn results in more sanctifying grace, which allows more indwelling,
until at last we reach heaven fully cleansed, and are fully permeated with
the indwelling of God. … What develops to maturity is the life of God
in us, which we touch and receive and enter into during the mass, in the
Eucharist, configuring and conforming us to Christ.” — Pope Benedict XVI
C.3.
Grace allows us to radiate Christ to the world
“Sacramental grace then delivers to the cleansed soul, the indwelling
presence of God, the indwelling of the Trinity that, if we are without
resistance or objection truly living the full life of faith as given to us by
the Church, should be growing in us our whole lives long. And in passing
through us, Sacramental grace can then make us like windows of seven
different colors, stained glass windows depicting the life of Christ in us
even as much—no, more, because it is real—as the stained glass windows
in a cathedral.”
— Pope Benedict XVI
D.
“He poured wine over his wounds”
D.1.
Jesus and wine
“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother
of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
— John 2:1-4
“This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is
beyond all understanding and description. Scripture speaks of it in images
... wine of the kingdom.”
D.2.
The “wine” is restored in Jesus’ fulfillment of the Bridegroom Messiah and
subsequent gift of the Holy Spirit
“Through his grace, the Holy Spirit is the first to awaken faith in us and to
communicate to us the new life”
PAGE 57
NOTES
D.3.
The “wine” helps us receive the “oil” where we need it the most
“With ever more accurate darts of love the Holy Spirit opens our consciences
before God so that deeper and more effective healing can occur; at times his
coming is so pure that it causes us to have pain and recoil at the level of
intimacy God wishes his Son to achieve in our being.”
“Something greater than the mantras of self-help gibberish and post-modern
syncretism is demanded if spiritual healing is to occur. An encounter must
occur. We must be seized with the presence. In this presence, perhaps dramatic
at first, perhaps not, we appropriate meaning, love, and healing at ever
expanding levels of integration throughout our life.”
“The work of the Spirit must be met with a vulnerable faith so as to receive the
truth of who Christ is from within the poverty of our being. ‘He must increase
and I must decrease’ (John 3:30).”
“To receive the healing of sinful affections, we must be in line with the truth
about our interior state and seek reconciliation where necessary.”
(Quoting Jean Corbon, O.P) “The healing of sinful affections may happen
at such deep levels as to escape our capacity to articulate our real needs. God
answers our groans, our sufferings, with the silent coming of the Holy Spirit ...
instilling within the reality of Christ living his mysteries over again in our
lives. Our groans, our pain, our need for healing is met by the silent power
of love itself taking up residence within us. Our free ‘yes’ meets the free gift of
the mystery of Christ’s Passover, reaching ‘depths not touched by the wounds
death has inflicted on us’; thus in holy communion we are healed in peace,
not with emotional upheaval or storm ... but as quietly as the epiclesis (the
renewing Spirit) itself.”
“It is this divine self-giving and the positive human response to accept
such love that healing is known. Trust, vulnerability, rapt listening,
integrity all precede the fullness of healing; otherwise God could
incorrectly be seen as entering a magic relationship and not one of
human freedom and fullness. We must present ourselves in such a way
that Christ can enter our hearts with truth. And such a way of
presenting ourselves is encapsulated in the virtue of humility.”
(Quoting Thomas Dubay, S.M.) “the healing of our deepest wounds comes
from contemplative intimacy with the indwelling Trinity and the deep conversion
that makes such intimacy possible. Only a contemplative intimacy can
continue to receive the healing benefits of the Eucharist throughout the day.”
PAGE 58
— Deacon Jim Keating, The Eucharist and Healing the Affection for Sin,
D.4.
Objective grace subjectively received
NOTES
“Pope John Paul II implies that the face of Christ can be obscured even in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation and must be secured by the objective rite itself in
combination with the subjective dispositions of both priest and penitent. Such
dispositions can carry or prevent the deeper reception of moral and spiritual
healing that is the sacrament’s end.”
— Deacon James Keating, Mystical Metanoia: The Sacrament of Reconciliation
“The sacrament is subjectively meaningful to penitents when they can
prayerfully experience this passionate meaning of the Sacrament; the Father
desires them, God wants to be in communion with them. Rushing the Sacrament to accommodate those who are waiting outside the reconciliation
room appears ill conceived. ... To follow the form with the right intention
brings about forgiveness objectively. It is just as true, however, that the
prayerful presence of the priest facilitates the subjective appropriation of this
work of divine forgiveness.”
— Deacon James Keating, Mystical Metanoia: The Sacrament of Reconciliation
D.5.
The importance of contemplative prayer
“Contemplative prayer is a communion in which the Holy Trinity conforms
man, the image of God, ‘to his likeness.’”
“Our heart, our conscience must first pass through our love of the Paschal
Mystery if the sacrament is to be subjectively meaningful ... To simply remember
our sins and feel bad about our human failures is not enough. This selfknowledge must be placed in the context of ‘the blood’ and ‘of mercy.’ If we
do this we will not be ‘confused’ about our sins, rather we will experience the
healing of our affection for sin and the drying up of the roots of specific temptations.
— Deacon James Keating, Mystical Metanioa: The Sacrament of Reconciliation
“Tell me where it hurts.”
— Wilma Toups, Fr. Mark’s grandmother
E.
“He poured oil over his wounds”
E.1.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
“The sinner reveals wounds so that the medicine of reconciliation can be
effective. In the Sacrament of Penance, binding of wounds with the right
medicine of advice, consolation, and correction is a genuine work of the priest
before the absolution of the penitent is given, an absolution where the
priest acts in the Person of Christ ...”
— Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, The Priest: Physician of Souls
PAGE 59
NOTES
E.2.
Reaching the root issues
“It is precisely through the Sacrament of Reconciliation that inner healing can
reach the roots of sins most easily. If priests were fully aware of the healing
power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation they would use it in every possible
case. The priest who reduces the sacrament to mere absolution is sadly
reducing the power of the Sacrament.”
E.3.
PAGE 60
The power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation
“The Devil fears one good confession more than anything else.”
— Fr. Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist in Rome
F.
Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation
F.1.
Identify the root wound and ask Jesus to reveal which sins were born out of
the wound. Make a general confession through the “lens” of the wound so
the Sacramental grace cleanses the wound.
F.2.
Practical steps
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Confession of sins
Identification of wound
Confirmation of difficulty (by Holy Spirit)
Explanation and spiritual direction
Penance and absolution
Praying for healing, deliverance, strengthening
•
Step 1
•
Steps 2 & 3
•
Steps 4 & 5
•
Steps 6
Priests can help with examination. Empty your mind. Let the Holy
Spirit convict you and show which areas of your life need repentance.
Now ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you are doing that is blocking
or impeding his love.
Two questions in identifying root sin and wound:
1. “What do you think caused the problem?”
2. “Where did the problem first begin?”
Not necessarily long process as in counseling ... Sacrament of Penance
can be brief listening to Spirit. The priest is instrument of Holy Spirit.
Explanation and absolution. Once there has been a confirmation of
the root problem or sins, the priest explains to the penitent that the
Lord Jesus Christ will forgive or confirm the forgiveness already
received through the absolution of the Sacrament. The priest mentions
that a prayer for healing and possibly deliverance will follow the absolution.
Praying for healing, deliverance and strengthening. The priest
introduces these prayers simply, quietly and naturally. It is most natural
that the Lord Jesus would touch the penitent with his
healing, freeing and strengthening love.
— Fr. Michael Scanlon, The Power of Penance, pages 25-49
G.
Generational Eucharist
G.1.
The Eucharist is a powerful source of healing grace
NOTES
“The healing power of the Eucharist has been attested to by many of the
great champions of Christianity, great saints such as Saint Elizabeth
of Hungary, Saint Malachy, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Bernard, and
Saint Theresa of Avila … Many of the terminal illnesses that were instantly
cured through the intercession of Saint Augustine of Hippo occurred in
the post communion period of the Mass he was celebrating. There were
not only obvious signs of healing among the living, during the Eucharist,
but also countless revelations that affirm that the dead had been ‘healed’ in
some way; and the living released from transmitted bondage within their
family tree by this Sacrament.”
— Fr. John Hampsch, Healing Your Family Tree, pages 275-276
G.2.
A generational Eucharist is offered for the sins and wounds of ancestors
“We have to keep in mind that the persons included here must be not only
those who are alive, but those who are deceased. We pray that each person
related to us, proximately or remotely, be brought under God’s light and
love, requesting and receiving God’s forgiveness.
“This includes situations like infant deaths in abortion and miscarriage; also
sudden deaths of victims of murder, fire, drowning, earthquakes, crashes,
etc. For those persons who at the moment of death perhaps were not completely aligned with God’s will, there may need to be a healing, even after
they have crossed the threshold of life into eternity.
“Normally, the healing service concludes with a Eucharistic service in which
prayers are offered to God to cut any negative bondage between ourselves
and past generations and between presently living generations and future
unborn generations. The participants in the program are
encouraged to offer prayers of real forgiveness for those who have
offended them, living or dead, since your own resentment will induce a
curse on your own offspring (Job 5:2-4).”
— Fr. John Hampsch, Healing Your Family Tree, pages 29-30
H.
He “Bandaged” his wounds
H.1.
The wound must first be healed
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a person it roams through arid regions
searching for rest but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my home
from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it empty, swept clean,
and put in order. Then it goes and brings back with itself seven other spirits
more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there; and the last condition
of that person is worse than the first.”
— Matthew 12:43-45
PAGE 61
NOTES
H.2.
Bandaging the wound with virtue
“Sanctifying grace is an habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition
that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love.
Habitual grace, the permanent disposition to live and act in keeping with God’s
call, is distinguished from actual graces which refer to God’s interventions,
whether at the beginning of conversion or in the course of the work of
sanctification.”
“The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and the will that
govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with
reason and faith. They can be grouped around the four cardinal virtues:
prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.”
H.3.
Bandaging the wound with discernment
“Rules for becoming aware and understanding to some extent the
different movements which are caused in the soul, the good, to receive them,
and the bad to reject them”
— Spiritual Exercises #313
•
•
•
PAGE 62
Aware
Understand
Act
“In persons who are going from mortal sin to mortal sin, the enemy is
ordinarily accustomed to propose apparent pleasures to them, leading them
to imagine sensual delights and pleasures in order to hold them more and
make them grow in their vices and sins. In these persons the good spirit
uses a contrary method, stinging and biting their consciences through their
rational power of moral judgment.”
— St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises #314
“In persons who are going on intensely purifying their sins and rising
from good to better in the service of God our Lord, the method is contrary
to that in the first rule. For then it is proper to the evil spirit to bite, sadden,
and place obstacles, disquieting with false reasons, so that the person may
not go forward. And it is proper to the good spirit to give courage and
strength, consolations, tears, inspirations and quiet, easing and taking away all
obstacles, so that the person may go forward.”
“Likewise he conducts himself as a leader, intent upon conquering and
robbing what he desires. For, just as a captain and leader of an army in the
field, pitching his camp and exploring the fortifications and defenses of a
stronghold, attacks it at the weakest point, in the same way the enemy
of human nature, roving about, looks in turn at all our theological,
cardinal and moral virtues; and where he finds us weakest and most in need
for our eternal salvation, there he attacks us and attempts to take us”
Journaling Activity: Preparing for Reconciliation
JOURNAL EXERCISE
1. Pray with Daniel 9:3-19
“I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer… I prayed to the Lord,
MY confessed, ‘Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful
covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments! We have
sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your
commandments and your laws…. Justice, O Lord is on your side; we are shamefaced even to this day… like our kings, princes and our fathers, for having sinned against you. But yours O Lord, are compassion and forgiveness! …On account
of our sins and the crimes of our fathers… your people have become a reproach of all
of our neighbors. Hear therefore, O God, the prayer and petition of your servant; and
for your own sake O Lord, let your face shine {on us} When we present our petition
before you, we rely not on our just deeds, but on your great mercy. O Lord, hear! O
Lord, pardon! O Lord, be attentive and act without delay, for your own sake.
Talk to God about what is on your heart… and listen…What is he speaking to you through this passage?
PAGE 63
JOURNAL EXERCISE
2. Prepare for the Generational Eucharist by circling all that applies in your family.
Remember to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His Truth. He may give you an area that is not listed below, but it is essential to put down all areas revealed to you in order to break the patterns of generational sin.
Unusual and Violent Deaths or Severe Trauma
Identify, by name, the people in your family who:
• Committed or attempted suicide
• Murdered or died in tragic ways such as accidents or wars
• Committed an abortion or participated in/sponsored an abortion
• Repeated miscarriages
• Died in a mental institution, nursing home or prison (especially those who felt lonely, unloved and/or abandoned)
• Those who were not given a Christian burial, including committal services or prayer, or were unmourned.
• Those who were unnaturally grieved
• Untimely deaths
• Severe trauma, with evidence of effects passed on through the family (e.g., drowning, resulting in fear of water in other
members, especially descendants)
Evidence of Occult or Demonic Activity
•
•
•
•
•
Superstitions
Involved in the occult (e.g., witchcraft, astrology, spiritualism or divination)
Opening one’s self to powers of the spiritual realm, such as pre-cognition or other psychic abilities
Made a blood covenant with Satan or involved in satanic worship
Involved with a witch or other persons involved in the occult
Sexual Sins
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Adultery/fornication
Prostitution
Homosexuality/lesbianism
Incest
Pornography
Lust
Sexual promiscuity
Sexual perversions
Sexual addictions
Be sure to list all sexual partners and/or any soul-ties you have with another. This is extremely important. Even if it was not
sexual you may be tied spiritually, emotionally or mentally. If you are enjoined to another, you must be cut free from this
relationship. Remember that Jesus does not separate us from a person when we have been tied to him or her in ways that are
holy and within God’s plan and will. He only sets us free from the unholy or destructive part of the relationship. This is an
especially important step when you are married or planning to marry. Your marriage bed should only include you, your spouse
and God.
PAGE 64
Other Habitual Sins
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Violence
Abuse (physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual)
Addictions (alcoholism, nicotine, drugs, food, etc.)
Selfishness
Judgments
Destructive or abnormal patterns of relationships
Divorces
Hostility
Control
Manipulation
Domination
Revenge
Unforgiveness
Source: Christian Healing Center
Diagram the family tree and generational sins in your journal
3. Pray the follownig prayer in preparation for the Generational Eucharist- inserting all you identified in #2
Prayer for Renouncing Generational Sin
I stand as a representative for the generations of my family in the past and the future, representing both sides of my family
and myself.
Lord God, I ask for Your Mercy upon me and my family, to free us from the bondage of these generational sins and curses
that have been passed down through the family lines. In the name of Jesus Christ, and by the power of His blood shed on
Calvary, I renounce ( ___________________________________________________________________ etc).
Lord, I ask on behalf of my entire family for your forgiveness and healing.
We ask You to release us from any curses of sin, sickness, or disease, that may have come down through the family line.
We ask you to release us, our children of this family.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and I break every curse upon this
family line, and I cancel every familiar spirit that has had assignment in our family.
I now pray for blessings where there have been curses, and healing where there has been any sickness or disease—physical,
psychological, or spiritual.
Lord, we thank you for all of this, and offer our praise for your mercy and kindness towards me, and all my family.
Amen.
(For those with Satanic or Witchcraft cult involvement, or those with family backgrounds in Santeria, and similar tribal cults, Kabala, or Masonry (Masons, Eastern Star, etc.) you will need additional prayer for breaking specific vows and curses associated with them.)
PAGE 65
JOURNAL EXERCISE
4. Reflect on your experience in the Sacrament of Reconciliation
a. Identify the specific sins you confessed and place in branches of TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL
diagram (See page 89).
b. Identify the “Deadly Sins” that are underlying these sin behaviors (and place on trunk of tree) c. Identify the “Inner Vows” and “Bitter Root Judgments” that promote self-reliance (and write them at the base of the
tree).
d. Did your confession address all three of these areas - specific sins, deadly sins underlying them, inner vows and bitter-
root judgments? What was included and what was left out? Whatever was omitted, bring to the Generational Healing
Eucharist.
PAGE 66
Healing the
Whole
Person
Talk #7
A.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
A.1.
Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire
“I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming
after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will
baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.”
— Matthew 3:11
A.2.
Jesus is anointed for preaching, healing and deliverance
NOTES
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad
tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and
recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim
a year acceptable to the Lord.”
— Luke 4:18-19
A.3.
Jesus promised this same power of the Holy Spirit to His disciples
“John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the
holy Spirit”
— Acts 1:5
A.4.
The “baptism in the Spirit” is a release of our Baptismal graces
“The term ‘baptism in the Spirit’ indicates that there is something here that
is basic to baptism. We say that the outpouring of the Spirit actualizes and
revives our baptism … Catholic theology can help us understand how a
Sacrament can be valid and legal but ‘unreleased’ if its fruit remains bound
or unused, because of the absence of certain conditions that further its
efficacy.”
“Sacraments are not magic rites that act mechanically, without people’s
knowledge or collaboration. Their efficacy is the result of a synergy ...
between divine omnipotence (that is the grace of Christ and the Holy Spirit)
and free will. ... The fruit of the Sacrament depends wholly on divine grace,
however this divine grace does not act without the “yes”—the consent and
affirmation of the person … God acts like the bridegroom, who does not
impose his love by force, but awaits the free consent of the bride.”
— Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, Sober Intoxication of the Spirit, pages 40-43
PAGE 67
NOTES
A.5.
Personal experiences with baptism in the Spirit (John G. Lake story)
B.
Communion with Jesus
B.1.
Through our Baptism we are brought into communion with Jesus
“Living in the risen Christ, we baptized Christians have new powers. We
have become adopted children of God (Galatians 4:5; 3:26) and are aware
through the Holy Spirit that we live in a relationship similar to that which
exists between God the Father and his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ,
because we now have same life within us. In Baptism we become like Christ”
— Fr. George Maloney, The Mystery of Christ in You, page 27
B.2.
Living in Christ through the Holy Spirit
“Christians in Baptism receive the power of the Holy Spirit so that they
can live in Christ and in the Spirit. …The intimate union with Christ is
brought about and lived through the working of the Spirit who gives us the
power to turn away from the flesh and lovingly embrace the will of God
(1st Thessalonians 5:19).”
— Fr. George Maloney, The Mystery of Christ in You, page 51
C.
One Indivisible Church
C.1.
Two Dimensions
The Church is one indivisible reality: her visible and sacramental institutional dimension is inseparable from her invisible dimension, to which the
many and varied Charisms of the Spirit belong.
“...the whole Church is Charismatic, and so is each Christian by virtue of
his Baptism”
-Cardinal Leon Joseph Suenens, Renewal and the Powers of Darkness, 51
C.2.
The Holy Spirit reveals Himself in two ways
PAGE 68
“All through the Bible the Holy Spirit reveals Himself in two ways: through
His sanctifying work, which transforms a person who receives Him and
infuses him or her with a new heart, or through His charismatic actions. In
the latter case, He empowers certain people not so that He can dwell in
them and sanctify them from within, but so that He can act through them
in the community and for the good of the community.”
“If the sacraments are the established outlets of grace, the charisms are the
surprise outlets of grace and of the Holy Spirit.”
NOTES
C.3.
The Church is given life by these two channels of grace
“The complete Church—the living organism that is watered and given life
by the Holy Spirit—is the combination of the two channels or the result of
these two directions of grace. Sacraments are the gifts given to all for each
one’s use, while the charisms are gifts given to each one for the use of all.
The Sacraments are gifts given to the Church as a whole to sanctify
individuals; charisms are gifts given to individuals to sanctify the Church.”
D.
Sanctifying Gifts
D.1.
The Sanctifying Gifts are manifestations of our union with Christ in holiness
“The prophet Isaiah in announcing the coming of the Messiah declares that
‘the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; the spirit of wisdom and of
understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge
of godliness’, and since by Baptism we are incorporated into Christ, we
share in these same gifts, which according to Tradition are seven in number.”
— Fr. Adolphe Tanquerey, The Spiritual Life, pages 616-617
Sanctifying Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Isaiah 11:2
Intellectual Gifts
Description
Knowledge
Revelation of Divine mysteries
Understanding
Relation between mysteries
Wisdom
Insights into God’s ways
Counsel
Follow inspirations of the Spirit
Affective Gifts
Description
Fear of the Lord
Reverence toward God in love
Piety
Heartfelt devotion toward God
Fortitude
Strength to do God’s will
PAGE 69
NOTES
E.
Charismatic Gifts
E.1.
Charismatic gifts are manifest demonstrations of the power of the Spirit
“To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.
To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another
the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith
by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another
mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to
another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one
and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to
each person as he wishes”
— 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
E.2.
Charismatic gifts empower our mind, will, and speech
PAGE 70
“Notice the complete person will function in three areas of life. He will
have mind ability, communication ability and action ability. Now these
nine spiritual laws of God’s Spirit can be categorized in these three main
aspects, namely: mind gifts (revelation), which include gifts of: word of
wisdom, word of knowledge, and discerning of spirits; secondly
communication gifts, gifts of tongues, interpretations of tongues, and
prophecy; thirdly action gifts (power), which includes gifts of healing, gifts
of miracles, and the gift of faith. There are a total of nine supernatural
manifestations of the creative ability of Jesus Christ that will function
through every Christian believer ”
— Gerald Derstine, Destined to Mature, page 96
Type of Gift
Description of Gift
Revelation Gifts
Holy Spirit Working through the mind
Words of knowledge
Supernatural revelation of facts given by the Spirit
Words of wisdom
Supernatural insight by the Holy Spirit for guidance
Discerning of spirits
Supernatural ability to see into the spiritual realm
Sign Gifts
Holy Spirit Working through the body
Miraculous power
Supernatural acts of power transcending nature
Gifts of healing
Supernatural interventions to restore health
Gift of faith
Supernatural ability to actively trust in God
Speaking Gifts
Holy Spirit working through speech
Gift of prophecy
Supernatural ability to speak God’s message
Varieties of tongues
Supernatural ability to speak unknown languages
Interpreting tongues
Supernatural ability to interpret unknown languages
F.
F.1.
All the gifts of the Spirit are healing gifts
All of the gifts of the Spirit are healing gifts. They are very beneficial to
facilitate inner healing, physical healing, spiritual healing, relational
healing, cultural healing, the healing of the Body of Christ.
F.2.
Words of knowledge help us to know what the problem is
F.3.
F.4.
The following are ways to receive revelation from the Holy Spirit: feel it,
hear it, see it, read it, smell it, sense it, think it, dream it, experience it,
know it.
Words of Wisdom will help in discerning roots and how to pray
Discern when and how to share the revelation. Discern what the deeper
roots are. Discern how to pray. Offer the revelation with confidence but
not absolute certainty—allow their discernment. If a person is open to
receiving prayer, pray for the need revealed.
Discerning of spirits allows us to know the spiritual forces involved
Again these may be seen or smelled or felt or sensed or known. A
presence of an angel may increase faith for healing, or reveal how to pray.
A demon may need to be renounced or commanded to leave. It may also
reveal something about the roots. Seeing a person’s heart may show what
the barriers are to receiving healing.
F.5.
Gift of tongues may be helpful in praying for person
Praying in tongues may bypass need for understanding on both sides. It
may assist in more direct and powerful prayer. It may also assist both
minister and recipient let go and rely on God more.
F.6.
Gift of faith may assist both minister and recipient trust God
F.7.
F.8.
NOTES
Many times God will give a supernatural expectancy of faith for either the
one(s) praying or the one receiving prayer, allowing them to receive, or step
out boldly.
Gift of prophecy, or interpretation may encourage and heal
Often, the Lord may use prophecy to build trust and to encourage the
person being prayed for. It may also bring inner healing to the person in
an area that only He knows.
Gifts of healing and miracles
Ministry may require several types of healing so multiple gifts of healing
may be used on a team or in a particular individual. The healing may be
gradual or miraculous.
PAGE 71
NOTES
G.
Blessing of Identity
G.1.
Blessing through prayer
“Jesus received special blessings of His identity and destiny at His conception,
during his time in the womb, at His birth, through His circumcision and
dedication, at His baptism and at the major points of His life, prior to
going to the cross. Similarly, God desires our parents, the Church and even
society to be a channel of His blessing and protection to us. But we know
that none of us was blessed as Jesus was. Some of us were even neglected or
abused.”
— Neal Lozano, Unbound, page 108
G.2.
Our identity in Jesus
“As we find our identity in Jesus, we receive the very blessings that He
received from the Father when he took on our humanity. Just as Mary was
an instrument of that blessings to Jesus, speaking to Him the things she
treasured in her heart, so the Church, the ‘body of Jesus’ is meant to be an
instrument of the blessing that is ours in Christ.”
G.3.
Blessing through prophecy
“God’s blessing sometimes comes through a prophetic word. The New
Testament tells us that the gift of prophecy is meant for encouragement.
Most people would seek the gift if they understood how much Jesus wants
to bless His people by the power of the Spirit. He wants to speak His word
into our hearts and affirm our identity in Him.”
G.4.
God speaking into our hearts
“Such prophetic blessing involves two basic things. One is the awareness
that it is God who speaks. ... Second, prophetic blessing speaks deep into
PAGE 72
a person’s heart. God knows my name. He knows who I am. God
understands me like no other. Encouragement comes because God
speaks to the meaning and purpose of my life.”
Journaling Activity: Preparation for Blessing
1. Pray with Luke 3: 21-22 and Luke 4:16-20
“After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the
Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased’.”
“He came to Nazareth… into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed the scroll of the
prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to
proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and proclaim a year
acceptable to the Lord.’
Rolling up the scroll.. He said to them, ‘Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing’.
Talk to God about what is on your heart… and listen…What is he speaking to
you through this passage?
2. Do you see yourself as the “Beloved Child of the Father”? Why or why not?
PAGE 73
Journaling Activity: Preparation for Blessing
3. Look back through your life and see where your identity was blessed by God or Others?
4. In what ways was blessing lacking in your life?
5. Are you willing for God to bless you today in a new way? Write out a prayer asking God for the openness to receive what
he wants to give. Be honest with both your fears and desires and then give Him permission to bless you in some specific
way.
PAGE 74
Healing the
Whole
Person
Talk #8
Living in Freedom
A.
Freedom vs. Maturity
A.1.
When the wound is healed—evidence of inner healing
•
•
•
•
Freedom from compulsion to sin
Increase fruit of Spirit—peace, joy, self-control
Removal of pain from memory and current events
Freedom to grow
A.2.
Maturity is a process
What to do after an experience of healing
• Develop emotional self-awareness (monitoring fears)
• Keep the doors closed to areas of temptation
• Cultivate the fruits of Spirit—active spiritual disciplines
• Rules for discerning of spirits
• Change habit patterns—invoking the will
• Invest in opportunities for growth
B.
Cleaning the Wound: Healing and Deliverance
B.1.
Demolish the stronghold by inner healing prayer
•
•
•
•
Experience the Pain
Identify the Lie
Release the Trauma
Experience the Lord’s Healing Touch
B.2.
Close doorways and seal with blessings
“I want to place in your hands five keys. Picture a locked door. Opening
that door represents liberation from spiritual bondage. This door has five
locks, each requiring a key. As a believer in Christ you have all the keys you
need to be free from the influence of evil spirits. If one key has not been
used the bolt remains in place and the door will not move”
— Neal Lozano, Unbound, pages 49-54
NOTES
five keys
•
•
•
•
•
Repentance and faith
Forgiveness
Renouncing the work of the Enemy
Standing in the authority you have in Christ
Receiving God’s blessing of your identity and destiny
PAGE 75
NOTES
C.
Bandaging the Wound: Virtues and Disciplines
C.1.
Trials and temptations
“The Holy Spirit makes us discern between trials, which are necessary for
the growth of the inner man, and temptation, which leads to sin and death.
We must also discern between being tempted and consenting to temptation.
Finally, discernment unmasks the lie of temptation, whose object appears
to be good, a ‘delight to the eyes’ and desirable, when in reality its fruit is
death.”
C.2.
Living in freedom
• Daily contemplative prayer
• Daily discernment (Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s Rules for the
Discernment of Spirits and Consciousness Examen)
• Community and accountability
• Frequent reception of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and
Eucharist
D.
Bandaging the Wound
D.1.
The wound must first be healed
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a person it roams through arid regions
searching for rest but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my home
from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it empty, swept clean,
and put in order. Then it goes and brings back with itself seven other spirits
more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there; and the last condition
of that person is worse than the first.”
— Matthew 12:43-45
D.2.
Bandaging the wound with virtue
“Sanctifying grace is an habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition
that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love.
Habitual grace, the permanent disposition to live and act in keeping with God’s
call, is distinguished from actual graces which refer to God’s interventions,
whether at the beginning of conversion or in the course of the work of
sanctification.”
PAGE 76
“The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and the will that
govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with
reason and faith. They can be grouped around the four cardinal virtues:
prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.”
D.3.
Bandaging the wound with discernment
“Rules for becoming aware and understanding to some extent the
different movements which are caused in the soul, the good, to receive them,
and the bad to reject them”
•
•
•
NOTES
Aware
Understand
Act
“In persons who are going from mortal sin to mortal sin, the enemy is
ordinarily accustomed to propose apparent pleasures to them, leading them
to imagine sensual delights and pleasures in order to hold them more and
make them grow in their vices and sins. In these persons the good spirit
uses a contrary method, stinging and biting their consciences through their
rational power of moral judgment.”
“In persons who are going on intensely purifying their sins and rising
from good to better in the service of God our Lord, the method is contrary
to that in the first rule. For then it is proper to the evil spirit to bite, sadden,
and place obstacles, disquieting with false reasons, so that the person may
not go forward. And it is proper to the good spirit to give courage and
strength, consolations, tears, inspirations and quiet, easing and taking away all
obstacles, so that the person may go forward.”
“Likewise he conducts himself as a leader, intent upon conquering and
robbing what he desires. For, just as a captain and leader of an army in the
field, pitching his camp and exploring the fortifications and defenses of a
stronghold, attacks it at the weakest point, in the same way the enemy
of human nature, roving about, looks in turn at all our theological,
cardinal and moral virtues; and where he finds us weakest and most in need
for our eternal salvation, there he attacks us and attempts to take us”
PAGE 77
Journaling Activity: Reflecting on Graces
1. Pray with Psalm 136:
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures for ever.
O give thanks to the God of gods,
O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures for ever;
to him who alone does great wonders,
It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
and rescued us from our foes,
O give thanks to the God of heaven,
Talk to God about what is on your heart… and listen…What is he speaking to you through this passage?
PAGE 78
2. Review your journaling from the week.
a. After Talk 1-“Healing the Whole Person”-what did you ask Jesus to heal?
b. After Talk 2- “Wholeness in Christ”- where did you desire healing in security, maturity (development), and purity?
c. After Talk 3- “Facing your Brokeness”- What wounds needed healing? What sins needed to be repented of and forgiven?
What inner vows and bitter-root judgments needed released? What “identity lies” needed truth?
PAGE 79
d. During your time of receiving ministry what healing took place?. Review your journaling after Talk 5 and Talk 6 to see
what you wrote down.
e. What healing did you ask for during the Generational Eucharist? Did you experience any noticeable graces from that?
Review your journaling from Talk 6 to aid your reflection.
f. After Talk 7-“Spiritual Gifts and Healing” what did pray for? Did you receive a blessing of your identity? What other
graces did you receive in the prayer time?
PAGE 80
3. Write out a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the graces you received this week.
4. Write out a short summary of the graces you received. If you desire and feel called, you may have an opportunity to share
this after Mass this morning.
PAGE 81
Appendix
A Meditation on Healing and the Cross
Dr. Tom Neal, Professor of Spiritual Theology
Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans La.
Healing, or the restoration of the human person to the integrity of God’s original intention for fulfillment in
Christ, is clearly a core Gospel truth; a dynamism built into the entire economy of salvation that marked Jesus’
earthly ministry and continues to mark his active presence in the sacraments. But what healing means is not selfevident, and so requires some exploration buoyed by some good questions.
What healing is for a Christian is rooted in the meaning of sin, and the remedy to sin God has offered humanity
in Christ’s paschal mystery. The Catholic Church proffers a vast and rich tradition that reveals a common core of
sacred strategies that divine revelation has graced us with for overcoming sin’s distorting effects on humanity. That
core, revealed fully in Christ, evidences the primacy of divine grace at the heart of the work of healing and restoring
the human person to the image of invisible God, Christ Jesus. The whole sacramental economy, by which we access the fullness of Christ’s saving work, is built on divine initiative; on the gift of grace. But grace, as God works it, is always synergistic, drawing into God’s marvelous works the
free collaboration of human beings so that, as St. Augustine phrased it, ‘the God who created us without us will
not save us without us.’ This divine logic is written into the Incarnation of God, making the centerpiece of God’s
creative and redeeming work in Christ a wholly divine-human activity. Thus, we must collaborate, in the limits of
our particular circumstances, with divine grace in order to be redeemed, recreated, restored, renovated, and healed.
Hence, while we rightly say, ‘the battle belongs to the Lord,’ we simultaneously affirm that the battle belongs to
us. From the moment of Mary’s fiat, by which the Word was made flesh, divine laboring is always and ever human
laboring.
This truth of Christian faith gives fresh power to a haunting phrase used by the Council of Trent, ‘God left
behind the desire for evil after baptism for the sake of the battle.’ In other words, in the work of saving grace, the
very struggle, suffering, pain, and bloody death of the sinner contending against sin, within and without, is itself
essential to the ‘labor’ of synergizing with divine grace flowing from the pierced Heart of Christ. Engaging in this
battle is not an obstacle to healing, but rather is the substance of the process of healing. The final fruit of that battle,
when waged according to the divine terms of combat, is a Christian character – that amalgam of Christ-like virtues
that are the true goal and authentic fruit of healing. Thus conceived, healing refers not to the ‘spiriting away’ of the
struggle to overcome the wounds and habits of sin, but rather the en-gracing of that struggle to cultivate all of the
natural and theological virtues so that one’s ‘pugilistic love’ might become life-bearing for oneself and one’s neighbor.
In a culture that largely conceives of healing as anesthesia, as freedom from all pain and struggle, the Christian ideal
that likens healing to the struggle of martyrdom – as dying and rising with Christ – can seem harsh and distant. But
for Christians there is simply no other way of conceiving of salvation than in the light of the mystery of the Cross of
Christ, and of a Resurrection that shines glory only through Christ’s open wounds.
PAGE 82
In the Catholic tradition, this conception of cruciform healing grounds our theology of ‘redemptive suffering,’
making the prime Christian model for healing not the restoration of a prior state of wellness, but rather a paschal
death-and-resurrection that gives birth to a new state of wellness overflowing with the panoply of virtues. The
paschal mystery of Christ’s dying and rising, into which we are plunged in Baptism, is a laborious, agonizing and
bloody mess precisely to serve as a living model for our journey from death to life. The brutal realism of the Passion
binds human suffering in this ‘valley of tears’ to the transcendent glory of Christ’s Risen life, and Christ’s Risen life
roots the brutal reality of the Passion in the hope of glory. The balance of that tension allows Christians to face the
challenges of walking along the ‘narrow way that leads to life,’ and the gift of the Spirit that flows from the Heart of
the crucified Christ empowers us to transform what is lowest in life into what is highest, e.g. sin into pardon, suffering into heroic endurance, hatred into charity, vice into virtue, death into life.
Here we can gain deeper insight into this life-giving struggle by looking at St John of the Cross’ particular model
of healing sin and growing virtue in the soul. For St. John, the goal of divine grace given in Christ is to purge the
soul by progressively unmasking and unmaking the whole machinery of the incurved, ego-centered life that is the
dysfunctional, marring sign of sin’s nefarious dynamism. The path toward the healing of this self-destructive dynamism includes, for St. John, the arduous ascetical way of renunciation and virtue-praxis, as well as embracing in faith
the God-imposed fast within the soul – the ‘Dark Night’ – that progressively dries up the foul streams of disordered,
sinful desire at their deepest source. He argues that it is only when the soul, according to its ability, and under
competent spiritual direction, labors long and hard that the more ‘passive’ effects of grace can begin to work more
deeply in the sources of desire within the soul. You might say that, for St. John, if God began this passive work of
healing and liberation too soon, before we have long engaged in ascetical labor, then what would be accomplished in
the soul would not truly be its own. God wills that who we become should emerge from a co-creative act. Though
he rightly acknowledges that each person is different, and that God can move some along more rapidly, the ordinary
way of saving grace invites one to wage the redemptive battle by engaging freedom (i.e. virtue) to the fullest extent.
It is in that very act of ‘waging battle’ that we are redeemed and healed, and become someone we never would have
become apart from our unique story of battle, of struggle, of suffering. It is in the arena of martyrdom that saints
are made.
It is important to add here that suffering and struggle of themselves are not good or fruitful. They only become
sources of good fruit when they are placed in service to the work of transformation, and are endured apart from
the goal of God’s redeeming grace in a soul – the re-creation of a selfless capacity to love God and neighbor that is
embodied in the pregnant symbol of the Cross. Here we can emphasize the crucial importance of those who guide
souls through their own struggle to find healing in the midst of their suffering and sin. Walking someone into the
healing of psychological, moral and spiritual wounds is inextricably bound to the via crucis, the way of the Cross. In
other words, embracing the truth that, in this life, a Christian conception of authentic healing does not seek to free
one from all suffering and struggle, but rather to strengthen one in successfully facing, with greater peace and joy,
life’s ongoing struggles in a spirit of redemptive grace, inner freedom and growing virtues that steel oneself for walking along the way of perfection.
PAGE 83
For example, if a ‘healed’ man says, ‘I struggled for 23 years with this sin/wound, but finally I have found healing, freedom from pain and from struggle’ – a Catholic-minded therapist would counsel in reply, ‘Well, yes and no;
let’s say, rather, that for 23 years you have been healing, that your hardships, your struggles, your falling and rising
again have been essential to the healing process that grace has worked in concert with your own efforts; and these
have brought you, even at this singular moment of healing grace, to a new stage in your growth nearer to that final
and only true healing: death and resurrection. Now you are more ready than ever for the other struggles, pains and
sufferings that await you in life. ‘Quo vadis, Petrus? Where are you going, Peter? Back to Rome to suffer with you,
O Lord!’ Then you would read Romans 5:3-5, and send him off encouraged, and counsel that he pray the Stations
of the Cross often to fill his imagination with a paschal vision of the good life: more healing, more holiness, more
dying and rising.
Another example, this time taken from real life, comes from a mother of four in her mid-30s who had been
struggling with a series of protracted, traumatic trials in her family, as well as a series of miscarriages. She often
expressed how unfair she felt this all was, how her prayers for better days were to no effect, how puzzling it was that
her lukewarm Catholic friends seemed to be thriving, and how angry she was at God for laying these burdens on her
and on her husband when they were striving mightily to be faithful in their marriage and in their parenting. Her
faith, she said, had been swallowed up in the pain. She sought the advice of a local spiritual advisor, who invited her
to wrestle with the Christian vision of evil, suffering and fulfillment in Christ:
First, I am, as always, pained to hear your pain. You have such a joyful and open and caring heart that I
know you bear deep within whatever hardships have come on your family, and on those around you. You
are compassionate in an extraordinary way, which is what makes you a person others naturally gravitate
toward in their own suffering and need, finding in your heart a sure refuge.
Because I don’t understand all of the intricacies of what has led to your husband’s challenges with steady
employment, I cannot offer wisdom on the ‘natural causes’ that may underlie this painful and burdensome
pattern; and what might be done to rectify it. When things go wrong for me, I always begin by exhausting
all natural, common-sense explanations, seeking wisdom from those wiser than me. But what you are really
getting at here in your beautiful email is, why does God permit such hardship to befall a family trying to
life their faith in a serious way.
Here are a few random thoughts, all of which I have either learned the hard way, or have learned from the
everyday saints I have been privileged to know along the way. It is true to say that doing the right and the
good itself constitutes a reward – being a person of integrity and honesty and justice, etc is itself worth the
effort and the struggle without looking for external rewards. My grandfather used to say it this way – “it’s
enough for me to know that I did what was right.” Or like that Martina McBride song, “Anyway” that is
based on a favorite aphorism of Mother Teresa, “Do It Anyway.”
Yet it is also true to say that from our struggles and sufferings come goods, spiritual and temporal,
that we never fully know in this life – goods for your children, for your friends, for your enemies, and for
all those whom God has ordained to benefit from your spiritual sacrifices. As Fulton Sheen often said, in
heaven there will be countless strangers who will be waiting, hoping to be the first to thank us for helping
them along the way.
PAGE 84
Neither you nor I could imagine any of the saints, who suffered innumerable hardships, thinking that
those who lived ‘lives of ease,’ thinking that all their labors for love of God and neighbor were really in
vain and could have been gained without any real effort. In fact, in imitation of St Paul (Romans 9:3),
some saints went so far as to say that they would happily have given up their own heavenly reward – were
that possible – if their neighbor could have been saved in their stead. Why would anyone conceive such a
thought? Love alone explains such logic, but only that love that we revealed on the Cross, or descending
into Hell for us and for our salvation.
I was watching a BBC documentary on Mother Teresa, and there was an extraordinary exchange between
Mother and a hostile reporter. The dialogue was essentially about the problem of evil, and the tininess
of Mother’s attempts to stem the tide of human suffering. She answered with wonderful simplicity, and
emphasized the stunning truth that God in Christ has endured and redeemed all human suffering and evil;
and that he has entrusted to the Church the privileged mission of sharing in his redemptive engagement
with evil/suffering for the rest of humanity. The reporter ended with a stinging indictment: ‘But you, you
don’t suffer. You tend the suffering and love them, but you are well and healthy, have food and do not suffer. What do you have to say to that?’ Mother replied with brutal and gentle directness, ‘I know. You are
right. I am not worthy to suffer, so God has been pleased to allow me to walk with those who do.’
And what’s remarkable about this is that this same woman who embraced such a startling and seemingly
harsh vision of faith and life was universally experienced as a most joyful person. Why? Because her faith
draws her into the worship of a God who suffers ‘through, with and in’ the humanity.
Many years ago I was startled to find a woman in a parish church lying on top of the altar, crying,
praying and offering her recently revealed cancer diagnosis to God. As she wept, she said, ‘I give my cancer to God; I trust whatever he does, it’s for the good.’ She’s an icon of the fullest Christian response to
hardship and evil: even while we strive to overcome evil, we consecrate our suffering as a living sacrifice for
the praise and glory of God, for our good and for the good of God’s holy Church. We seek support from
community, from friends, from family. But above all, we sit, stand, kneel, lay prostrate in silence before
the Cross with Christ, awaiting the third day.
In the end, what would I say to your cry of pain is…silence. I would simply bid you to enter the mortal
silence of the Cross…. Stay, stay with Him at the cross…no promises of money or babies or ‘better days,’
just the shear reality of what Christ received upon the Cross; a deeper intimacy and solidarity with those
innocents who suffer everywhere. It is no part of orthodox, Catholic Christianity that makes God a dispenser of peace and only peace, when in fact He came to enter the battle of evil, and remain there suffering
with us. He invites you to stay at the cross, hold it, embrace it, let it tear you open even as you see the evil
flourish. The Spirit is wondering…will you stay at the Cross, will you be ‘happy’ with what you named so
beautifully and accurately: ‘my faith has grown by leaps and bounds?’ Seek faith, which is most at home in
the night. At any one time in the Body of Christ, which is us, He is rising and He is dying…we cry with
the disciples on the road to Emmaus, ‘Stay with us Lord as the Night draws near!’ (Lk 24:29).
PAGE 85
Two weeks after receiving this note, she wrote this note back:
‘The other night I really took what you said to heart and quieted my mind and my soul, I sure fell asleep
fast…in adoration last night I imagined myself sitting at the foot of the cross in silence, I cleared my mind
and imagined Christ’s blood dripping on to my head, drop after drop...I swear I felt it. I felt for the first
time I could accept the crosses and not throw them away; and be at peace. I told all of the saints I was
begging for prayers in my novenas at adoration that I had to take the night off and focus on the cross itself.
They understood, I think.’
In any healing ministry, the fundamental question must be: what is the purpose and meaning of obtaining healing for wounded, burdened, sinful souls who come seeking liberation from their pain? What impression are they
left with in regard to the struggles they have already endured, or those still yet to be endured once their ‘experience’
of inner healing has been received? Does the claim to healing lead to a deeper embrace of the Cross, a more realistic
picture of what one is to expect from life in Christ, a fuller experience of conversion that turns the ego ever-more
toward love of God and neighbor? Is the pursuit of that ‘event’ of healing carried out in a way that assigns the ‘singular moment’ a modest role, embedding it firmly in the larger work of healing that is the entire Christian journey
lived out in cruciform fidelity to the present demands of real-life holiness? Is healing seen as a fast-track to wholeness that bypasses years of ‘useless’ or ‘unfortunate’ struggle and suffering, or is it the empowering of an en-graced
soul to cooperate with God’s redemptive plan? The only authentic answer for a Catholic Christian is one informed
by the central truth of story of salvation: we are saved by being plunged into the dying and rising of Christ, and we
are saved so that we might love with the same love that flowed from the open side of Christ crucified and risen.
Let us enter that Wound that alone heals the world.
PAGE 86
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
fruit
Manifestation of Sin
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
fruit
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
fruit
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
fruit
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Deadly Sins
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Root of Sin
(Self Reliance)
“I rely on myself when...”
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Vows
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Lies
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Wounds (Strongholds)
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
PAGE 87
Judgments
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
The Tree of Life
fruit of the spirit
(love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, selfcontrol)
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
virtue
(faith, hope, love, prudence,
justice, fortitude, temperance)
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
fruit of the spirit
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, selffruit of the spirit
control)
_______________________
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self_______________________
control)
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
virtue
_______________________
(faith, hope, love, prudence,
justice, fortitude, temperance)
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
root of grace
{communion with god}
“I will let God love me in the places where I feel most
vulnerable and dependent”
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
renunciation of the vows
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
the truth about my
identity
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
SEVEN SIGNS OF HEALING
PAGE 88
renunciation of the
Judgment
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
fruit
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
fruit
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
fruit
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
fruit
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Deadly Sins
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Root of Sin
(Self Reliance)
“I rely on myself when...”
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Vows
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Lies
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Wounds (Strongholds)
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
PAGE 89
Judgments
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
John Paul II Healing Center Available Resources
Be Healed: A Guide to Encountering the Powerful Love of Jesus in Your Life
By: Dr. Bob Schuchts
This renowned program for spiritual restoration is steeped in scripture and the wisdom of the Catholic
Church. Deeply intimate and vulnerable about his own journey of healing, Catholic therapist Bob
Schuchts connects with his readers by sharing the series of betrayals he endured in high school—his
father’s infidelity, his parents’ divorce, and his older brother’s drug addiction—and his subsequent seasons of
struggle with God and faith.
Healing the Whole Person Workbook and Set of Audio CDs
This workbook contains material included from our five-day seminar and provides the opportunity to learn
about and experience the healing power of God in the wholeness of body, soul and spirit. Topics include
Jesus Mission of Healing the Whole Person, Wholeness in Christ, Facing our Brokenness, Redemptive
Suffering, Healing and the Sacraments, Inner Healing and Prayer, Spiritual Gifts and Healing, and Living
in Freedom.
Restoring the Glory Workbook and Set of Audio CDs
This workbook contains material included from our five-day seminar which integrates the teachings of
John Paul II’s ‘Theology of the Body” with the healing graces of the Sacraments and Prayer, offering hope
and healing so that we can live out our true identities as men and women in the image of God.. Topics
include The Fatherhood of God, Family - God’s Design for Sexuality, Identity- Male and Female in God’s
Image, Development - Security, Maturity, and Purity, Wounds and Compulsions, and Healing, Freedom
and Integration.
Unveiled: Discovering the Great Mystery in Your Marriage Workbook and Set of Audio CDs
This workbook contains material included from our three-day seminar which integrates John Paul II’s
teachings into our daily lives as married couples. Topics include Understanding Your Marital Conflict,
Barriers to Unity, Healing Your Wounds, and Reconciliation in Your Marriage.
Holy Desire: The Path to Freedom Workbook
God is author of our desires. Even our most disordered desires have a good and holy desire underlying it.
This workbooks contains material included from our three-day seminar where participants learn to walk
the path of freedom by transforming unholy desires into holy ones, and by finding the fulfillment of their
desires in a more intimate relationship with God. Topics include The Desires of Our Heart, Disordered
Desires, Formation of Desires Identity and Desires, Battle of Desires, and Fulfillment of Desires.
Additional resources are available for order via our store at www.JPIIHealingCenter.org.
PAGE 90
Healing the
Whole
Person

File - Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Transcription

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