Homily

This wonderful story of the healing of the Centurion's servant is just one of the many examples of the miraculous cures that were granted by Jesus during His public ministry. He forgave people's sins, He cast out demons, and He healed the sick and these are three works that He still performs even today.

If we manage to cut our finger, we might wash it, put an antibacterial lotion on it, and a band-aid as well. Why? Of course, we want it to heal. If we are more seriously ill, we will go to the doctor or the emergency room and seek the help of others, including the Lord, to help us get well. That's understandable and correct. We pray for health and healing here at the Liturgy, and in the reception of Holy Communion we ask the Lord that it may be for the healing of soul and body. We understand the healing of the body, but what about the healing of our souls?

The first and most important part of the healing of our souls is in the forgiveness of our sins and healing over the bad effects that our sins have brought to us. If our sins wound us, and wound our relationship with Christ, and wound our relationships with other people, then it is a good thing to ask the Lord to heal and cure these wounds that we have brought about upon ourselves. We also suffer from our personal weaknesses which may not be sinful in themselves but they still trouble us and it is a good thing to ask the Lord to strengthen us there as well. It’s always a good thing to seek healing for both our spirits and our bodies.

There are many areas, no doubt, where we are wounded within our souls but I want to bring up just three areas today where we can ask the Divine Physician for His help.

The first area is in the healing of memories. It is likely that we all have memories of sinful, or harmful, or upsetting and very disturbing situations and events and actions that happened in the past which are very painful for us still. These memories may be the result of our own sins, or of sins committed against us by other people. They may be memories of sad, or tragic or painful events where we experienced some kind of loss or hardship or suffering. These memories may be strong enough within us that when they come to mind they cause us harm or they put us at risk. They may tempt us to do wrong, to doubt in the power of the Lord's grace and mercy, to fill us with shame over sins that already have been forgiven, to oppress us and depress us and tempt us to lose hope. Such bad memories may weigh us down with the pain and sadness they carry with them making it difficult for us to walk in the freedom of the sons and daughters of God.

If we have such memories, let us ask the Lord to heal them. You may recall sometimes hearing in the prayers of the Church that we pray the Lord to keep us from any bad memories. Since He is the Physician of Souls and Bodies, let us go to Him for a cure for those thoughts of things past, whether they were caused by things we did or things that were done to us, that we might find them turned into thoughts that no longer cause us harm or pain.

The second place where we can ask for medicinal help is in our emotions. We've all heard people speak of emotional health, but how many people pray for emotional health? We probably know where we need it. Maybe we need help with our anger, or resentment, with our feelings of envy or lust, or perhaps our impatience with other people and even with ourselves. Maybe we are afflicted with feelings of pride, or feelings of inferiority, or of sadness without cause, or by emotions of greed and materialism. People often mistake emotions for sins. Emotions in themselves are not sins. We cannot control whether or not an emotion rises up in our minds. They come and they go. The problem is when we allow our emotions to push us into wrong deeds, words and thoughts. That's when sin begins. For example the emotion of anger is not sinful, but when we begin to act on that anger, or when we work to encourage that angry feeling allowing it to grow and gain strength because we wish to keep it on fire, that is when we begin to sin. So let us pray for the healing of those emotions which are working against us and keeping us from healthier living in Christ.

Finally let us pray for the healing of any bad relationships that may be weighing upon us. People who have hurt us, harmed us in any way, and caused us pain or disappointment, people who have abandoned us or betrayed us—we can ask from the Lord, healing. They may be parents, spouses, children, friends, and people of every sort who have caused us great pain. Or it may be that we ourselves were the cause of pain in our relationships with other people. In either case we can ask for spiritual healing in our ties to these people. We do not have to excuse the bad behavior of other people to us, and we should not excuse our own bad behavior towards other people. We need not excuse it, but instead we ask the Lord to bring us to a peace of mind and heart even with the worst who have offended us, that we not despise or hate them—that we may come to a point where, even if it is better that we keep away from them, we can still be at peace. If we can reconcile with other people that is the best, but if that is not possible we can still find healing at the hand of Christ, and be reconciled to them at least on our part, from our side.

And we can also ask for healing in our relationships not only with those who are still alive but also with those who have died. We may pardon them and also seek healing for the wounds we may have suffered because of them, from Christ our Lord, and we may also ask pardon for any wrongs we may have done to others, even if they have fallen asleep in the Lord.

It is always good for us to seek out the Divine Physician as the Centurion did, that we may be healed, whether it is for our physical ills, or to bind up the wounds caused by our sins, or for the healing of bad memories, or for treating the emotions which cause us trouble, or for the remedy of problems in our relationships. Although we are not worthy, He is willing to enter under our roof. So when He comes, let us ask for healing and health of body and soul.