The Eucharist - Fr Barry Naylor Healing - Fr Barry Naylor |
Introduction. 
"It is crucial to develop a common understanding of the healing ministry as part of the church's mission. This ministry is not an isolated activity at parish level: it is part of a wider mission to bring healing to the Church as the body of Christ and to our society. Ultimately we are being led to the healing of God's creation and the coming of his kingdom. This ministry is not simply about sacraments and services - it is a way of life and our expression of the Gospel in everyday settings, which involves all Christians. The local Church needs to become a "healing Church" but it can only be effective inasmuch as it is a "Church being healed"" (TtH259)
God is our Creator and his creation is wonderful and something we should treasure and value, of which we should be good stewards. It is, however, also a very broken world in all kinds of ways - through our bad stewardship and exploitation both of the natural creation and as a result of bad relationships between individuals, communities and nations. Christ is the Healer. Healing was a central element of his ministry, if not the central element "did not heal simply because it was something good and decent to do. Rather, Christ healed because healing itself was central to the new creation into which we are called as we repent and believe. This is the work of the Holy Spirit". Christ came to restore the right relationship between God and creation: he healed in many ways - individual healings, proclaiming forgiveness of sin, and challenging individuals and society to repent. He was concerned with the healing of the whole person - body, soul and mind and of the individual in the context of the society in which they lived. The ultimate act of healing was on the cross: "Christ took the world up into his arms, and though those arms were to be stretched out on the cross, and though they were to lie dead in the tomb, they never let go." They never let go - the arms of love are always there, embracing us and desiring our healing and our wholeness. The Church's commission is to make real the work of Christ in the world in each generation - to extend his healing love to men, women and children everywhere. Our ministry, if it is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus' ministry, must be a healing ministry concerned with the whole person and with every person - it can never be a ministry that excludes. Healing is about embracing and including, it is not about pushing away and excluding. There will be many different expressions of healing ministry - concerned with leading people towards that wholeness of life we are created to share in. All ministry must begin where people are - not where we might like them to be. A patient is accepted by the doctor in all their sickness and weakness - the doctor does not tell them to come back when they have begun to improve a little.. St. Augustine of Hippo described the church as "a hospital for sinners". This is what it is - not a haven for the righteous. The healing ministry affects the whole ethos of every aspect of ministry - are our Christian communities places where healing might take place? Are they welcoming and accepting? Are we open to others, especially those different from us? Are we ready to grow and change? - for no healing can take place if we are not. Is there an atmosphere conducive to healing in our local Christian community? This will be reflected at all areas of church life - the welcome we give to visitors, the atmosphere at P.C.C.'s, Deanery Synods and other meetings - is it an atmosphere in which healing is likely to be enabled or is confrontation and point scoring more likely to be the order of the day? Our attitudes to other people are so important in this context - openness both to God and to other people is essential. Christians must treat every single person, man, woman and child, with dignity - for all made in the image of God and Christ died for each and every one of us. Do we acknowledge our own need of healing? we cannot be healers unless we ourselves recognise our own need of healing - as individuals and as communities and institutions. Sometimes we can be the most effective agents of healing when we feel weak and helpless. The "Wounded Healer" - is a powerful testimony to this. It's author, Henri Nouwen, finished his days with the L'Arche Community - one woman on Easter Sunday morning 1986, after a simple Eucharist: "It is such a comfort to know that Jesus' wounds remain visible in his risen body. Our wounds are not taken away, but become sources of hope to others" "The times when priest or carer are lost for an answer may be the very moments when true companionship is shown, with the sick person perceiving those in the caring role as vulnerable and naked as they are". We can all be ministers of healing in our everyday lives - being wiling to spend time with people, visiting the sick and housebound, making a special effort with difficult people, working hard for reconciliation whenever there is division and argument. In Church The Eucharist This was sometimes described in medieval times as "the medicine of immortality". The Report calls it "essentially a service of healing". In one of the invitations to Holy Communion the people respond: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed". Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ is the supreme instrument of spiritual healing for: "whoever eats me will draw life from me" and "anyone who eats this bread will live for ever" (John 6; 57 and 58) Every time we celebrate the Eucharist we proclaim the saving and healing death of the Lord until he comes again. (1 Cor. 11:26) Anointing and Laying on of Hands This may occur in the Eucharist or outside it. It may be administered in an "open way" inviting al members of the congregation, who wish, to come forward or it may be ministered to individuals (preferably gathered with family and friends, if possible) at a time of difficulty or testing - e.g. before an operation or as death approaches. We must approach it with an expectation of healing, that God is with us and is working in our lives. Healing may be experienced in different ways - it may give us strength to bear an illness, to be patient, there may be the healing of an old bitterness, physical healing may happen but equally death might also be God's answer - death can be the ultimate act of healing. Healing comes from the confirming of God's presence with us, whatever we are going through. Sacramental Reconciliation This sadly neglected ministry must be rediscovered by the Church. A form is given in the Order for the Visitation of the Sick in the Book of Common Prayer. The healing of guilt and the acceptance of forgiveness are essential components of the healing ministry. The pronouncing of Absolution can have a very powerful, liberating and healing outcome: "Our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath left power to his Church to absolve all sinners, who truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy, forgive thee thine offences: And by his authority committed unto me, I absolve thee from all thy sins, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (BCP Absolution) Deliverance Ministry The exposing of evil and opposing it is a vital component of Christian ministry. It is a part of the picture we don't always understand. There can be many different manifestations of the presence of the Evil One at work in individuals and community as well as in particular places. Prayer, the Laying on Hands, Anointing and fasting, accompanied by sacramental actions, such as the sprinkling of Holy Water and the use of Incense are all tools which may be used in this ministry Ecumenism This is vital if we are to speak to the world of the healing power of God's love. We must work to heal the divisions between churches - "physician heal thyself" can justifiably be used against us by non-believers. Inter-faith activity will also be a valuable tool of healing in many situations, especially when seeking to heal; wounds in local communities where people of different faiths live side by side. In the Community The healing ministry must never be confined to the Church - Christ died for the healing of all, not just for Church members. The Report asks us to look at local issues - what is going on in the community? Rural affairs - many people hurt, the fishing industry, possible closure of accommodation for the elderly, unemployment / redundancy, drug abuse, the breakdown of personal relationships - healing is needed in all these, and in many other situations How do we, as individuals and as Christian communities respond to our responsibility to continue Christ's work of healing and reconciliation? Is this part of our teaching? What preparation or training do we offer in connection with is aspect of ministry? These are the kind of issues we must seriously address as Christian communities. Personal Testimony presented by Father Barry Naylor at the St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocesan Synod on Saturday 4th December 2001 All ministry is healing ministry, expressed, primarily in the Eucharist, - but it's in our daily living that it must find it's expression. When I was first ordained, my parish was a hot bed of National Front activity. Confronting and exposing the evils of racism and fascism was part of my ministry. It was ecumenical, it was inter-faith and involved others of good will but of no faith. Taking to the streets was part of this ministry, making clear, to those feeling threatened, our solidarity with them. Also involved was spending time with NF youths on the local estate - listening to them, befriending them - even once allowing my home to be used for a party - only to get it thoroughly trashed. I saw all this as part of healing ministry - being bold, being vulnerable - working for justice, exposing and opposing evil but also attempting to minister lovingly to its perpetrators. I've spent much time with people - with AIDS- most of them gay . I remember my first - a young Indian - Xavier - grandson of a lady to whom I regularly took communion - so distraught because she was never allowed to see his dead body - immediately sealed in a black bag. He was lucky in one sense - his family supported him. All to often, hurt and rejection was their experience at the hands of their families - and, sadly, of church people. The healing they knew was so often at the hands of their friends and lovers, also often scorned by family and church. The Church must take up the challenge of the Lambeth Conference to listen sympathetically and carefully to the experiences of gay Christians. How much hurt and distress can be caused by our Christian family to people who don't fit into our neat stereotypes! Our calling is to be ministers of healing, not the inflicters of wounds and pain. Barry Naylor Reydon |