Jesus, the Divine Physician

Introduction

Jesus, as a Healer, is a strong and well-known image in all the four gospels. His image as a Teacher is also evident in the gospels, but more so in the gospel of Matthew. Jesus as a Teacher, or New Moses, can be found in scripture passages like the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. And there is another popular image of Christ: that of the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. This Good Shepherd image can be found in the gospel of John 10:1-42.

Among all these images of Jesus, the image of Jesus as a Healer, a Divine Physician, can be found in more passages and verses of the gospels than the other images. There are more stories in the four gospels that describe the Lord as an itinerant Healer in many miracles He performed. He did not only heal the sick, but healed sinners and drove off demons as well. One example of this moral healing, or conversion, can be found in the gospel story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. It is also found in the story of the woman who had seven devils (often attributed to Mary Magdalene by tradition, but the scripture text does not explicit state it).

Jesus heals through the Sacraments of the Church

The ministry and mission of Jesus to build God's kingdom, as seen in the gospels, is continued by the Universal Church in her ministry of the Sacraments. Sickness and sin are everyday realities that the faithful face at one time or another - personally, or as a community. A sick person goes to the doctor because the doctor specializes in a particular field of medicine related to his infirmity. But the sick person also is responsible for his body in a spiritual sense - for it is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Healing from both perspectives in this sense can be wholistic - both in the physical and spiritual sense.

There is a passage in Sirach 38:1-14 that teaches how doctors ought to be respected and given their due, because they were called by God for the purpose of healing the sick. This passage in the Old Testament clearly exemplifies the integration of both the physical and the spiritual. The doctor can initiate the healing process for the sick and then to complete the healing process, the sick only needs an act of faith to believe in the healing action of Christ in the Sacraments. Just add to this the loving attention of family and friends, and the healing process becomes complete. The person becomes whole; he has attained balance again.

Confession

One specific example of the spiritual side in the journey towards healing is through a General Confession of one's sins. This practice is for those who have been away from the Sacrament of Confession for a long time. St. Ignatius of Loyola advises this in his book, "The Spiritual Exercises". St. Francis de Sales also advises this in his book, "Introduction to the Devout Life".

To make a general confession one can consider this question well: "What serious sins would I need to confess if I were already in the throes of death?" After this General Confession, one can continue to receive the Sacrament more regularly to strengthen the soul against the daily onslaughts and temptations of evil that lead to physical as well as to "moral" illness.

The Sunday Eucharist

The Sunday Eucharist is also a natural source of spiritual healing that has physical benefits also for body, mind, spirit, and relationships. The spirit of contrition already begins in the early part of the Mass with the praying of the Confiteor. Then as the Readings proceed, and are read before the assembly, it is easy to obtain theh spiritual benefits necessary to increase one's faith and hope in God from the both the readings and the priest's homily. As the Mass continues from the liturgy of the Word and then progresses to the liturgy of the Eucharist, the whole Eucharistic assembly eventually reaches the communion rite where the priest says - "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world...happy are those who are called to His Supper," all the faithful respond with, "Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed." This direction of receiving the Lord in communion is a healing action that can be received every Sunday. It grants the graces from God that are needed to help anyone heal completely from any lack of faith or from any minor physical illness.

Physical and moral healing

Confession and the Eucharist are the Sacraments that can be received regularly. The healing power of Christ, the Divine Physician, is present in these two Sacraments.

Aside from these Sacraments, Christ's healing presence is found whenever one visits the Blessed Sacrament. A visit to the adoration chapel for about 30 minutes can help set things right for anyone who is "tired, tempted, and troubled" in the daily grind of work. This "tired, tempted, and troubled" state is often what happens when too much activity or too much work is being done.

The souls of very active people are often like glass jars of water and soil that are shaken together with violent motion. So that glass jars can return to their original clarity, these glass jars should be made still in one spot. Only then, in that stillness, can the soil eventually settle at the bottom of the jar, and the water will be clear again. The longer the glass jar is still, the clearer the water will be.

So it is with our selves. There is a need to balance too much activity by lessening it and alloting more time for silence and stillness. 

Summary

There is complete healing process when both the physical and the spiritual aspects of one's self are in correct balance. When one follows the medical advice of a doctor and add more time to read and pray the gospels, (especially the passages that portray very well Jesus as a Healer and Divine Physician,) wholistic healing is attained. A sense of well-being follows from the belief that God has instituted the doctor for you (Sirach 38:1-14). Add this with a strong faith in Jesus, and healing in both one's body and one's soul becomes a reality. Wholistic healing can be derived from doing what the physician prescribes and from believing that God wants you to be healed.