Concerning Healing and the Laying on of Hands
The Church's ministry to those who are ill in body, mind, or spirit is commanded by Holy Scripture (James 5:14-16). It is also understood as the continuation of the ministry of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, into whose Body we are grafted by our Baptism. The Church's sacramental ministry to the sick includes Confession and Absolution, Unction (anointing with blessed oil), and Holy Communion together with prayer and the Laying on of Hands. Our Lord often touched those whom he healed, and even modern social science acknowledges the healing power of touch.
When the healing sacraments are administered to a sick person, with prayer, both the Church's Minister and the sick person will approach the ministry with faith in the reality of God's action through Christ. The sick person, by faith, places himself in God's hands to receive whatever He may give. To not believe in the power of God to heal is to become an obstacle to His desire to heal. However, such faith, and even sacramental ministries, are not spiritual magic, nor some attempt to manipulate the supernatural power of the Holy Trinity. God does act, but in His own way and in His own time. We are certain, however, through the witness of Jesus Christ, of God's love and compassion, and His desire for the salvation of every soul: a desire to make whole or perfect that which is ill or broken.
While the medical profession concentrates on the physical side of a human being, the Church concentrates on the spiritual side. These are not mutually exclusive ministries, however, but equally important parts of God's care of His people. It is incumbent upon all Christians in need to seek healing of mind and soul, as well as body, and equally to seek God's will in the midst of suffering and illness. Ministry to the sick, of course, also involves ministry to the dying; and for the Christian, this involves preparation for death with the promise of eternal life.
When the healing sacraments are administered to a sick person, with prayer, both the Church's Minister and the sick person will approach the ministry with faith in the reality of God's action through Christ. The sick person, by faith, places himself in God's hands to receive whatever He may give. To not believe in the power of God to heal is to become an obstacle to His desire to heal. However, such faith, and even sacramental ministries, are not spiritual magic, nor some attempt to manipulate the supernatural power of the Holy Trinity. God does act, but in His own way and in His own time. We are certain, however, through the witness of Jesus Christ, of God's love and compassion, and His desire for the salvation of every soul: a desire to make whole or perfect that which is ill or broken.
While the medical profession concentrates on the physical side of a human being, the Church concentrates on the spiritual side. These are not mutually exclusive ministries, however, but equally important parts of God's care of His people. It is incumbent upon all Christians in need to seek healing of mind and soul, as well as body, and equally to seek God's will in the midst of suffering and illness. Ministry to the sick, of course, also involves ministry to the dying; and for the Christian, this involves preparation for death with the promise of eternal life.