Editing and writing to integrate the Classics, 1990s theology, spirituality, and the present. Includes scripture reflections and hagiographical studies to encourage prayer & work for peace and the common good. Books, resources, and additional references for these blog posts: at Librarything.com & cited websites. Posts published in 2025 integrate AI-enabled responses from ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini.
The gospel passage from John 20:1-19 presents a sign of the Lord's Resurrection. This passage in the Jerusalem Bible is subtitled "The empty tomb". How did the Jerusalem Bible translation present the resurrection event? The gospel narrative begins with Mary of Magdala going to the burial site. After Mary Magdalene reached the tomb she discovered it empty. Surprise by what she saw, and probably filled with mixed emotions, she went in haste to report to Simon Peter and to John exactly what she saw. Both Simon Peter and John went to the burial site running. John arrived first, being younger and faster, but he did not go inside the tomb. When Simon Peter arrived, he went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground. John entered the tomb also; when he saw with his own eyes, he believed.
There are many interpretations of this Resurrection event in the gospel of John. One interpretation is given by Scripture scholar MacRae. He made a study of this gospel passage. Since verse 9 of John's gospel says that "they had not yet understood the teaching of Scripture, that the Lord must rise from the dead", then the disciple whom the Lord loved, did not really know that Jesus had indeed risen. What he had faith in, was the word of the Lord - that He would indeed return to the Father, as He had promised after He entered into His Passion and Death. (cf. John 16:26-28). So MacRae's understanding of John's "he saw and he believed" was that John remembered the words that Jesus spoke about His death and rising again. It would take risen appearances of the Lord for all apostles to verify that indeed Jesus has risen.
Faith is a gift from God. The beloved disciple saw with the eyes of faith, because he believed in the words of the Lord before the events of the Passion and Death on the Cross took place. All the faithful too are called to believe in the words of Jesus. All are called to believe and have faith in the Word Himself - Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who became man like us except for sin, that we may learn the Way to salvation. We receive this faith at our baptism, and are entasked to nourish it daily with prayer, the Sacraments, and works of charity - according to the circumstances of each one's state of life.
Scripture quotes
"They killed Him..."hanging Him on a tree", only to have God raise Him up on the third day." (Acts 10)
"The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." (Psalm 118)
"You have been raised up in company with Christ...set your heart on what pertains to higher realms."(Colossians 3)
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.
April 17, 2025, Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum in the Catholic Church. It begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper and is completed this coming Easter Sunday. The Easter Triduum is the centre and the apex of the Church's liturgical year.
It was in the 1400s A.D. when a Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday within Holy Week was observed by Catholics in a special manner as a "Triduum". In more recent years, this Triduum has been redefined as a Holy Thursday evening Mass to Easter Sunday evening Mass - calculating the days of the week from sunset to sunset [1].
Saints Commemorated on April 17
Mappalicus and Companions, martyrs
Innocent of Tortona, bishop
Donnan and Companions, martyrs
Robert of Chaise-Dieu, abbot
Stephen Harding, abbot [2]
Today, the Catholic Church also commemorates 2 groups of martyrs, 2 abbots, and 1 bishop.
One fascinating thought in studying the Lives of the Saints is a special insight one can discover if examined within an interdisciplinary perspective: integrating secular history, Church history, literature, sacred music lyrics, poetry, depth psychology, paranormal or supernatural phenomenon, culture, politics, geography, and languages. Since the Saints were flesh-and-blood people who dotted the history of the Church from the four corners of the world, and come from all walks-of-life, then hagiography becomes, as it were, not only a study about the Saints themselves and their lives, but about life as a whole in all its dimensions.
Hagiography, when taken as a study or professional endeavour, is not new to the Catholic faith. When the monastic life bloomed since the time of St. Benedict of Nursia, many of the monks had this subject as part of their spirituality. They not only transcribed or translated the Bible and other literary works, but they actually studied and copied manuscripts about the lives of the Saints - studying in particular those Saints who were members of their religious order. It formed part of their formation in the faith and in the spirituality and life of their religious founder.
As one studies more in-depth the Lives of the Saints, one will discover some Saints who may not be as well-known, but their life, in some sense, was more inspiring compared to the popular ones like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Augustine of Hippo. One such saint is St. Stephen Harding (whose feast is commemorated today, April 17). He was one of the three founders of the Cistercian Order. The story of the Cistercians seen in the "eyes of faith" of St. Stephen Harding, can inspire anyone to act with the same level of patience, fortitude, faith and courage as St. Stephen Harding. His story should be made more known for a time such as now. Many call the story of the Cistercians a "miracle", and indeed it is. However, it is not a miracle in the sense of something beyond the natural, but it is more a miracle that occurs in the heart and in the soul. And this is a miracle not only in the external sense, but one that occured brightly in the heart & soul of St. Stephen Harding. For details of the Cistercian story, you can read Memorial of Saints (January 26).
References: Books, Websites & AI Search Results
[1] The New Concise Catholic Dictionary, Reynolds R. Ekstrom
