Heavenly Healing
It is through fully living our experience that gives the miraculous
the power to change lives far beyond our own.
-The Miracle Collectors
Wow, the end of July is upon us! Enjoy these last weeks of summer before everything once again begins at its rapid pace. In light of the events of the past weeks Joan takes on the issue of healing; moving beyond her initial fascination with physical healing and suggesting that we all have a role to play in the healing of our communities, our country, and the world.
Collecting Miracle Moments One Story at a Time.
Joan and Katie
As far back as I can remember my favorite bible stories were all about healing. And the reality was I had a lot to choose from: stories of sight and hearing being restored, people being cured of leprosy and other dread diseases, dramatic tales of people getting up and walking. As I listened to these stories, not only was I relieved, I was also fascinated at the reduction of suffering. I knew I wanted to be part of these emotional moments of relief and gratitude. In truth, it formed the basis of my professional career in health care - doing my part to help others heal.
So, it's no surprise that when I read about two recent healing miracles attributed to the soon to be first millennial saint Carlo Acutis, I was intrigued. A master of the internet sometimes referred to as "God's Influencer", Carlo was recognized for the work he did in developing a data base of miracles. In spite of Carlo's death at age 15 from leukemia, his legacy lives on. A bereft mother in Brazil prayed to him to intercede in curing her son who suffered from a rare fatal pancreatic disease, and she got her miracle as her son was subsequently healed. After review by the Vatican, Carlo was beautified, meaning that with one more miracle he could become a saint. (Not surprisingly the Catholic Church has a number of rules surrounding the investigation of miracles that lead to sainthood.*) Carlo's second miracle came more recently when a mother from Costa Rica prayed to Carlo to intercede on behalf of her daughter who had fallen from her bicycle and sustained such severe brain trauma that she was not expected to live. Again the Vatican found that the daughter's subsequent inexplicable cure was a miracle and Carlo is set to become a saint in the coming months. I love this story not only for the healing, but for the image of a young man in Nike's and a soccer jersey hanging out in heaven helping people heal.
Like all of us, over the years I've had to do a fair bit of healing whether it was from surgeries, cancer, broken bones, or sadness over loss and disappointment. I never thought about it in terms of healing until after a major accident a few years ago a dear friend said "Joanie, no worries, you are a good healer." The implicit message was I would beat the odds and be able to go back to my old life. Being a good healer became my mantra and instead of focusing on the plates, screws, and rods holding my body together, I am back at the things I love. The hard fact is that healing doesn't come easily or just with the mere passage of time. Being a good healer takes intension and frankly hard work. There is failure, frustration, a striving to do better, and finally a feeling of success when a new normal is reached.
Amidst my thoughts of physical healing I have been listening to the words of many who are calling on our country to be healed. While most days it seems that it would take a miracle, we all have within us the ability to also be good healers. Perhaps that's the answer, while healing from heaven may (and does) come, perhaps we are all called to do what we can to participate in the healing process, to heal from within. So the next time we find ourselves deadlocked in a disagreement, instead of belaboring our point, maybe we can think about healing and what we could do to maintain our civil relationships and strive to find our commonalities. We know from years of experience that miracles are a great equalizer and they are available to each of us. Perhaps now is the time to participate in healing on a mass scale. Miracles happen even in our world today; wouldn't it be grand if we could help one along the way. (Joan)