10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So, he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.
Healing happens in listening, in communion, and in forgiveness.
Healing happens in a family and in commitment.
Healing happens in Christ.
The Couples for Christ all over the world gathered in Baguio City after three years of being deprived to be in communion. This year, more than 2,000 CFC members enjoyed communion. It was a happy CFC homecoming.
Healing means overcoming brokenness and woundedness not by sheer human capacity but by God’s initiative and power.
The CFC took the gospel of Mark 2:10-11 to emphasize the healing that operates by divine healing and consequently, impacts to integral healing.
Bro. Hernan Sausa and his wife, Haydee, and their team with Prof. Ed Caligner came to Bontoc, Mountain Province and met with the Senior High students of Saint Vincent School to talk about healing through science and faith. They also met the parents of the students and shared salient points to live out good mental health.
Caligner is a retired professor of Ateneo de Manila University. Prof. Ed did not tire from services because he loves serving the people. He is volunteering his services to communities who are in need of mental health.
The CFC team realized that scientific approach is not sufficient for healing, and that science and faith must collaborate to address the entirety of a person i.e., integrity.
The Bontoc-Lagawe priests left their parishes to be together for three days in spiritual retreat.
The retreat facilitators came all the way from the United States and Philippines. It was a unique retreat because it was facilitated by a team of laity and ordained ministers. The collaboration and harmony of the team were more than the messages delivered by the facilitators.
Rev. Frs. Paul, Cesar, Mark, Jason, Deacon Francis, Clarise, Allen, and Bheng indeed led the priests to unity of heart through listening, intimacy, “yada,” and personal assessment of priesthood after years of service.
I learned a lot, but listening as an act and as an attitude became clearer in the three-day retreat.
Healing happens in profound listening.Why listen? Who am I not to listen? I listen because someone is talking. I listen because I care. I listen because I connect with your heart. I listen because I communicate with your soul and spirit. I listen because somebody needs to talk and ventilate something important. I listen because I do not know everything. I listen because I need to know. Listening is knowing, and knowing is building intimacy. One beautiful gauge of maturity is our capacity to listen in any circumstance.
We are all wounded and at one point in our life broken. We carry loads on our shoulders. We shed tears. We suffered the cruelty of the world and others. We almost surrendered. But in healing, we need to admit all of these woundedness not to make us weaker or to find ways to revenge but to allow healing in our lives.
Healing happens in listening. We listen to ourselves, but above all, listen to the Lord. We need to be more reflective and contemplative as not to spiritualize everything or to simply admit difficult situations but to allow the Greatest Healer to talk to us in silence.
Healing happens in silent communion with God. Unless we can find quality silence in Jesus, we can never undergo healing.
There was once an old man suffering from difficulty in reading. He was brought by his daughter to the doctor for medical procedures. He was examined and provided with eye glasses and medicines. After sometime, the daughter noticed no developments. He was brought back to the doctor. The doctor asked, “What’s wrong?” The old man answered innocently, “Doctor, I am illiterate!”
Reach me at [email protected].
April 23, 2024
