by Bishop James Conley
It is appropriate and important that we call Our Lord Jesus the Divine Physician.
In the Gospels, Jesus is nearly always healing: curing people of their physical ailments and even raising some from the dead. The ministry of Jesus is all about healing; his physical healings were signs of the spiritual healing he has come to bring about in the world.
Ultimately, his saving work is healing balm that cures us from the illness of sin and everlasting death.
There is a great scene in St. Mark’s Gospel which gives witness to the healing power of Christ, and to the proper care of the sick:
When Jesus made a trip to Capernaum by the sea, four men who knew Jesus had the power to heal, brought a paralytic man to Jesus. They hoped he would be cured of his ailment. But because of the crowd, there was no way to reach the Lord. They went so far as to open the roof above Jesus, and they lowered the paralytic man on a stretcher.
Our Lord recognized the faith of these men. Jesus forgave the paralytic man of his sins, demonstrating his most important power for healing, and he cured the man of his paralysis.
This gospel passage is a reminder of the true mission of Jesus: to heal us from our sin, and free us for unity with him. The sacraments of penance and the anointing of the sick—the sacraments of healing—are the means in which we continue to encounter and receive the healing love and touch of Jesus, as the paralytic man received in Capernaum.
It is worth remembering that without his four friends, the paralytic man would never have been healed. The gospel account reflects charity’s impulse toward those who are most vulnerable, including the sick. Caring for the sick is a corporal work of mercy, and thus it is the responsibility of every Christian in their own unique circumstances of life.
Some have chosen for their path in life the care of the sick and the dying, and they should be commended for doing so. On a personal level, I am so grateful, especially during my time of medical leave, for the care and compassion of those who care for physical and mental health.
And during this past year, while enduring the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all witnessed the sacrifices of front line workers who placed their own health at risk, working long hours to care for those suffering from COVID-19. The truth is that the Lord uses all of us as instruments of his love through the care of others.
In ordinary, everyday ways, God works through our human love. Those who are in need of physical, mental and spiritual care are vulnerable, and the Lord works in and through those who care for them.
Over the past several years, I have been privileged to serve as the episcopal advisor to the Catholic Medical Association (CMA). The CMA strives to assist medical professionals in living out their Catholic faith as they perform the corporal work of mercy of caring for the sick.
The CMA is the largest Catholic physician member association involved in the health care field. Its goal is to help medical professionals to grow in faith and holiness, maintain ethical integrity, and provide excellent health care in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
We may not always remember it, but we live amid the most advanced, comprehensive medical care system the world has ever seen. In fact, the strides made in medical innovation and technology are often taken for granted. So are the Church’s contributions to that innovation.
The Church and members of the Church have always been on the forefront of medical care. In the early Church, Christians were noted for their care for the infirm and the dying, which gave rise to the profession of nursing and the establishment of hospitals. Through the establishment of universities—an initiative of the Catholic Church in Europe—new developments were made in science and health care.
Individual disciples have made significant strides in science and health care: Consider, for example, the work of Gregor Mendel, an Augustinian priest who was a pioneer in the area of genetics. Or the ministry of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who made it her life work to establish hospitals.
Despite the Church’s care for the sick, a cultural lie persists which says the Catholic Church only cares about the unborn child. The Church, of course, teaches with the support of science and reason that an unborn child possesses inherent dignity and, thus, must be protected. But following the teachings of Jesus, the Church champions the dignity of all human life.
And there is plenty of concrete witness to this belief.
Nearly the whole world admires the profound witness of St. Teresa of Calcutta, who cared for the poorest of the poor, including those who were cast aside and neglected in society. The stories of Mother Teresa at the peripheries of society are moving and convicting. This is a woman who with her own hands removed maggots from the side of the infirm; only the grace of God moves someone to such charity and care.
It is not an accident that Christians have been at the forefront of medical care throughout the ages. St. Paul tells us in his Letter to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Cor 6: 19). Catholics believe in the dignity of all human life, which stems from our participation in the life of God.
I am constantly edified by those who selflessly continue to care for the most vulnerable. Their work is often in the shadows, seen by only a few. I hope they see themselves as continuing the healing work of Jesus in our times.
Nevertheless, medical professionals face daunting challenges in our ever-encroaching secular world. There is a pervasive temptation to provide services which conflict with the dignity of the human person. These immoral practices include the acceptance of abortion, contraception, in-vitro fertiliztion, sterilization, physician-assisted suicide, and other practices which actually cause harm, not health—and which contravene the teachings of the Lord.
I am grateful that the CMA has taken a proactive approach to these cultural pressures, by formulating a “boot camp” that helps medical students and residents navigate the day-to-day obstacles to providing genuine health care. In June I attended this year’s “boot camp” held at Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. Nearly 40 young medical students and residents from medical schools across the country gathered together for a week of prayer, a crash course in Catholic bioethics taught by top-notch physicians and university professors, and friendship and fellowship. I witnessed the bonds formed by these future medical leaders in providing authentic, Christian medical health care for our times. I admire the courage of those who enter this field amidst numerous social pressures. They are deserving of our support and prayers.
Please keep our Catholic medical professionals in your prayers as they continue the healing work of Christ in these turbulent times.
