Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Jesus the Christ heals you.... Acts 9:34

Thomas Keating tells us something that keeps meaning different things, all of them true, today in A Daily Reader for Contemplative Living.

He says that the presence of Jesus within us is a very effective healing force. And it's true on many levels. Of course, He heals us physically. So many different ways this is true, including the fact that the body "heals itself" as was mentioned in a previous blog.

But spending time in prayer also heals us. The calming, centering effect that takes place inside of us when we pray, slowing our breathing and our heartbeat, reaffirming who we are as loved beings created for good things... this is good for our physical health.

Obviously it's good for our mental health, as well. We are made to feel so many things by the world around us, and most of them are not good. We are either inflated in our egos and expectations to where nothing will satisfy us... or we are beaten down and made to feel ugly and stupid by pictures and stories that emphasize how great others are and how lame we are. But God, in our prayer, turns all of that upside down. He teaches us how amazing we are, that amazing nature being derived from how amazing He is. And that deriving is what keeps us humble in our amazing selves. We realize that while we are fearfully and wonderfully made, all that we are comes from Him and so we have no "right" to demand things or feel entitled. All we are is gift.

God, thank You for Your presence in our lives, which brings us such wonderful health.

1 comment:

Julie said...

He can and will heal us but it's in his timeframe not ours.