Healing In The Spirituality Of The Desert Fathers

In my pastoral care class, we've had a number of sessions on a variety of themes related to healing during times of physical illness, but to my disappointment many of the sessions focused largely on psychology and therapy as avenues towards healing, often relegating the spiritual realm to that of "emotions" and "feelings."

To remedy what I felt is an underemphasis of spirituality, not to mention theology, in the area of healing, I prepared a didactic session on healing in the Christian tradition, focusing particularly on how the desert fathers of the 4th century and later viewed healing.  Even more than that, I focused on the Jesus Prayer, and how it in many ways functioned as the "ideal" prayer in time of illness of any kind: physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, whatever the case may be.  The Jesus Prayer goes as follows: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me."

Today I presented my findings, and I was pleasantly surprised by the response I got from my classmates and supervisor.  Throughout the presentation they showed great interest, and they asked many questions.  Here, in short, is what I presented:

In the spirituality of the desert fathers and mothers:

* The Jesus Prayer is the ideal prayer not only for every day living but especially also in times of great physical and spiritual need

* There is healing power in the name of Jesus (therefore, the prayer is repeated often throughout the day, sometimes into the hundreds and even thousands of times)

* We pray the Jesus Prayer because we are aware of our sickness, and that we:

- desire healing (a movement towards mercy, forgiveness)

- can't do it ourselves (a movement towards self-awareness, repentance)

- trust in the God of healing (a movement towards humility, awe)

Summary: the healing process is a movement from sinner to saint, from self-deception to self-awareness

* Healing is only the beginning of our journey: healing begins with God's presence in our lives, moves us to "union" with God, and culminates in "theosis" (divinization, deification)

* The world (all of creation) is an integrated "whole", consisting of the material and spiritual realms.  Therefore, God works through our prayers.  Miracles are real.  But the devil is real also, and he tries to undermine God's work.  This makes our prayers all-the-more needed!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us!

The sources that I used for this presentation are:

* The Jesus Prayer, Frederica Mathewes-Green

* Philokalia: The Eastern Christian Texts.  Selections Annotated & Explained, translated by G. E. H. Palmer

* The Way of the Pilgrim, and The Pilgrim Continues his Way, translated by Helen Bacovcin

* The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, translated by Benedicta Ward, SLG

* The Wisdom of the Desert, by Thomas Merton