Repentance And Healing

Is there a connection between repentance and healing?

Last week when I met with my spiritual director, it dawned on me in a new way that yes, there does seem to be a connection between the two.  The way this came to the forefront is by wondering out loud how long the healing process takes, and more than that, God's seeming silence on this journey.

But after pondering these things out loud, it immediately dawned on me that while I share my thoughts with God frequently (see this post), I do not spend a lot of time actively searching my heart for sins of "commission or omission".  I give little thought to repentance.

Perhaps this is a natural product of living in a culture that praises self-help, self-sufficiency, and most of all, the goodness of humanity.  But, how does this theology affect healing, or the lack thereof?  Does God heal us when we only proclaim to him our goodness?

Today, while reading Prayers of Hildegard of Bingen (edited by Walburga Storch), the prayer below jumped out at me.  It's one of a number of prayers in which Hildegard connects repentance and healing:

O where have I come from,

and what am I doing now?

In my lamentation I groan out to you, O God,

because I have tainted my understanding of you

with the impurity of sin.

Have mercy on me, O Lord,

for I have stained my soul with sin.

Heal the welts of my wounds,

for I have sinned against you.

Teach me more and more my God,

to carry out holy, good deeds,

so that my confused soul

can experience healing through you.