As Christians and non-Christians alike have made counseling and self-help books a greater part of their lives, it has become increasingly common to hear stories of healing journeys. People today have become comfortable with the idea that they are wounded (emotionally or spiritually) and they need healing. But how do we find healing? Many psychologists have theories about how we find true healing, and many of those theories may prove very helpful. But at its source all healing is an encounter with a Love that is embodied— Jesus the Incarnate God of Love.
In researching healing from trauma, psychologists have discovered that learning to become at home in your own body is an essential element to healing. They have also realized that humans are made for community and that community facilitates healing. What psychologists often don’t realize is how Jesus exemplifies both of these realities in and through His BODY.
When Jesus walked and talked and healed others, God’s love was made present through His very body. Often Jesus would touch those who were ill or possessed. This tells us that Jesus’ body truly mattered. By loving people with His Body, Jesus communicated the power of His divine life to them. Jesus reveals that embodied love is both powerful and healing.
But you might wonder, “What does that mean for me? How can I be healed by the embodied love of Jesus?” The answer comes in two forms: we can meet Jesus in the Eucharist, and we can meet Him in community with others.
Now, if you’re truly honest, you’ll say, “Okay, sure. But that is not the same.” To which I would respond, “True. If I was married for 50 years and my wife passed away, nothing would substitute for holding her in my arms.” There is a longing in many Christians to hold Jesus’ true body— to have His arms wrapped around us. But we also get to have His body inside us. Have you ever hugged someone and wished that you could be closer to that person than you actually were, knowing that you could never be any closer to them than hugging them? Well, with Jesus, we can be closer than a hug. We get to have Him inside us.
We also encounter Christ in community with others. Jesus tells us that “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”(Mt 25:40-45) We are encountering Jesus in them. What husband wouldn’t wish he could encounter his deceased wife wherever he went? But when we love others, we truly encounter Jesus.
But what does all of this have to do with healing? Well, do you want to experience healing? Draw close to the body of Christ: in the Eucharist and in the people of the Church. This is what psychologists are telling us: healing comes when you are at peace with your body and at home with others. In the Eucharist we are literally bringing peace into us. And in loving others, Jesus’ healing love is made present in our very bodies.
So, in your healing journey, don’t forget the One who is Love Incarnate. Don’t forget to run to Him from whom all healing comes.
Gabriel Milano has his Master’s degree in Theology in Marriage and Family at the John Paul II Institute and is a content creator and speaker for TOBET. He also writes fantasy novels for children and young adults, under the pen name G. M. Dantes.
This blog and all content on this website is copyrighted, all rights reserved. © 2024 Theology of the Body Evangelization Team, Inc. (TOBET)