"So they set out and went from village to village, spreading the good news everywhere and curing diseases" (Lk 9:6). It seems that at various times in the past, the Lord did many more healings through the Church. Although the Lord is doing many more healings in the present of which we are not aware, it is quite possible that we are not seeing as many healings now because we:

• are ignorant that the Lord wants to heal through us,
• have not tried to heal in Jesus' name,
• are not following Jesus' directions and simplifying our lives (Lk 9:3ff), which can be part of the ecology of healing,
• are not proclaiming God's kingdom (see Lk 9:2), since healing accompanies this proclamation, and
• have not forgiven those who have rejected us (see Lk 9:5), which sabotages healing and the whole Christian life.

Although these comments about reasons for possibly fewer healings today are valid, many times we must realize that we don't know why something seems to be different than Biblical standards. At that point, we should not deny or water down in any way the truth of divine revelation in the Scriptures. The Scriptures do not need to be altered to fit our limited human experience. Rather, we should humbly realize that we need to grow in faith and love so as to let the Lord work through us much more freely.

"Every word of God is tested" (Prv 30:5) and true (Jn 17:17). By God's grace, let us always try to measure up to the truth.

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Richard L. Klug, January 16, 2004

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 26, 2004