God’s Kiss of Healing
July-August 2014
We all have moments when we need healing in our lives. Maybe we suffer from an illness or just the wear of years on our bodies. Or maybe we need healing for hurts to our soul or mind. The Church offers us a wonderful sacrament, the anointing of the sick. In this anointing we find the wonderful kiss of God on our wounds. Think about a small child who falls and skins his knee. Then think of how a mother or father tenderly kisses the wound and says, “It will all be better.” While the wound may still be present, a healing occurs. The child is soothed by knowing that someone cares enough to be present with him in his moment of pain.
That is how the anointing of the sick works. We might receive a miraculous healing and our illness disappears. Such physical healing does at times take place. But this is not the intent of our prayer. God can’t be locked in a box and made to do our will. Rather, our prayer allows God’s holy will to enter into the moment. If God’s will is physical healing, then his will be done. However, we know we can’t bring healing to every illness or situation. We understand that some day, we must go home to be with God. We will all die a mortal death to enter our eternal life. Our prayer is for the grace to use the moment to heal our souls and to be a witness to something beyond this life, as well as to receive healing in our memories and the ability to forgive those who may have hurt us. We pray for healing and peace—to join our pain to the suffering of Christ—so that others may find a source of strength and hope in how we bear the difficulties of this life.
Healing occurs because we offer ourselves to God. In the sacrament, our faith reminds us that we do not suffer alone. God tenderly enters our moments of pain and brings the healing oil to soothe our physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. The peace we gain serves as a witness to our friends and family that God is with us in all the moments of our lives, even the most difficult.
As the priest anoints us, our sins are forgiven. The oil reminds us of our baptism and confirmation, and God comes to our aid. God’s words of consolation ring in our ears. Although we don’t know what kind of healing will occur, we can be certain that a healing will take place.
We know that God, who gave us his own Son, wouldn’t deny us any other good we may need to enter into his presence. Present in the priest, Christ listens to our concerns and offers us hope. Grace fills our soul, and we are assured that we are loved. Fear melts away as it does with a mother or father’s kiss, and God says, “My child it will all be better.”