Prayer And Sacraments: In the Eucharist, We Receive Healing from God

Introduction

Although the Eucharist is placed in the list of sacraments, as one of the sacraments of initiation, it also has a direction towards healing. We will be more aware of this when we examine the prayers that lead towards that direction in the celebration of the sacrament. This blog post will therefore seek to discover what those prayers are in the Eucharistic celebration that can heal us in body, mind, heart and soul.

Healing comes from an inaudible prayer

For many of us lay faithful, what we know of the prayers in the Eucharist, are the ones that are spoken and prayed audibly before the whole assembly. However, after Communion in the Body and Blood of Christ, the priest-presider in the Mass prays inaudibly: "Lord, may [these gifts]...bring me healing and strength, now and for ever." As the priest-presider concludes this prayer, and starts to distribute the hosts, we are to respond with: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed."

The saving word of Jesus

In the Eucharistic celebration, whenever the priest-presider says, "Do this in memory of Me", it reminds all of us of the healing actions which Christ performed in His ministry before He shared the Last Supper with His apostles. Christ's healing ministry is meant for all people that they may obtain salvation and membership in God's Kingdom. And everytime we say "Amen", we respond to Jesus with a sense of commitment that we shall do as He had done - to be agents and instruments of healing also to our family, and all our brothers and sisters in our community.

A sacrament for the healing of all

As we had examined the prayers mentioned above, even though they may be already familiar to us, we can now see that Christ bestows His gift of healing to all: to the priest-presider; to all those who have attended the Eucharistic celebration; and to all those who will share in that gift of healing, as they are brought and called into membership in the Body of Christ. From this perspective, we can see that the Eucharist is not exclusive, but has an inclusive dimension: the Sacrament sends the Church for a mission to those who need healing and want to be part of the Body of Christ.

A special mission to the aged, disabled, and sick

This healing power that is bestowed by God through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, is especially meant for the members of the Church who are not able to attend the celebration because of their old age, disability, or ailment. Thus, ministers are given the task of bringing the healing power of the Eucharist to this special sector of the parish. As the minister prays, "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to His Supper", the elderly, disabled, and the sick obtain from Christ a healing of both soul and body.

Summary and conclusion

We sometimes need to remember the power of healing that God bestows through the sacrament of the Eucharist. When we examine and see how this spirit of healing is integrated in the celebration, we see something deeper than just the external. We discover that it can provide both the healing of the body, and inner healing. And this healing is not only meant for those who are part of the celebration, but also to all those who are open and willing to receive this gift of inner healing by becoming members of the Church. For those of us therefore, who are privileged to be members of the Body of Christ in the Eucharistic celebration, this can open our eyes so that we may see that our "Amen" means that we are also commissioned to share this gift of healing to others - especially those who are old, disabled, and sick, and those who are not members, but have a sincere desire to be part of our Eucharistic communion.

Edited from the following sources