Not until now has the Sacrament of Confession (Reconciliaton) and Healing been spoken of in the same sentence. But a seemingly new phenomenon of real physical healings and real spiritual healings are being linked to Confession!
But we should not be surprised at all of this seemingly new linkage. It happened nearly every time Jesus healed people. Jesus would often say: "You sins are forgiven" just before he would say: "Take up your pallet and walk!" So, why now are we just beginning to see real true physical healings and real true spiritual healing now in the Church? It is the Holy Spirit who is the One whose power forgives sins: "Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." Jesus gave the apostles the power to forgive sins just before He ascended into heaven. It is the Holy Spirit that changes bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus at Mass. The priest begins the consecration prayers with: "May the Holy Spirit come the dewfall upon these gifts so that they may become the Body and Blood of Christ..."
But the true and real reason that healings are taking place in the Sacrament of Confession is that this Sacrament is an encounter with the Risen Christ! Jesus is truly present and hears the sins of the confession of each penitent.
What kind of healing are taking place? The next three examples took place after Confession to the same priest of three separate penitents during a retreat:
1) Physical: Back problems are healed as one example; and there are others.
2) Spiritual: Two priests who had made up their minds to leave the priesthood after confession sait that they received an extraodinary surprise grace during the Sacrament of Confession that made them say that there would NEVER would be a reason for their leaving priestood!
3) There also have been reported healings of mental illness or emotional disorders such as : OCD and ADD and scrupulosity and addictions to pornography and homosexuality - gradually after many Confessions over years. These healings are so gradual as to be almost imperceptible; but after years or so, these disorders seem all of the sudden gone! The cumulative effect of all the Confessions then are seen all at once as the penitent sees and knows and realized that he/she is healed! The Holy Spirit works slowly in mental illness but seems to be more instantaneous in other disorders.
Does this mean that we are entering the end times when the time is short? Is there an eschatological reason and motivation of Jesus to re-emphasize the gift of healing during or Confession since the Church already has the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick? Well, truth be told, the Sacrament of Anointing does take away sins as well - but most especially heals the effects of sins.
There is no doubt that the evil one seems to think that his time is short. This past century seems to have been so often his victory: world wars, more martyrdoms than in all the previous centuries put together. But this victory is a pseudo one. The devil tried so hard to obtain Jesus' death; but in doing so Jesus actually over came death and destroyed death by Jesus' own resurrection. So, too, these end times -- though there have been so many wars and killings and abortions and martyrdoms -- still Jesus is in control and will bring GOOD out of all this evil. God has raised Great Saints from the Holocaust and abortion: St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. Benedicta of the Cross (Maria Stein), St. Gianna Bolla, and millions and millions of Holy Innocents!
Whatever seems to be the motivation of Jesus to now make more healings to flow from the Sacrament of Confession, the true fact may be that there have always been such healing all along and we are now only beginning to notice them as more frequent. I suspect that spiritual and physical and emotional healings have always been there linked to this Sacrament. Perhaps Jesus is doing more instantaneous healings. But whatever the answer is to this seeming new Sacramental phenomenon, it should not come as such a surprise. Jesus' love is no surprise. Jesus is very very creative in his healing love. Let us run into his arms like the prodigal son did into the arms of his father. Let us celebrate the Sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation with celebrative joy! Surely the forgiveness that this prodigal son experienced in the arms of his father did heal him in so many ways! Let approach this wonderful Sacrament with a new expectatant faith, with new joy, with new gratitude..with a new hope and reliance on God's love and mercy!
Peace and love, Pio
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