Here is my homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter – May 10, 2009. The readings can be found at https://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/051009.shtml – Thanks for reading and all your feedback.
At a meeting, the other day, of all the campus ministers and chaplains at Montclair State University, a very interesting phenomenon was identified that has been on my mind ever since. As we came to the end of another academic year, we were reflecting and evaluating on the activities and events that the different groups had sponsored, asking ourselves which programs had worked and which hadn’t. One interesting observation was that some of the most “popular” of the programs (in terms of attendance, interest and participation among students) all had to do with Healing.
Two examples were mentioned. The first was this man who identified himself as a medium, a psychic healer and spiritual instructor. He spoke at the Peace Conference on campus in April. From reports of it, there were hundreds of people who were there for a two hour discussion on a Monday evening; he was flooded with people who were eager to meet and talk to him, one on one, after the presentation.
The other ‘healer’ I was able to witness myself. Every week throughout the year, Professor Sargese leads what are called, “Conversations on Faith and Spirituality,” which cover a variety of topics. Usually, there is a nice group, ranging from six to a dozen people, depending on the topic. Throughout the year, there have been interesting and lively discussions, running the whole gambit of spiritual topics. A few weeks ago, I arrived as usual on a Tuesday at 3:30. That week, the discussion was to be on “Reiki,” which is a Japanese healing practice. Honestly, I had never seen that room more crowded. There were probably over 25 people jam packed in this small room that had been comfortable and cozy every other week! People stood in the corner or shared seats with others for the entire hour and no one seemed to mind – so deep was this desire for healing.
Montclair State isn’t some aberration for this type of interest. Do a quick investigation on the topic and you can see how wide spread the interest is. If you type in the word ”healing” on Google in .29 seconds over 73 million results pop up. More specific, if you were to look in a book store, there are literally thousands of books with titles like, “Healing is a Choice,” “Energy Healing,” “Extraordinary Healing.” Even pharmaceutical companies offer their own brand of ‘healing.’ How often do we see commercials with soft music playing, as a voice says, “Do you feel anxious? Maybe Anxious-cal is for you! Talk to your doctor (may cause drowsiness, nausea, mutant heads…). The ever growing, expanding self-help industry, with new (or in some cases, not so new, but “new to us” practices), continues to grow.
What is it that is at the heart of all this “healing” talk? What is their root desire when people say they are looking for healing? Think about it. Most people say they are looking for “healing” when they’re sick. But usually what they end up getting is a quick fix for their most acute symptoms. So, if I have a severe headache, and I can’t go to work or take care of whatever responsibilities and obligations I have, what do I do? I take two Advil, I feel better, I get back to my work. And usually I don’t think about it any further. Questions like – What caused the headache? Why did that happen? How was this pill able to mask the symptoms? A re there any side-effects I need to think about? – rarely cross my mind. If you’re like me it’s headache bad – Advil good… Next problem. And we just move along.
But that’s not healing – that’s alleviating a symptom. And the thing is, we’ve been trained to believe that’s what healing is all about. But what happens when we’re dealing with something more complicated than a headache… What about when we’re dealing with a heart-ache… or a soul-ache? Despite the promises and marketing – there’s yet to be a pill or an answer to alleviate those kinds of symptoms.
At the heart of “Healing” is the desire to be made whole again. If I’m feeling hurt or injured or sick (whether physically or emotionally or spiritually - or a combination of all of these) I begin to feel disconnected with myself. I can feel isolated. I can feel all alone.
Which is why this “healing industry” is booming. There are a lot of people who are disconnected – they feel alone, and as soon as someone offers the hopeful statement, “I know what you’re going through, and I can cure you of all that ails you – I can make you whole again,” people are ready to do whatever it takes to experience this remedy. Tell me what to do, what to take, what to think, and I’ll do it … just make me better, cure me, make me whole again, heal me…
I couldn’t help but notice how Jesus speaks to this desire in today’s Gospel. God’s desire for us is that we will bear much fruit. That can only come if we are whole – that can only come if we are cured of what ails us. BUT – here’s an important thing that distinguishes Gospel healing from many other kinds - the healing can only come about by our being ROOTED to and CONNECTED with Jesus Christ.
I am the vine – you are the branches -whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit – and here’s the important distinction – without me you can do nothing.
Jesus doesn’t seem to mince words here. He’s being direct in telling us where we can find the healing we long for. And we have to pay attention, realizing that Jesus isn’t saying we should just “pray our problems away.” There’s a reason the plant analogy works. We need to be connected to each other. We need each other. But ultimately, all of the branches, are connected to the one Vine, Jesus Christ. It’s up to us to remain connected to the vine through prayer – through the sacraments – through our listening and following what God’s will is for our lives. It’s up to us to be pruned of the things that distract us, that distance us from God’s presence and action in our lives. By our love and sacrifice, the selfishness, the sinfulness that enters into our lives is able to be cut out.
This prescription is much more difficult than taking a pill, or reading a self-help book, or maintaining a healthy diet. It involves a continuous turning of our lives over to the Lord. But, we have to ask ourselves, do we simply want to feel better or to be made completely whole?
