Healing and Prayer and the Word of God

So Friday Morning I came to write the homily and prepare myself for the weekend ahead and by mid afternoon I had the whole thing done. And then during a period of prayer with the Scriptures of the weekend I realised that I had fallen into the trap of trying to address the whole Gospel and its themes. So I want to re examine just one part of the Gospel this weekend. It is the part where Jesus describes what is the Parable. Lets listen again to what he says at the end of this passage 

You listen and listen again, but do not understand, see and see again, but not perceive. For the heart of this nation has grown coarse their ears dull of hearing and they have shut their eyes for fear they should see with their eyes hear with their ears understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed by me. 

Jesus was speaking about his own generation but it could so easily be apt for this present generation. For we now live in a very noisy society where we are bombarded by images and people have given up the faith. Many people have stoped listening and see the works of God in their lives and in the world at large. Jesus gives is an explanation why this has happened. He describes the fact that they fear what may happen if they do see and they do hear. 

Over the last few weeks I have been attending Alpha and have really enjoyed the experience of listening to others share their faith and I believe it to be something that everyone here should do. But, I have to admit that there is a period where I am scared in Alpha its not what you may expect. It is being prayed with. When I am invited to be prayed with I have to admit my heart sinks I fear what they might say and what they might revel about me. I usually at this point pray hard for the bleep for the hospital to go off anything to avoid this type of prayer. It feels like the same fear of some body going to the dentist. 

But over time I realised that the fear I have had is founded on my own self not wanting to be open to Jesus working and moving in my life. I am reminded of the words of Cardinal Newman ‘ To live is to change and to be perfect is to change often” I realised that every moment of prayer every time I read the scriptures there is an opportunity for God to work in me for me to change a little and become more like Jesus. I just need to train my ears to hear him more closely. And when I walk around Brighton when I just live I need to train my eyes to see his grace working through my life. To therefore then to be open to him and be converted by him. 

Then I see the other word that some people feel uncomfortable with and that word is Converted. When talking to people they often describe themselves as a Convert and when they have finished I describe that we are all converts if we are cradle catholic or not for to hear the Lord and see him at work in our lives means that we are constantly being converted that our hearts are constantly being transformed and changed. So we are all converts because we are all in need of the God’s grace and love. 

The last part Jesus says that we all have a need to be healed by him. To be open to the grace of God to be open to his word to listen and see the Lord at work in our lives means that we are healed of those pains of those things that hold us back to being open to his love. 

I relised therefore that I was closed because I was scared, I was closed because I did not want to change. Rather than fearing the prayer ministry now I realise the importance of it of having people pray for you and be with you in prayer. I no longer pray for the bleep to go off but rather that it does not Go off.