By his wounds we were healed

The healing Jesus offers begins in the heart and reaches us, above all, through the sacraments of the Church.

The prophet Isaiah announced the suffering Servant: “by his wounds we were healed” (Is 53:5). Saint Peter repeats these words as he looks at the cross of Christ (1 Pt 2:24). The wounded face we contemplate in the Holy Face is the face of the One who took our sorrows upon himself.

Jesus still heals today, and he does so mainly through the sacraments. In Confession, he heals the wounds of sin. In the Eucharist, he gives himself as our remedy. In the Anointing of the Sick, the Church prays over the sick person, as Saint James asks (Jas 5:14-15).

The Bible also tells us to honor the physician, because it was the Lord who created him (Sir 38:1). God acts through prayer, and he also acts through medicine. Praying and taking care of yourself go together.

If you are sick in body or soul, do not carry it alone: talk to your parish priest, draw near to the sacraments and let the community pray for you.

To pray

Lord Jesus, by Your holy wounds, touch my wounds. Heal my body, if it is Your will, and above all heal my heart. Holy Face of Jesus, look upon me with mercy. Amen.

Important: everything in this ministry takes place in communion with the diocesan bishop and with the parish priest of each community. Prayer does not replace medical or psychological treatment, and exorcism in the strict sense is reserved to a priest authorized by the bishop (Catechism, no. 1673).