Healing in the Heart of Christ
"O Christ, you are united to every being
without exception. Still
more, risen from the dead, you come to heal the
secret wound of our
soul. And for each of us there opens the gates of
an infinite goodness
of heart. Through such love, little by little our
soul is changed."
( Brother Roger of Taize, No Greater Love)
Healer of our Soul
In the previous chapter we
focused on Prayer of the Heart as the way we come to find an interior space of
sanctuary to heal in Christ. We must not equate spiritual healing with
psychological or physical healing. To heal spiritually is to heal the soul.
Here it is important to distinguish between "soul" and the true
"spirit" within us. Many of the mystics will speak of the spirit as
that which remains hidden in Christ, ever whole and untouched by sin and the
conditioning of human life and society. The true spirit is our true Heart, the
center of our being, the sanctuary of Christ's Heart within us, and dwelling
place of the Trinity. The true spirit is the Imago Dei within us and source of
our ontological union with God. The soul is the spiritual consciousness
of the human being. The soul is the fruit and creation of our passage in this
life and the medium where we do our inner work of transformation.
Spiritual practice is soul making and soul transforming. While the
spirit remains ever whole, the soul is subject to the injuries of life and the
deadening of moral blindness if we turn away from the Beloved's voice within
us. Such moral and spiritual death leaves a soul bound in separateness and
locked in a dungeon of self-absorption, inaccessible to communion with the
Divine. The soul, transformed and infused with the love of Christ, is the gift
we make to God in the life's spiritual journey. The true spirit already rests
in its belonging in God. Our spiritual work in this life is to bring forth a
soul that is transparent, shining, and aflame with the Light of Christ, in
harmony with the true spirit.
In the inner work of Prayer
of the Heart we bring the wounds and dark spaces of our soul to the healing
touch of Christ. We open every dark corner of the soul to the Light and Love of
Christ to be offered to His limitless Love. Some wounds we bear impede us from
this profound act of trust. Among them are fear, rejection, and shame. A little
child will not trust a doctor or nurse to touch an injured area if they are
afraid. Persons will not allow themselves to be seen unclothed or speak their
secret hurts if they are ashamed or expect rejection or negative
judgement. We must be willing to
be naked to fully receive the unconditional love of Christ in our communion
with Him and thus be healed. We will not bring the wounds of our soul for
healing if we wish to look away, or if we are convinced we can heal them by
other means. Such is the impact of spiritual blindness and a divided life. If
we remain isolated and hidden from the Love of Christ, neither can we become
transparent before Him in our willingness to offer our souls to be healed in
His Heart.
But the central wound
of our soul and source of every spiritual ill is the wound of separateness. For
Christians Christ is the healing balm for this injury, freeing us to live our
human life fully united with His Life in every moment of life.
