The praise that heals! Divine healings.
Msgr. René Laurentin.
Finally, what holds true for speaking in tongues also holds true for healing through the laying on of hands. It is worth noting that the vast majority of the healing cases reported by Pentecostals take place in public, during large meetings in which crowd psychology undoubtedly plays a part, along with a form of religious intoxication and the altered state produced by a certain atmosphere. We know that many illnesses are psychosomatic and that a neurosis can present physiological symptoms.
We also know that many of those who attend this kind of meeting are people suffering from a certain psychological imbalance, the anxious who feel out of sorts in their own skin. They want only one thing: to be delivered from their affliction, unaware that the forgiveness, salvation and peace found in Christ come before that; that God can heal by answering simple prayers said in the secrecy of a room, without any spectacular laying on of hands; and that He can also choose not to heal His child, when He judges that this is salutary for that child or that it contributes to the glory of His name.
These are biblical truths that the Pentecostals overlook, in favour of a piety that leaves one thoughtful and raises many questions. Use of various techniques - Preparations. J. Stolz carried out an interesting study based on observation of what happens in a healing workshop. The preparation techniques are genuine relaxation techniques: posture of the body, channelling of thoughts, relaxation - in other words, a bodily, mental and spiritual preparation. Hypnosis. The hypnotic state is a modified state of consciousness, intermediate between waking and sleep.
It is a particular psychic state capable of being induced, which increases suggestibility to varying degrees. Through speech, the hypnotist induces in the patient a particular state of consciousness marked by indifference to the outside and hypersuggestibility. This "hypnotic" state of consciousness can be used to amplify the patient's inner resources for fighting anxiety and pain and to make symptoms disappear. The hypnotic process makes it possible to pass from the waking state to the hypnotic state.
"Hypnosis is defined as a relational process accompanied by a succession of physiological phenomena, such as a modification of muscle tone, a reduction of sensory perceptions (dissociation), and a focusing of attention, with the aim of putting an individual in touch with the totality of his existence and of obtaining from him physiological changes, changes of behaviour and of thought," the definition adopted by the AFEHM (Sichere 2007).
Hypnosis is used for various disorders: depression, anxiety disorders, self-assertion/self-esteem, blocked, complicated or traumatic bereavement; migraines, chronic pain, chronic eczema, digestive disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, management of personal and professional stress, relationship difficulties, anxiety, insomnia, phobias, anguish, obsessions, depressive and related disorders, harassment, occupational overwork, burnout, arterial hypertension, digestive disorders, dermatological problems, rheumatism, headaches, asthma, allergies, rhinitis, sinusitis, tinnitus, hyperacusis, loss of taste and smell, ulcers, colitis, chronic gastritis, psoriasis, urticaria, eczema, plantar warts, improved healing of burns.
Several techniques are used. Two are of interest to our reflection: suggestions and levitation. Suggestions, which can be open or closed; closed suggestions are instructions the patient must follow. Levitation: movement of a limb is induced by verbal suggestion until that limb comes to rest in balance. Thus a subject can raise his arm with the sensation that it is endowed with a life of its own, dissociated from the rest of his body and not controlled by his consciousness.
Three fundamental conditions remain necessary: the patient's motivation, the patient's cooperation and the patient's trust in the therapist. Within this framework, the concept of the therapeutic use of hypnosis is based on the voluntary obtaining, by the therapist, of a modified state of consciousness conducive to suggestion and to the modification of perceptions.
Nevertheless, hypnosis has been accused of creating false memories, particularly of trauma or sexual abuse suffered in childhood: the question of the risk of manipulation raises an ethical and even legal problem (a few cases of complaints have been reported). As Dr JM Benhaiem puts it: "Hypnosis can take place in several stages, moving from mastery to non-mastery: a phase known as confusion or dissociation, which is a transition that can open onto a state of perceptive modification.
The first stage is aimed at analgesia or sedation; the second stage is psychotherapeutic in aim. The first stage of hypnosis is a phase of confusion. This "absence," in a benevolent context, possesses physiological characteristics: analgesia, reduced anxiety. The second stage of hypnosis opens onto an indeterminacy, an increase in critical sense, an awareness of the whole environment.
The hypnotic state, in this phase, is therefore not sleep, or an absence, or indifference, but a genuine hyper-presence capable of resolving blockages such as fears, chronic pain, addictions, etc." Music. Music can put the body and the mind into a state of receptivity. Mediumship. What happens in the groups that heal is also close to healing mediumship: "Through the laying on of hands or at a distance, healing is transmitted to the person. Not necessarily to treat a physical problem, but also on the emotional level.
The person needs to become aware that he is the actor of his own life, and must therefore take himself in hand in order to move forward, get out of a situation, find new heart, DARE......
The charism is not permanent
Fr. Paul-Marie de Mauroy has asked himself about the difference between the charism of healing and mediumship: "It must therefore be said that mediumship is a habitus, whereas the charism is not permanent. Whoever claims to have the charism of healing and to be able to use it whenever he wishes is a medium and not a charismatic. The same holds for whoever claims to have the charism of knowledge, of discernment of spirits, etc. Is it charism, clairvoyance, or even spiritism?
It seems to me that there is, today, much confusion in a certain kind of Charismatic Renewal." How then can one discern that a person has a true charism of healing, on the basis of the fact that his words of knowledge are often fulfilled? And programming healing gatherings, like Fr. Tardif, or evenings of prayer for the sick with guaranteed healings, belongs to the realm of mediumship.
The anointing of the Spirit, the indispensable condition (sine qua non) for possessing these charisms and ministries of healing, can turn someone's life upside down, as one sees with Fr. Tardif and Fr. Avalle. The same thing, moreover, happened to another great leader of the Renewal: Fr. Cantalamessa, and also to Fr. Manjackal. Everything happens as if, through the laying on of hands, mediumistic resources were being revealed and set in motion: they become open to messages from beyond; the word of knowledge is one form of this.
The interview with Fr. Avalle (see Appendix) in 2015 is particularly significant. We are obliged to note that the Holy Spirit always reproduces the same pattern. On the other hand, one may also be surprised at the resemblance between the resulting change of personality and brainwashing with reprogramming... The group experience. "For the physician and sociologist Gustave Le Bon, fusion would be the major risk incurred by the group state: the unity of the group would then be due to an identity of emotions that would abolish individual differences.
A phenomenon of illusion would lead to this fusional state of the group. Group illusion would be expressed through propositions of the kind: 'We are good together, we make up a good group, we have a good leader.' For Didier Anzieu, a psychoanalyst, this illusion has the function of replacing the identity of the individual by a group identity, so that the individuals all assert themselves as identical.
Likewise, many researchers observe that influence within groups is permanent: it modifies thoughts and behaviours, undermines certainties, creates ideas and stabilizes new norms. Finally, a factory of illusion and euphoria, bearer of excitements and leading into regressive states, the group situation can prove dangerous in certain cases, since the defences are weakened and the desires are reinforced among the members.
According to Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, the group situation brings about a regression of psychic activity, that is, a lowering of intellectual activity, a lack of independence and initiative. Likewise, according to G. Le Bon, any individual incorporated into a group would undergo psychic modifications analogous in every respect to those undergone by a subject under hypnosis. Finally, as Jacqueline Falguière, a psychoanalyst, stresses, the group can appear, under certain conditions, as a 'formidable source of alienation,' thanks to its power of seduction and suggestion.
Thus one understands why sectarian groups exploit, in their own way, the group experience." Faith healing. An analysis of faith healing reveals the link that can exist between a particular staging and the healing: "Faith healing partakes of magical thinking engaging a healer and a patient who (a) both believe in the healing power of spirits or of other mysterious processes; (b) consciously or unconsciously, the healer suggests to the patient the belief that he or she has cured the patient's affliction through prayer, through gestures of the hand (to release, discharge, restore, etc., some immaterial 'energy'), or through some other unusual ritual or product; and (c) the patient confirms the healing by showing that it has succeeded, by walking without an aid for a short while, by breathing freely, by declaring that he feels relief from his pain, or simply by thanking the healer for this 'miraculous healing.' In addition, faith healing can occur at a distance.
The healer does not need any signs
The patient and the healer do not need to meet, since the processes that occur are supposed to transcend the limits of space and time. The healer needs no objective signs (such as medical examinations) of the illness or of the healing. However, if they exist and support the case, so much the better. For example, scan or X-ray examinations showing a reduction in the size of a tumour are welcome, even though the image of the 'dark mass' in the first scan 'was simply due to the examination having been badly performed' (Randi 1989: 291-292).
The calm and assured attitude of the healer relieves nervous tension. Having faith in the method of healing relieves nervous tension. Praying in a group relieves nervous tension. Relieving nervous tension is the largest part of the work in many illnesses. Since most people recover from most illnesses, the visit to the healer strengthens the patient's faith in the healer and in his method of healing." Curative effect of prayer. On a health website one can read about the observable effects of prayer: "According to Dr Larry Dossey, one of the most renowned researchers in the field, the conclusions of the research leave no doubt: religion and spirituality are excellent both for health in general and for particular problems, such as heart disorders, hypertension, cancer, digestive problems, etc." A doctor healed a person of cancer by telling him to pray a great deal: the healing was progressive; must it be attributed to a lack of faith?
Illnesses healed. One notices resemblances between the illnesses cured by all these techniques and those cured in charismatic healing meetings. Promises of healing - teaching, word of knowledge - are made.
The rest in the Spirit that manifests itself during these meetings corresponds to the first stage of hypnosis. Physical phenomena close to hypnosis or to healing mediumship are also observed. An in-depth study by a physician would probably be enlightening. To increase credibility, no scientific approach is taken to the healings: only the positive cases are retained; nothing is said about the others. General points. All these elements are used in a positive, repetitive, absolute and immediate way, under the direction of the organizer of the celebration.
The effects experienced by the participants are the same as those produced by these techniques: heat, lights, very strong emotions, trembling, the impression that someone has touched certain parts of the body... In fact, the participants experience modified states of consciousness and of perception of the body. A particularity appears in the prayer groups: these states, induced by various techniques, receive a spiritual interpretation: they come from the Holy Spirit and are the healings that the leader predicted.
The words of knowledge and the healing testimonies help to convince the participants of the presence and effectiveness of the Spirit. As for the testimonies, they are always deferred, which makes it possible to sort them and keep only those that confirm a direct intervention of the Holy Spirit. If the testimonies took place immediately, the effect would open a door to doubt, which would harm the success of the healings.
In the light of the law. The practice of hypnosis for therapeutic purposes by non-physicians has already given rise to convictions for the illegal practice of medicine (article L.4161-1 of the public health code). What about the use of the other techniques? In the light of the Church: a Holy Spirit that refuses to be governed by disciplinary norms. According to the Emmanuel: "The Church recognizes healing prayers as 'praiseworthy,' but sets certain norms and limits: the presence of mediators, that these prayers not take place during Masses, that just anyone not be able to speak, and 'that one not resort, especially on the part of those who lead them, to forms resembling hysteria, artificiality, theatricality or sensationalism.'"
A charism of healing
The norms of the Church do not speak of mediators, but rather of not attributing a charism of healing to a group or to a particular person. There are indeed norms to be respected: 'Art. 10. - The diocesan bishop must necessarily intervene with his authority when there are abuses in the liturgical and non-liturgical healing celebrations, in the event of evident scandal for the community of the faithful, or when there are serious violations of the liturgical and disciplinary norms.' A serious violation is the presence of charisms recognized internally and exercised publicly through a ministry of healing: all things forbidden by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (see p.
1 for the definition of charismatic prayer). Indeed, in a prayer assembly for healings, as we have seen, 'it would be arbitrary to attribute a "charism of healing" to any category of participants, for example to the leaders of the group,' whereas 'for one to be able to speak of a possible charism, the intervention of one or more persons, or of a specific category of persons - for example the leaders of the group who animate the meeting - must impose itself as decisive for the effectiveness of the prayer.' Yet precisely, it is members of the group who are said to be invested with a charism of healing through words of knowledge: moreover, only those whose charism of knowledge has been authenticated intervene; they are selected according to their effectiveness.
It is therefore arbitrary to attribute a charism of healing to them: all the participants in the prayer asking for healing must be on an equal footing, so to speak. Moreover, these groups, following the ICCRS, speak of a ministry of healing, which does not exist in the Catholic Church. 'Art.
9. - Those who lead healing celebrations, liturgical or non-liturgical, must try to maintain in the assembly an atmosphere of serene devotion and must keep the necessary prudence if healings occur among those present; they may gather with care and simplicity, at the end of the celebration, any testimonies and submit the matter to the competent ecclesiastical authority.' 'If healings occur': yet to use words of knowledge that put the members of the leading group in the spotlight is not to leave the Holy Spirit full freedom to bring about healings or not!
Moreover, the Holy Spirit, the source of charisms for Catholics, intervenes on fixed days and at fixed hours: it is the members of the group who fix His agenda, and He is expected to keep the appointment - and He never misses it! The same thing is found at the Agapè, where the Holy Spirit speaks every evening at the same hour. The Holy Spirit is manipulated! 'Art. 5 - Paragraph 1. Non-liturgical healing prayers must be made in ways different from liturgical celebrations, for example prayer meetings or readings of the Word of God.
The vigilance of the Ordinary of the place remains required according to canon 839, paragraph 2.' All the bishops in whose dioceses healings take place (and they are numerous) are responsible spiritually and canonically. The charismatic Holy Spirit is thus ungovernable, for it does not take account of the ecclesial norms...
Catholic spirituality
Unheard of in Catholic spirituality! One notes that it responds above all to the psychological needs of our contemporaries, in a context of anguish, stress and fear. In reality it is the Canadian charismatic Renewal that sets the norms and not the CDF, since it gives directives for a public ministry of healing: 'THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF HEALING - The leading team must be made up of persons with authentic charisms, having a spirit of submission and who pray together; - the public ministry is exercised in a climate of praise, simply, without an exaltation that could provoke psychological effects; the emphasis must be on the proclaimed Word, and the Lord often begins to heal even before the prayer of intercession; - the team will see that the profound meaning of this ministry is maintained, so that people do not come to a spectacle.
Maintain a climate of faith, praise and call to conversion. Discernment is required in words of knowledge; - the testimony is left to the freedom of the people. No pressure... THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF HEALINGS IN PRAYER ASSEMBLIES (Comité de pastorale, "Selon Sa Parole", vol. 20, no 6, June-July 1994, p. 19) - In a charismatic prayer assembly, it is normal that charisms of all kinds manifest themselves, thanks to the keen presence of the Holy Spirit; the primary purpose of these manifestations is always the conversion of the heart, a firmer and more fervent attachment to Jesus Christ.
Vigilance must therefore be exercised with regard to this purpose; certain charisms, such as that of healing, attract more attention; - the multiplicity of healing messages and their verification raise questions. These messages should rather serve to guide and feed the prayer of intercession instead of being the object of a search for confirmation at any cost; knowing the generosity of God in the distribution of His gifts already present in the human heart, the abundance of the announcements of healings should not, in itself, surprise us.
But, in practice, discernment is required: from whom do these messages come? Is it a well-confirmed charism? Are these healings solicited without too much discernment by the one who exercises the ministry? What are the dispositions of the audience in the circumstances? Etc. The bishop of the diocese must always be informed of the coming of a person exercising this ministry on the occasion of charismatic assemblies of some importance.
The bishop could then delegate a person (for example: the diocesan respondent) concerned to follow closely the exercise of this ministry and to ensure the required verifications; the principal problem in the healing messages is indeed connected to their verification. One cannot overemphasize this aspect of the situation. 'Do not quench the Spirit... But test everything: hold on to what is good' (1 Th 5,19-20). IMPORTANT NOTE: When people hesitate to bear witness, it is ungracious and indiscreet to insist that they bear witness.
4 - THE FOLLOW-UP OF THE HEALING MINISTRY - Continue to assist the persons healed, through spiritual accompaniment that allows them to be evangelized and to live out their conversion through prayer and the regular practice of the sacraments, and invite them to bear witness in their milieu; be attentive to the beginnings of healing. For the latter to be complete, it is necessary to grow in faith and in love.
If people refuse the demands of this growth, the healing does not always reach its term. To those who have not been healed, one must recall the mystery of God's love, who gave everything to save us. Jesus always answers our prayers, but perhaps differently from what we expect.
CONCLUSION
The mercy of God
The charisms of healing ordered to evangelization show God's mercy to those who believe in His Word. They must not be sought nor exercised to satisfy the desire for the marvellous, but for the good of the community, in the service of the sacramental and mystical life, without an excess of prudence or human respect extinguishing our missionary boldness. Published in "Assemblée de prière". Conclusion. All this reflection makes one very doubtful about the intervention of the Holy Spirit in charismatic healings.
They resemble much more the medicine of ancient civilizations - shamanic, Indian, or other - than miracles as the Catholic faith understands them. This cannot fail to raise questions: how can there be a tacit recognition by the Catholic Church for such practices? What is their status in relation to the legal practice of medicine? They indeed carry a great danger, when one sees to what extent they can modify a person.
Appendix - Interview with Fr. Avalle - Interview with Fr. Thierry Avalle on 22 April 2012 - POSTED ON 10 MARCH 2015 BY RENÉ LAURENTIN - Tuesday 10 March 2015 - INTERVIEW BY MONSIGNOR LAURENTIN - Prayer for the sick at the parish of St Nicolas-des-Champs: the journey of a priest towards the charism of healing. Fr. Thierry Avalle organizes the prayer for the sick every Thursday evening at 6:30 pm, where healings that are often announced take place. On 22 April 2012, I went to meet him at the Church of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs in Paris, to understand better, and I conducted the following interview: ------------------------------------------------------- [...]
The woman who had given me the book by Merlin Carothers took me to a charismatic prayer group. It was a Thursday, and on that day I had been to Mass, because, as a sign of my conversion to the Lord, I had decided to go once a week, in addition to Sunday. This woman had spoken to me of what is called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I did not really know what it was. So I came with her to the group; I was very tired from my work. About a dozen people were praying around a table, praising the Lord.
There were songs, intelligible words and words in tongues, and I did not understand everything; I simply listened. At the end of the prayer, the lady asked that they pray for me. I agreed; they gathered around me. I was seated on a chair. They began to pray, laying a hand on my shoulder, on my head, and they said to me: 'Do you have something to ask of the Lord?' and I answered inwardly: 'Lord, I desire to be your instrument,' then I prayed for two people: the young woman whom I loved, and then a friend in Zürich who, for various reasons, did not want to go to church.
I prayed that the Lord would convert him. A person who was opposite me said to me: 'Thierry, the Lord is going to make you his instrument; he blesses you,' and another word of knowledge addressed me in German: 'Thierry, der Himmel ist offen' (the sky is open). At that moment, my eyes were closed; I saw the sky open above me, like a ceiling opening up, and a light coming down upon me, a force coming into me.
Ah! So God truly exists!
It was as if I had been connected to 10,000 volts. I immediately thought, 'Ah! So God truly exists!' That was the first thing that came to me, and then this force melted over me. It was like a great current, a river that broke down the barriers within me. Afterwards I was told that I fell backwards and that they held me back. RL: Not a painful current? TA: No, the people around me saw me grimacing, but I was not suffering. And besides, the lady who had brought me thought: 'What is happening to him, it's terrible!' She was afraid and she left the room.
It was at the parish of the Holy Spirit, not in the church but in a parish hall. I do not know how long it lasted. People told me: ten minutes, fifteen minutes. Then the force diminished; I regained awareness of what surrounded me. A young man was opposite me... RL: You were in ecstasy; you no longer perceived the place? TA: Yes, no longer any awareness of the environment. This young man placed his hand on my heart and said to me: 'Thierry, calm down!'; at that moment, I felt another heart beside my heart.
I felt the heart of Jesus beside mine, and my hands rose and I blessed the people around me. In other words, Jesus took possession of me and He blessed the people around me. At the time, I was undergoing it; later I understood the meaning of these gestures. Then my hands lowered and opened like the statue of the Sacred Heart. But it was afterwards that I understood. RL: You were receiving something from Him but without yet knowing very well what? TA: Exactly, I felt love. This whole phenomenon lasted 45 minutes. Suddenly, I was very thirsty; I said: 'I am thirsty.'
Afterwards, I thought: 'It is the same word of Jesus on the cross.' The Lord also said to me: 'You are the flesh of my flesh,' and also at a given moment, I received words in German for the others around me, which I no longer remember. Afterwards my tongue began to move.
It was 'speaking in tongues'! But since I did not believe it, I closed my mouth. It opened anyway, and I was obliged to speak in tongues. Such is the first charismatic sign that the Lord gave me. The heart of Jesus drew close to my heart. There was so much love that I began to weep copiously. I could do nothing else. My hands reached out towards the person in front of me; I took her: I drew her to me; I was guided by Christ. Then my hands reached out towards all the people present around me.
I drew them to me one after another, and then my hands were pulled back behind me. I did not understand why; it was simply because two people at the back of the hall did not want me to embrace them. It was not I, but Jesus who wanted to embrace them. I was weeping: Jesus made me weep! They came; they took pity on me; I embraced them; then the phenomenon ceased. Such was the first evening. Two days later, I called my friend for whom I had prayed. And I said to him: 'Come and see, I have something wonderful to tell you.'
He arrives; his name is René. I tell him what happened to me during the prayer group. He begins to weep, because the day before, he had received the love of Jesus in his heart, he who did not want to set foot in church. He went down on his knees in his room. He did not understand what was happening. I said to him: 'You see, I prayed that the Lord would convert you.' A few days later, I went to a monastery of Capuchin nuns in Fribourg. The lady who had brought me to the prayer group in Zürich took me there to bear witness in another prayer group she also attended.
At one point, one of the sisters of the monastery asked me what had happened to me. I told her. She informed me that a person had telephoned the monastery that very morning to announce her intention to commit suicide, groaning: 'I cannot go on.' I felt great anguish and I urged: 'We must pray at once for this person!' We began to pray, and had barely started when the force returned upon me. I said: 'For the glory of God, this woman will be healed.' I did not mean to say these words; it was God who did.
It is the first word of healing that I spoke, and I pronounced it in spite of myself. At that time, I did not know what a charism was (a charism is a gratuitous gift of the spirit for building up the community). I fell to the ground on my back, fully conscious. The force pinned me to the floor; it was the second time this had happened to me, so I was less surprised. RL: The first time, it was already the rest in the Spirit, but you did not fall because they held you back. And the second time, you fell without hurting yourself? TA: Yes, without hurting myself.
I did not know what it was called, but when the force passed through me, I was pinned on my back. I tried to raise an arm, my head; I could raise nothing; I remained pinned to the ground. Then I let it happen. I tried to articulate; I could barely speak; I said: 'Pray, pray.' A priest arrived; he said: 'Thierry, get up!' and at that moment the force left me, and I was able to get up. And I understood that this priest also had the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For a month, a number of phenomena happened to me. I will not tell everything.
For example, I would be praying, kneeling, and I had been praying for an hour without noticing it. I would fall into ecstasy. All these phenomena lasted about a month. [...]
The laying on of hands
The laying on of hands causes intense heat. 'Here is my testimony following the first AIMG meeting in Saint-Etienne in June 2015. God healed me of my knee, and here are the details!... Date of the healing: June 2015, 1st AIMG meeting, St Etienne. What was your state before the prayer, what was wrong? Continual pain in the left knee. How long had you suffered from this health problem? For many months; I had never had an X-ray or any treatment before. Origin of these pains unknown. What happened during the prayer?
Jean Luc Traschel received a word of knowledge: 'a person on the left row, 5th row.' I was in that place with a prayer partner. I stood up by faith and began to make movements: standing, squatting, standing, squatting... I felt that something was happening. Jean Luc continued to pray and released a word of healing precisely concerning the meniscus. I welcomed this new healing with faith and with great joy. A great proof of the Father's love for me. What change were you able to see, and when?
No more discomfort or pain in the days that followed. Flexibility returned to the knee; I can again go to the end of the movements, go on walks without feeling any pain or fatigue.
The Lord was the initiator of this healing; I am grateful to the AIMG servants who are the bearers of all these healings, including mine. It is a real blessing for me, but also for the Body of Christ that gathers around these signs and miracles announcing His return and His reign on earth.' Common points of all the groups - Anointing of the Holy Spirit upstream. All those who perform healings have received the outpouring of the Spirit in the Renewal.
Transmission. They all belong to a group that trains for healing, more or less explicitly; they exercise a public ministry recognized in their milieu. Preparation. One always finds the same preparations: songs of praise, teachings, a warm group atmosphere, words of knowledge; all of this leads people to open up to what is going to happen. What happens is what the people expect: the Holy Spirit shows no originality. Testimonies given: they are all positive; no one testifies to family or personal damage caused by these sessions.
The emotional prevails over the reflective. Connections with various currents - Pentecostalism. The prayers are close to American Pentecostalism: 'David comes here for the "healing prayer." These meetings, inspired by Pentecostalism, a highly emotional current of American Protestantism, developed in France from the 1960s via charismatic communities such as the Emmanuel.' Whereas 'prayers for the sick and for people who suffer' are officially announced, in fact these are healing prayers, according to what both the animators and the participants say.
Healing Ministries
Sometimes there is a touching of the sick part by a member of the group. AIMG: International Association of Healing Ministries. The AIMG is an international association bringing together people called to exercise a ministry in the field of healing. One finds there the Fraternité Pentecôte (the Catholic charismatic prayer groups), alongside Loire en gloire, Alléluia France, Paris tout est possible (Carlos Payan, who is the AIMG's head in France), Debout resplendis, Communauté du Rocher, Embrase nos coeurs, Top chrétien, assemblée du réveil de Toulon, Objectif France.
Its purpose is to restore and organize the healing ministry linked to an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the world. Established 'on five continents,' the AIMG has as its aim, according to its president for Europe, Jean-Luc Trachsel (Swiss Evangelical Church), 'to help the Christian Churches rediscover the ministry of the charism of healing.' The Catholics who join the AIMG therefore share this aim: such is the case of the Fraternité Pentecôte... 1. The AIMG has opened healing spaces run by trained Christians: 'At the Espace Guérison, you will be warmly welcomed by trained people.
These must notably: Carry on their heart a burden for people who do not know Christ and for the sick. Understand the anointing of the Holy Spirit which makes the Word powerful. Hunger for all that God is and all that He has. Work in the unity of faith; unity allows the Holy Spirit to work freely. Receive teaching on how to do good to the sick. Be baptized in the Holy Spirit.' 2. The AIMG also organizes 'Miracles and healings' evenings: 'The Miracles and Healings evenings in Lyon - What are the healing rooms?
The healing rooms are a place of welcome laid out in several rooms, where each sick person is taken care of individually by a team of two or three people. It is a vision linked to this text of the Word of Jesus: 'These signs will accompany those who believe... They will lay hands on the sick and the sick will recover' (Mk 16,17-18). Who prays? The team members of the healing rooms come from different Christian churches.
They are Christians who have received prior training and who care about giving time to pray for all the sick people who wish it. The meetings are organized and led by teams that are mixed from a confessional point of view (Catholic and Evangelical), and each meeting is led by a different speaker, either Catholic or Evangelical; all these meetings are held under the sign of the unity of Christians, in respect for each church.
We expect to taste the love of God in praise and in His word, and to see miracles and healings as signs of the nearness of His kingdom, which is confirmed by the testimonies; indeed, a particular place is made for the healing prayer at the end of the meetings, after times of praise, compassion and exhortation rooted in the word of God.
We are happy to hear, during these evenings and these meetings, all the testimonies of healings and of blessings sent by the Lord; and, the further we advance in this kind of meeting, the more we see that God takes care of each person in the whole of his being; to Him be all the glory. Participate actively in this mission of evangelization by inviting and bringing to this evening people who know Jesus Christ little or not at all, so that they may meet Him.' One may note that a release (discharge) form is required of every sick person who requests prayer!
Healings obtained: joint pains, chronic bronchitis, black spots before the eyes, healed knee and spirit of fear driven out, intracranial malformation, diabetes, hypertension and cough, sciatica, healing of wounds, poor vision, brain tumour, cancer, an unknown skin disease, etc. One finds there: teachings, the touch of God's presence, the laying on of hands and the anointing with oil.
Laying on of hands and anointing with oil
And the Blessed Sacrament serves as the presence of Jesus who heals, whereas in reality the words of knowledge result from the feeling of the one who speaks and do not come directly from Christ. Testimonies take place after the prayer: 'Many testimonies of healing (and other graces received...) follow this prayer, which welcomes everyone: believers or not, the curious and the sceptical... but above all sick, suffering people or their loved ones.' The testimonies are not permitted until several years have passed.
It is a pity that the immediate testimonies are not known: that would change the score of the healings and their reliability. In several testimonies, it is said that the healing was accompanied by the forgiveness of sins: 'Within an hour, this man in his forties with a child's face will tell that he has just been healed, by the Holy Spirit, first of his sins, but also of a partial deafness in his right ear.' Another says that 'the sins fell away.'
The testimonies posted on the website of the church of Saint-Nicolas des Champs are not written by the witnesses; they are all written impersonally, like medical reports, removing the details that would make it possible to know the person's feelings, how it happened. Nothing is said about those who are disappointed, or of those who come out wounded and demolished... Everything is seen through rose-coloured glasses... Other 'charisms' manifest themselves: on a forum, a participant speaks of the rest in the Spirit which, as everyone knows, occurs through hypnosis, as we will see in the rest of this article.
The healings. The healings are of all kinds: sleep apnoea, a dark veil over the eyes, asthma, vocal cords damaged for several years, blindness due to two tumours, headaches, a desperate heart condition, a lung partially burned by radiotherapy, an ulcer, a limp since childhood, desire of suicide, pain in the big toe, the legs, great suffering in the left leg, two cancers, ulcer, headaches, spitting blood, burns and acid reflux, lung cancer, decalcification of the shoulders, healing from a very painful and recurrent dream, etc.
Some healings take place at a distance. The healings are accompanied by modified states of consciousness and of sensations: heat and light, gentleness and peace; a feeling of peace and of fullness; 'I no longer particularly felt myself to be myself'; 'A flash came from the Blessed Sacrament when it passed near me. It was stronger than the sun shining in summer; I was on fire.' At the end of the prayer, mediators help those who have been healed to re-read their experience. Faith or lack of faith? When a beginning of healing has taken place but has not lasted, the cause is given: lack of faith.
If the act of total faith is made, God will give the healing! 'If you think you have obtained a healing for yourself or for a person for whom you are praying, ask the Lord for the grace to welcome it with faith. Some healings are instantaneous - including for very serious illnesses or deep depressions -; others take some time - a few days, a few weeks... There are sometimes cases where the symptoms disappear and then reappear some time later. That is then a call to leave doubt behind and to make an act of simple and deep faith.
The Lord will then confirm the healing...' Fraternité Notre Dame Mère de la lumière. To respond to the request of Christ, Notre Dame Mère de la Lumière, which claims to be a Catholic association without being one, offers once a month prayer vigils for the sick at the church ND de la Gloriette in Caen. The prayer for the sick is a prayer for the healing and comfort of those who suffer in their body, their soul or their spirit. The Lord Jesus is present there, and visits, heals, comforts, relieves, gives joy and strength to bear the trial, according to His Will!
Provided we open our hearts to Him, we do not leave as we came! The course of the prayer meeting is always the same and brings about a preparation: 'A moment outside of time, in the Grace of the place. But also well anchored in the Present, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in the grace of the warm and fraternal communion of all our brothers and sisters present. Dare to ask.
It is in this trust that, during the intervention of Alberto Maalouf exhorting us to make an act of FAITH in the Presence and the Power of the action of GOD in our lives...' The climate is created by the teaching given, but also by song, music and praise.
All this makes the anguish disappear: 'I have known this group for 4 years, and during these years I have participated in almost all the prayer vigils they lead, for I found there a strength of prayer, of praise and above all of intercession for suffering and sick people, which was not necessarily natural to me but which bears fruit!'
The music and the words of the songs helped me to enter into relationship with the Lord, and transformed the current of anguish that sometimes dwelt in me into a current of hope and of life.' 'When the evening began, I let myself be swayed by the songs, by Alberto's testimony and by the prayer of invocation to the Holy Spirit.'
Alberto, a doctor who is not yet one, and one or another of his group - sometimes, but rarely, a person from the audience - then give words of knowledge that touch on dubious techniques in which modified states of consciousness are observed, as we will see further on. The book Quêtes de santé: entre soins médicaux et guérisons spirituelles by Véronique Altglas, Ilario Rossi & Jörg Stolz describes some of these techniques, particularly from page 73 onward. The testimonies, which are all positive, also contribute to creating a climate of trust.
All this prepares the assembly to be open to everything that is said and done. Diseases healed: bone infection after a viper bite, cervical pain, opening of the right ear, addiction to television, insomnia, cervical pain, healing of the sense of smell, deafness, the thumbs, the back, inner healing, right shoulder, feet, left hemiplegia, knee, invalid arm, eyesight, alcohol, heart pain, etc. The healings come afterwards.
Effects occur in the body: frequently a sensation of heat, the sensation of a draught of air in the body, the sound of a plugged tap in the ear, a sensation of coolness in the sick parts of the body, the sensation of a knot untying in the heart, the vision of the shadow of two hands touching the sick knees. Psychological effects are also observed: 'less tired physically and morally, more energetic, I open up to others and I am much more
cheerful,' deliverance from suicidal urges, from addiction to tobacco,
The charismatic Renewal
There are three currents of healing in the charismatic Renewal, all three coming from Canada. The most well known, because it marked the Renewal in France from its beginnings, manifested itself in the praise assemblies of the prayer groups or of the communities stemming from the Renewal. Another current spread afterwards through inner healing retreats.
It had its origin in Trois-Rivière (Alliance Community) and in Cacouna (Le Cénacle prayer house), and became inculturated in France at the Agapè des Béatitudes - which began at Château Saint-Luc and was then transferred to Le Puy-en-Velay -, in the inner restoration sessions of the Béatitudes now at Château Saint-Luc, in the Raphaël retreats of the Verbe de Vie, in the retreats for children of the Maison d'abba, and also at the Agapè of the Emmanuel at Paray-le-Monial (the house is now closed), not to mention the inner healing sessions of the Famille Saint-Joseph (Fr. Verlinde).
The third current, the last to have made its appearance in France, was developed by Henry Lemay (Fraternité Sainte Famille of Gatineau): it consists in training oneself, through a whole series of sessions, in Christian healing. It is this that Mgr Santier proposed to the prayer groups of the Renewal. We will concentrate here on the praise that heals, the other two modes of healing having already been studied from various angles.
Definition of charismatic healing. Cardinal Ratzinger wrote, in the Instruction on prayers for obtaining healing from God: 'The question that arises is that of the prayer assemblies organized expressly to obtain miraculous healings among the sick members, or of healing prayers at the end of eucharistic communion with the same purpose.' Indeed: 'With regard to the prayer assemblies that set themselves the precise objective of obtaining healings - an objective, if not dominant, at least decisive in their programming - it is appropriate to distinguish those that may suggest a "charism of healing," true or apparent, from the others that have no link with such a charism.
For one to be able to speak of a possible charism, the intervention of one or more persons, or of a specific category of persons, for example the leaders of the group who animate the session,
must impose itself as decisive for the effectiveness of the prayer.' And then: 'in the prayer assemblies organized to ask God for healings, it would be arbitrary to attribute a "charism of healing" to any category of participants, for example to the leaders of the group; there remains nothing but to rely on the sovereign will of the Holy Spirit, who gives to some a special charism of healing, to manifest the power of the grace of the Risen One.' We propose to reflect on the prayers asking for healing practiced in groups of the charismatic Renewal where certain people precisely play a particular role and animate the session, for this goes against the document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that we have just cited.
Several scenarios having been set up, in a first step we will try to identify them from their respective initiators; we will analyse some of the current practices, and we will attempt an explanation in the light of the various healings performed according to methods that have no legal recognition. Finally, we will confront these healings with the discipline in force in the Church. Some examples of the implementation of the healings - A pillar of healing: Emiliano Tardif E.
Tardif, miraculously healed in 1973 by the prayer of charismatics, devoted himself to a ministry of healing. He says in an interview: 'The Pope encourages us greatly. For six years, until April 96, I was at the Vatican as representative of the healing ministry in what is called the International Council of the Charismatic Renewal (I.C.C.R.S.).' He is on the path to beatification. He led evangelization evenings during which numerous healings occurred.
He explained in an interview the link between the charism of healing and the word of knowledge: 'SPIRITUAL GIFT - Do you believe that it is a grace of God, innate or acquired through meditation and prayer? "The charism is a spiritual gift that the Holy Spirit grants us to build up the Church. It is a gift that I have received and not acquired by effort, just as others are musicians or writers... Of course prayer and meditation help us, but it is the Holy Spirit who gives it to us."' 'What do you feel at the moment a healing takes place?
Is it a "force" that leaves you, like the miracle of Jesus and of the woman with the haemorrhage? "It is not a physical sensation. It is the "word of knowledge," like prophecy and a certainty. I receive the healed person in my heart, and I even know his age. Thus, I felt that a 68-year-old woman behind her television, who was suffering in her eyes, was healed. It was true, and she came to bear witness. This makes faith grow."' The word of knowledge is the manifestation of the charism of healing for Emiliano Tardif. A recording he made is important: La louange: chemin de guérison (Praise: a path of healing).
One reads in the presentation: 'The power of praise is to come and open our eyes to the presence of God, who heals and sets free.' Fr. Tardif left behind a lineage. Carlos Payan, who attended a gathering around Fr. Tardif in 1983, wished to do the same. The Emmanuel Community is also an heir of Fr. Tardif. And further: 'Sister Claire Gagné, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Louis, of Canadian origin, on mission in Haiti for many years. She is responsible for the Charismatic Renewal.
She perpetuates the healing ministry of Fr. Émilien Tardif, whom she assisted for years during his missions. Fr. Tardif encouraged and guided her in her healing ministry. Hundreds of healings have been attributed to her intercession, which is why she is called 'Sister Miracle.' But the One who heals through her is Jesus Christ our Lord.' The Emmanuel... in the footsteps of Emiliano Tardif. The Emmanuel was trained in healing by Fr. Tardif: 'In 1979, after the Montreal Gathering, Pierre Goursat invited Fr. Tardif to the International Charismatic Pilgrimage of Lourdes.
After this first visit to France, Emiliano would be invited there many times, particularly to Paray-le-Monial, where he gathered up to 25,000 people. Fr. Tardif liked to work with the Emmanuel Community, and in general with modest evangelical communities, in order to keep the healing prayer in an atmosphere of sincere faith, of peace, and of encounter with the love of God.' At Saint-Nicolas des Champs, the local Emmanuel community, which has charge of the parish, is in the same line as Fr. Tardif: 'Through praise, God heals and sets free: "I will heal them, I will console them, I will fill them with comfort, him and his afflicted ones, by making praise blossom on their lips" (Is 57, 18).' Fr. Avalle (see appendix) is the principal actor of the healing prayers practiced there.
The prayers are open to believers and non-believers; as the ICCRS says, the outpouring of the Spirit is for everyone. This is problematic when one says that it is linked to sacramental baptism.
But the irrationality of the charismatic Holy Spirit is well known. A preparation. 'Fr. Thierry Avalle, a priest of the Emmanuel, warns: "Do not look for extraordinary things in this healing prayer." A little later, however, he will add, in a louder voice: "Jesus can heal you this evening; it depends on your faith and on that of all of you.
I ask him to speak through you."' During the first half-hour there are songs and testimonies; the healings are given during the second half-hour; a climate of serenity, peace and fraternity, which is so rare in our blasé or stressed society. A climate is therefore created by song and music: 'Recently, we attended a healing prayer of charismatic style at the church of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs in Paris.
The moments of praise were led by good singers and musicians, all visibly inspired by a contemporary evangelical style.' A preparation is made by a teaching that precedes the prayer for the sick: one is asked to be in an attitude of openness, receptiveness and perseverance: 'The teachings of the prayer for the sick, which are always grounded in the Word of God, are designed to help you open up to the graces that Jesus wants to give you, and to advance in your faith.
In listening to the testimonies, you will discover the paths by which the healed people obtained a grace. One does not necessarily obtain a healing the first time one comes to the prayer for the sick. God asks us to be persevering.' Another element, which was capital for Fr. Tardif as we have said, is also found in the Emmanuel: the use of words of knowledge in the prayer for the sick: 'During the prayer for the sick, when the Blessed Sacrament, that is, Jesus himself, passes through the crowd, words of knowledge, which are the fruit of charisms (First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 12), are given by members of the animation group.
The charisms are gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the charism of knowledge has nothing to do with a gift of clairvoyance. The people who give words of knowledge at the microphone have a charism that has been confirmed by the fact that their words are noted in a notebook and compared with the testimonies of the people healed or who have received a grace. When a person is healed, it is always Jesus himself who heals.' The words of knowledge are given to a particular group, in this case the animation group.
They announce a list of healings at the microphone, in the name of Christ, and thus occupy a particular place in the course of the prayer for the sick. They alone pronounce the words of knowledge. This charism has been authenticated by a priest - as the Church asks, they say -, according to the healings that followed the words of knowledge, that is, according to the effectiveness of the spokesperson. It is therefore a charism recognized internally in the community, which plays a role in a public non-liturgical celebration.
Msgr. René Laurentin. Interview published in CHRETIENS MAGAZINE no. 262 of September 2013, page 21.