One of my friends has a gift of healing but doesn't advertise it, and very rarely prays for healing. Some people have been healed through his prayer and sometimes the Lord or his blessed mother have told him not to pray for healing because the person's time has come. Through knowing him and how he prays has led me more into discerning prayer for those around me who are sick and who ask for my prayers for healing. Before this I used to presume that God wanted to heal everyone who got sick and never thought of asking him if he had a different outcome in mind.
In these later years of my life I pray more and more '"may you answer this prayer according to Your Sovereign Will which is always for our best good"
If anyone prayed to me for healing I would be happy to do so. If God did not heal them one way I am sure He would heal them in some other. Think how sad it would be if people wanted to bath at Lourdes and some were turned away. I never heard of Jesus refusing anyone who wanted healing. Nor do I recall any of the Apostles turning people away. Nor any saints. Sometimes caveats can be put in like, sin no more. Maybe your friend is right, but it strikes me as a little odd. Although I just recalled Padre Pio refused healing to three of his blind sextons. He told one he could be blind and get to heaven or see and go to hell. They all settled for being blind. So it looks like I proved myself wrong...again.
I'm only speculating, but we don't often have to deal with a saint in the category of Padre Pio and the gift of soul-seeing. Apart from that, I don't think AED's approach can be wrong and I don't think it can ever be out of place to pray for a healing of ‘body and soul’. Everything that happens or doesn't happen is about saving the soul.
Healing is always for the greater glory of God. A man born blind was predestined to that condition so that he would encounter the Nazarene at the right time and on the right day, thus taking part in the most glorious event of his life—an event that would surpass in glory any that might have come from the possibility of living a normal, fully healthy life. If God refuses to heal someone, it may have something to do with the fact that, in the case of a dying person, the opportunities for sin are more limited—mainly to the primordial sin of rejecting grace—and less related to the senses, such as sight, or to the desire for material goods, which can stand in the way of the desire for heaven. Some people receive the grace of perfect contrition because everything is in place for it: the conviction of imminent death, the presence of a priest, the prayers of family, friends, and even strangers. Meanwhile, many others die suddenly, without the extended opportunity for reflection that leads to full contrition for their sins.
I am just curious, this is really interesting. Apart from Padre Pio can anyone recall a saint refusing healing? I am racking my brains. Even in Scripture, I can't.
Well clearly a Victim Soul would not be healed. His/her vocation is to be a victim. I remember when I worked in the Hospice, people were always looking for healing because they were dying, but not so much later on they accepted it more. My Spiritual Director was dying of cancer years ago and asked me to ask Our Lady for healing but she just raised her eyes heavenwards and smiled as a Sign he had to come home. Poor man he was like a burst balloon when I told him. So that was a refusal. But I did not refuse, Our Blessed Mother did.
Some years ago I was praying for the recovery of a very close relative who suffered a stroke. One day I sensed the lord say that he, the relative was ready to go home and that his family were mature enough to let him go. He died the following day. Maybe this is somehow tied into how my friend prays?
A little tip, I've rarely done it myself, but I think chatgpt is worthwhile. If you want to quickly search for biblical passages by topic. And in response to your question, no biblical passage was mentioned in which healing was denied. Only conditions are sometimes attached. It is always about what is best for the salvation of the soul.
Yes no doubt physical healing is not always God Will. But I suppose there might be little harm trying usually. I do know in the past I have been asked to stop praying for the souls of certain dead people because they wound up in hell/.The first time this ever happened to me was when I prayed for Albert Anastasia, who was I think the founder of Murder Incorporated. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Anastasia I happened to be reading a Gangster Book and read about him being stiffed and felt sorry for him,. But God said a big no.
I probably should have clarified that this chap doesn't turn anyone away, but when he receives the understanding that a physical healing is not to be granted, he will then focus on the spiritual / emotional healing needed for a happy death. Sometimes he tells the person and other times the person themselves will have a spiritual experience. I have seen the latter first hand in which a member of our prayer group (with cancer) had a visit from the Blessed mother who told them she wanted to take them home and for the rest of the group to stop praying for their healing.
Well, someone may pray many times for healing and not receive it, possibly for some of the reasons I mentioned above, including the case of imminent death, which turns the hospital into a sort of waiting room for the final judgment. But if any saint ever directly said "no" to someone seeking physical healing, I honestly can't say. So I'll end this time with an "I don't know."
The best description I know of from Scripture comes from Saint James: James 5:14–16 wanointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. xif he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. yconfess your sins to one another and pray for one another, zthat you may be healed. aThe prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.2 But James 4:3 states, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions
Mmmmm.. Well a really interesting question. Much to think and pray about. Really, really interesting. I think Saint Catherine of Sienna might have asked God the Father about this in the Book, Dialogues. I must check.
Perhaps just expand this topic a little more. I used to be kind of envious of the gifts my friend has, especially spiritual discernment, but having gotten to know him over the years, I realise it is a really hard gift to have. Many times I have seen his discernment being refused and him being rejected because the recipient didn't want to hear or change their lifestyle. New age is big in Ireland and lots see nothing wrong with it.
I would be on the same page as you AED. In the long run I think "surrendering" to God's Will is the best prayer, and to have a listening ear to his voice.
This is huge, I have seen this a lot a lot a lot. People often recover when they quit with their passions.
Just to add a bit to the conversation, oftentimes sickness comes up as a remedy for the purification of the passions. The burnt log analogy by St. John of the Cross comes to mind. Brother Lawrence spoke to this as well in his letters regarding a young man who had recently entered into religious life and became sick. It is a huge recurring theme in the writings of the Desert Fathers and the Orthodox church in the Hesychastic tradition. Also, there is another kind of suffering that happens which pays the way for others. Often the parents of saints had suffered the loss of many other children. I remember with Padre Pio he was constantly sick and couldn't leave his home until someone offered to intervene and take on Padre Pio's suffering to some degree. As well, I remember Fr. Ripperger discussed how a woman was diabolically oppressed and God allowed it as a means of reparation for a certain sin in that diocese. When the church in that diocese did reparations in regards to that sin, which was undisclosed by Fr. Ripperger, she allegedly returned to normal. I guess what I am getting at is that not everything in regards to sickness and suffering is due to a person having sinned. Sometimes it is purification, sometimes it is for other people, or reparation of collective sin and I am sure there are many more details/complexities. So, as Border collie said, it takes a strong gift of discernment to be able to see this stuff for what it is. If I recall correctly, many saints encourage people to persevere and keep carrying on when a healing doesn't happen immediately. Telling someone no outright would seem to be reserved for those with bad or ignorant intentions. I also recall that with St. Charbel when he would pray for people they would heal. When asked how he did it, he merely said I pray for them and they heal. No special formula or anything like that. Because others would pray and nothing would happen. Which seems to add another level of complexity.
