I think Our Lord’s physical healing of the woman with the hemorrhage serves as a good “type” for the Catholic understanding of what occurs when our souls are spiritually healed/justified/saved from sin:
Mark 5:25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, … 5:27 **She had heard **the reports about Jesus, **and came **up behind him in the crowd **and touched **his garment. 5:28 For she said, “
If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well.” 5:29
And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that
she was healed of her disease. 5:30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that
power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, “Who touched my garments?” 5:31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say,
Who touched me?’” 5:32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 5:33 But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 5:34 And he said to her, “Daughter, **your faith **has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
FAITH is the same in both the physical healing and in our spiritual healing – it is hearing the message, believing, coming, and doing/touching to Our Lord.
GRACE (sanctifying/justifying) can be compare to the "power that flowed from Our Lord and into the woman – a “power” that truly healed the disease within her. The disease was not just covered over - in other words, there, but no longer paid any attention to. It was gone.
BAPTISM can be compared to the act of the woman touching the hem of Jesus’ garment. The “power” of Our Lord was an invisible reality (just as sanctifying grace is). But God determined to allow a tangible element to serve as the instrument through which this grace would be conveyed to the woman. Likewise, God has determined to let water and words be the tangible instruments through which the power of His supernatural life of grace enters into our souls, healing it of the disease of sin and death.
This account of the miracle even contains an aspect of the debate going on in this thread.
Specifically: *How was the woman healed/saved? *
It was the power that flowed from Jesus that actually physically healed her disease, yet Jesus says “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”
It seems “healing” requires something from both:
- Faith on the part of the one seeking healing.
- Power from God to actually do the healing.
Faith serves as a necessary “open doorway” that allows God’s healing power to pass through. Absence of faith is like a closed door preventing the penetration of God’s power into our very being. (eg. Mt. 13:58)
I think there may be a major difference in the Catholic understanding versus Protestant understanding, on a couple of points:
- “Grace” (specifically, sanctifying/justifying grace). For us it is truly a “power” that enters us, has real effects on our souls,…
I’m not sure, jericho777, but is it your understanding that justifying grace consists of just a decision on God’s part not to look or see our sins/sinfulness, but to cover us with, or impute to us, the righteousness of Christ – even tho underneath (so to speak) this righteousness of Christ, nothing has entered or been changed in our being, in our soul.
You uphold TULIP. Am not sure, but does that mean you believe in absolute predestination? that what we choose to do (faith or works) does not affect our eternal destination?
- “Saved”. For Catholics, being saved means not only being saved from the punishments of hell, it also means being saved/healed from our sins. The power of God’s grace not only heals us from past sins, but strengthens us to overcome the power of sin in the future – if we cooperate with God’s grace.
As a Catholic, there wouldn’t be a whole lot of point in getting to heaven if I was still full of envy, lust, greed…(existing in that negative internal state), and was surrounded by others who still were full of it – even if God did “appear not to see it”. That would not be very heavenly!!
Carlan
Have you read the beatitudes lately, Only the pure in heart shall see the face of God.:yup: