Question about faith healing

[Heather_Anne]

Dear friends in Christ,

I have recently been advised to see a priest who has a healing ministry as I have been diagnosed with cancer. What does the church say about seeking out a priest for healing? My parish priest offered the sacrament for he sick but I think this may be different that what the other priest is offering in his ministry. Is is okay to do both?

Thank you in advance for any insight on this matter.

God bless,
Heather

 

[otjm]

The last time I read St. Paul, he spoke of the gift of healing as a gift of the Holy Spirit.

He also speaks of discernement of spirits.

 

[JimO]

Some people have a special charism for healing. As long as the healing service is licit, I see no reason why you shouldn’t go. My brother died of cancer a few years ago, but before he did the following happened.

He was diagnosed with a late stage form of esophageal cancer. When the removed the cancer and most of his stomach, they found that it had metastisized into his liver, but there were only a few tiny spots (the size of pinheads). They waited a month to start chemo and allow him to heal from the surgery. They told him he would probably only live 3 months wihout chemo and maybe 6 months with it. He decided to do the chemo. When they did the baseline CT scan before chemo, his liver was full of coin-sized tumors. He went through several rounds of chemo when I called a local priest who has a healing ministry. The priest met me at his house, prayed over him and gave him the Sacrament of the sick. It was the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Two days later he went in for a CT scan and he was cancer free. He stayed cancer free for 3 years and in that time he mended a horrible relationship with his teenage son. If he had died when they said he would, I am certain that his son would be in jail by now.

I would go to the service.