Does anyone know how the Sozo type of ministry and also “soaking prayer” do or do not line up with Catholic teaching?
Will appreciate (name removed by moderator)ut.
I first heard of Sozo as a ministry promoted by Bethel Church in Redding, CA. It is a protestant ministry of inner healing. “Soaking prayer” is a protestant version of the “prayer of quiet” practiced by Catholic saints. However, not all protestants subscribe to the Sozo ministry or to the practice soaking prayer. Those who do are mostly pentecostals and those who are active in the charismatic movement.
If you want to know more information about them, just Google them and you will find plenty of information.
How do they line up with Catholic teaching? All I can say is that there is some similarity, but it isn’t a perfect match.
Sozo Ministry - The basis here is that salvation comes through “faith alone” (
sola fide), so there is an emphasis in this ministry on miraculous healing by faith. However, whereas the common understanding of “faith healing” restricts the practice to the miraculous healing of physical illnesses, Sozo expands the practice to the healing of spiritual pains and hurts.
How does this compare with Catholic ministry?- In catholicism the belief is that salvation comes not by faith alone, but by faith coupled with good works inspired by that faith. Now, since the wounds of the soul are caused by sin, therefore the emphasis in the catholic healing ministry is on repentance and the forgiveness of sin, as well as the cultivation of virtue and trust in God’s goodness and mercy.
Soaking Prayer - In this prayer the practitioner takes a motionless position, which can be a lying down position, while the soul “soaks” itself in God’s presence waiting for Him to manifest Himself in some way. Practitioners of this method claim that some of their ills are healed, or their prayers answered, in the process. However, some critics find this practice closer to New Age spirituality than Christian mysticism.
How does this compare with Catholic teaching? - Catholics believe in the practice of meditative and contemplative prayer. In meditation (as in praying the rosary, for example), the mind is *active *rather than passive, and is engaged in recalling and thinking of some biblical episodes or mysteries to the ultimate benefit of the soul. In contemplation (as in the “prayer of quiet” practiced by St. Teresa of Avila), the mind is more
passive than active, and it simply allows God to lead the soul to a greater intimacy with Him. In contemplation the prayerful soul does not expect a miracle, nor any sensible consolation. The soul is not waiting for a manifestation to happen. But it frequently happens that the soul in this state of prayer receives extraordinary spiritual benefits from God. At the end of this prayer, for example, the soul tends to be more humble, more resolved in resisting sin, and more zealous in the performance of good works. Sometimes, but this is rare and really extraordinary, the soul also experiences ecstasy, rapture, visions or locutions. But, as the saints themselves testify, these phenomena are not in our power to produce. We cannot bring them about on our own no matter how hard we try. They are gifts of the Lord, which He gives but only to those whom He wills.
I hope this helps.
