Physical Healing From the Eucharist

As we have already seen, there are three major areas in which God’s healing action can benefit his creatures. These are in body, soul, and spirit. Let us take a closer look at God’s healing action in each of these areas, and the effiect we can expect.

The first type of healing flowing from the Eucharist is physical healing.

When I receive a request to give a talk, lead a retreat, or conduct a parish mission, my hosts often suggest the Eucharist as a possible theme. As much as I would like to title my talk simply “The History of the Eucharist” or “The Meaning of the Eucharist,” after consulting with my hosts, I usually settle upon “The Healing Power of the Eucharist.” Why? Because I know, and they know, that if we use the first two titles, only half as many people will show up. But when the word “healing” Is in the title, the turnout is better. It simply “good box office,” so to speak.

I do not fault those people who are drawn by the word “healing” in the title. This is merely an indication of what is really on people’s minds and what they really want. They are seeking healing. When I quiz people at these events as to what particular kind of healing they want, most people tell me they want some kind of physical healing. Indeed, when we think of healing, we generally think about the body. We want to be healed of migraine headaches, cancer, arthritis, or whatever.

In a certain sense, these people are looking for healing in narrow terms and of the lowest kind. There is nothing wrong with this. Jesus healed many people of their physical ailments during his ministry, and even enticed them to state such requests. For instance, Mark 10:45-52 recounts the healing of Bartimawus, a blind man: “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. “Rabbi, I want to see,” he replied. “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has saved you.”

Catholics have never lost sight of God’s power to heal the physical ailments of his people. Over the centuries Catholics have made pilgrimages to many shrines and sanctuaries renowned for the physical healings that have occurred there. The Marian shrines in Lourdes, France, and in St. Anne de beaupre, Canada, are two well-known examples. Many people have been healed of physical ailments at both places, and some of the more extraordinary physical healing have been documented by Church authorities and recognized as miracles.

Nevertheless, not all of the hundreds of thousands of people who flock to thesee shrines each year are necessarily seeking physical healing. Some go as pilgrims who imply want to experience God’s presence in their lives – a sort of emotional or spiritual healing. These healings, of course, are not as easy to document as physical healings, but most visitors to these shrines will readily attest to the special graces they received during their visit.

In recent years, the charismatic renewal in the Catholic Church has been instrumental in making Catholics more aware of the Holy Spirit’s special “power gift”, or charism, of healing. As a result, many people have experienced God’s healing power through a variety of means (such as the anointing with oil, the laying on of hands, and intercessory prayer) and in a variety of situations (such as prayer meetings, healing retreats, and healing Masses). These healings include physical, emotional, and spiritual healings.

But for one reason or another, today some Catholics who readily acknowledge the extraordinary ways in which God’s healing power has been manifested in places like Lourdes are reticent to acknowledge God’s healing power at work in prayer meetings, retreats, and liturgies.

I hve celebrated many Masses where people have experienced God’s healing power, especially through the Eucharist. Such healings are not necessarily the result of special graces we are experiencing today. Indeed, some amazing testimonies of physical healing, especially as a result of eucharistic devotion, can be found in the annals of Church history. Two such examples are found in a classic work on the Eucharist by Fr. Michael Muller, C.Ss.R., called The Blessed Eucharist. Fr. Muller wrote his book in the middle of the nineteenth century.

The first story, dating back to 1824, is that of a woman named Mrs. Ann Mattingly of Washington, D. C.  Mrs. Mattingly had been suffering from a dangerous, incurable cancer for seven years and was clearly at death’s door. She made a novena in honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, and at the end of the novena she received Communion. She knew that the time had come when she would either die or be restored to health, and as she took Communion she uttered the words, “Lord Jesus, thy holy will be glorified!” Her tongue was so rough and parched that she was unable to swalllow the host for five or six minutes, but the moment she swallowed it, all pain instantly left her. She was healed immediately. She knelt down and gave thanks to God, and hundreds of visitors streamed into her home for the rest of the day to witness the miracle.

Fr. Muller also recounts the story of a young woman, Ann de Clery, of Metz, France, whose health began to decline at the age of thirteen, and who eventually suffered an incurable paralysis, which was to plague her for almost ten years. She was thin and weak because she wasn’t able to digest food. Throughout the day she suffered from violent headaches and intenst pain. Yet, she was totally resigned to God’s will for those nine years, and spent her time embroidering altar cloths. A priest brought her Holy Communion every week.

At that point, in the year 1867, an extraordinary event took place. When Ann learned that the Forty Hours Devotion would be celebrated at a nearly church, she insisted on participating. For the first two days, she was not able to attend because of the precarious state of her health. But on the third day, her family carried her there, A nurse held Ann on her knees, though Ann was twenty-three years old. Ann fixed her attention on the Blessed Sacrament and prayed the prayer she would always pray before receiving Holy Communion: “Lord, you can heal me if you so desire.” At first a violent pain racked her whole body. Then she felt as though she was penetrated with faith and hope, and became conscious that she was cured. She threw herself on her knees and shouted, “Pray, pray. I am cured!” Ann then rose to her feet and walked out of the church with only the help of her mother’s arm. Tears and sobs mingled with the people’s prayers.

At home, her mother discovered that the knots Ann had had under her knees had completely disappeared. After, Ann returned to the church, where she spent forty-five minites on her knees before the Blessed Sacrament, without feeling the least bit of pain or fatigue. In an instant, she was completely healed. All the ailments that afflicted her disappeared along with the paralysis, and she did not exhibit any of the usual signs of weakness that follow a long illness.

These healing testimories date from the last century. Jesus was at work then, just as he was when he walked among us, and just as he is today. Furthermore, these healings were not the result of a pilgrimage to any shrine reputed for its healing ministry. The healings were the direct result of deep faith in the healing power of the Eucharist.

This excerpt is from the book The Healing Power of the Eucharist, by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Books, an imprint of St. Anthony Messenger Press. This and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.