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Benedict XVI said healing is the entire content of redemption. John Paul the Great told us, "In treating the human person as a psychological and physical 'whole', the Old Testament often links 'moral' sufferings with the pain of specific parts of the body: the bones, kidneys, liver, viscera, heart. In fact one cannot deny that moral sufferings have a 'physical' or somatic element, and that they are often reflected in the state of the entire organism" (Redemptive Suffering, II.6).
In order to love God with all our strength, we learn to love ourselves and our neighbor in an ordered way. Learning to accept ourselves and our bodies as intrinsically good helps heal "moral sufferings" - dark emotions and disordered thoughts (stress); outdated coping mechanisms; and subconscious projections and conflicts that affect and accumulate in our bodies.
Thoughts and emotions are energy - signals that trigger cascading effects across bodily systems. Managing them consciously heals heart, soul, mind, and body!
Prayer, thanksgiving, practicing the present moment (as St. Francis DeSales taught), and daily LOVE the Word can regulate emotions and reframe thoughts, reducing negative physical effects.
Physical activity, healthy diet, and adequate sleep support emotional resilience and bodily health.
Social connections and expressive outlets (music, journaling, art) help process emotions, preventing somatic buildup.
But if dark thoughts and emotions are not processed and able to flow freely through us, they accumulate. And where they accumulate in the body is the message in our pain.
Here are some specific illnesses and parts of the body and how they can express pain.
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LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Choose one physical symptom and place your attention on that part of your body. Without judgment, notice how it feels. If it could speak, what would the symptom say? What is it trying to communicate to you about your thoughts and emotions?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (Rest in the Word.)
Dearest Jesus, illumine my eye, speak to my ear, that I may see and hear Your word, and be healed. Amen +
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What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 – redemptive suffering; inherent goodness; "the body will be full of light"
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – the lamp of the body is the eye; fully alive, fully authentic
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – top to bottom: head and face problems
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – issues from the neck to the toes
Transcript
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