Spectacular? Certainly! Someone stumps up onto the stage, creaking with difficulties. The Healer says a prayer, maybe lays on hands and – Alleluia! – the crippled one turns, raises his arms and throws away his crutches. Cured? Well, maybe. Healed, Well, maybe not.

Some years ago David Watson was one of the big names in the Church. He set many people alight with the way he presented the Christian faith. They loved him. In his early fifties, at the height of his powers, cancer was discovered. The Church prayed mightily for his healing. It was said that more people prayed for him than for the Pope when he was shot. Such enormous waves of prayer were sent up, people were buoyant; with such support he couldn’t help but get better. He died. And many thousands were dismayed, beaten, baffled, thrown down. How could such a great man not be ‘saved’ by their prayers? What was God up to? What could faith do, if not this?

It was a hard lesson to learn. Being healed and being cured are not the same. There is no doubt that David Watson was given healing by such loving prayer, only he was not physically cured.

Cure is a physical and mental thing. Healing is a spiritual thing. You may have one or both.

One of the Jesus stories tells about him meeting ten lepers who begged him to cure them of their leprosy. As they went on their way, they discovered that they had become clean. Just one turned back and called after Jesus, yelling his gratitude. All had been cured; he was also healed. He recognised that love in all its spiritual power had been given to him by another and he had to say thank you.

Healing is not a matter of religion or of having faith but of recognising love. Love casts out fear and in its place grows gratitude. When someone turns and says thank you for something, it is because in that something, whether it’s a small thing or big thing, they know they have met Love for them face to face. Gratitude is always the beginning of healing.

Why some are cured and some are not is a mystery. Some are clearly right at the point of being ready to be cured by a touch or a prayer. It somehow focuses all the resources, physical, psychological, spiritual (they don’t have to know this and usually don’t) so that conditions bringing pain can be diminished or even destroyed.

But all can be healed. All can come to recognise the spirit of love given to them, growing in them, filling them. All can experience fear being taken away, and be glad.

Many local readers know the Centre for Complementary Care in Eskdale. It is a centre of healing and is certainly a place to visit. You may be seeking some sort of cure, physical or mental, and you may find it there. You will certainly find human warmth, a listening place, love without conditions, spiritual care and an easement of fear and pain. You will find healing taking place in yourself if you want to welcome it.

A woman and her husband came to Cumbria to retire. A few weeks later they found she had cancer. All the shock, all the horror, all the fear of pain and death.

They came to the Centre hoping for a cure and found healing. At the end she said, “I can’t believe this is happening to me”. What she meant was not, “This terrible thing, why me?” but, “I can’t believe that in all this I should feel so much love and beauty and peace, and be so unafraid”. When she died, I am told, she walked it.

No-one can live without pain and death. We would prefer it otherwise, but that’s how it is. We can all be helped, and help others, through fear towards peace – come what may – whether life is short or long. That is healing.

So peace be with you, peace be with you, dear reader; may you find that healing which is your peace.

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