Spiritual writer Henri Nouwen wrote an incredible book called “Wounded Healer.” The premise of the book was put into a song. It goes like this . . .
Wounded healer, don’t allow your fears
To hold you down just let me lead you.
I will protect you.
Be my eyes now, do you see them suffering?
See them crying out for me?
Wounded healer, I have called you out
From hiding into my own life of giving.
Be my hands now.
Touch and heal my people.
Reach your hand out, let them know my touch.
Wounded healer, look not in your heart but into mine.
You will love with my love.
That’s powerful message . . . it assumes that each one of us are (or have been) wounded in our lives. I believe that. We share that just as Paul says in the second reading we are one . . . because we all know what suffering is. And we are called to do healing for others NOT because we have it all together or have life figured out. NO. It is just the opposite. We are called to help others because we know what being wounded is.
And our goal is not to stay in our woundedness, but to move on from it. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl wrote, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
When you fall down you can wallow in the pain and curse the heavens . . . or you can pick yourself up and grow from it. Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of what you do with it. That task is to LEARN FROM IT.
Albert Einstein said that “Insanity is: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
For example, I recently made a payment to the Sherburne County Government Center. I made a payment because I attended one of their “Driving With Care” classes. I attended the class because I got stopped for speeding on County Road 4. I got stopped for speeding because I was speeding. So in lieu of a ticket I could attend this class and nothing goes on my record. So I have options. . . I could curse the Sheriff Deputy, or blame the road and make all kinds of excuses . . . or I can slow down when I drive. That the purpose of the class . . . to learn.
Most of us don’t do this well. We could, but we are often too insecure to admit to ourselves or too proud to admit to others. Instead of opening up, we get defensive and shut down. How great would it be to in a work situation, or in a family or on a team where you were allowed to learn from mistakes? Not that mistakes are good, but would life be like if you were allowed to make mistakes (and learn from it).
Most people, at the end of their lives regret not actions that failed, failing to act. Why? Because of fear? Or being wounded? Or looking stupid? I don’t know. But what I do know is that we celebrate this feast of the Body and Blood of Christ each year (after Trinity Sunday) as food for the journey. That is, bread is broken and then shared. The grapes are crushed to become wine. The Eucharist is NOT a reward for a perfect week . . . but nourishment to “get back in there” with life.
You will fail when you fail to try. The best athletes and singers have coaches. Last year the Chicago Cubs won the World Series (after a 108-year draught) because as General Manage Theo Epstein said, “We started looking at each person and how they faced adversity off the field and how they responded to it.”
We are all going to fail sometime. Heck even the best hitters in baseball fail 7 out of 10 times.
[Instrumental begins]
The Eucharist gives us hope . . . when that grape is crushed it becomes something wonderful (wine). When that bread is broken then we are all fed.
[Song]
Be my heart now. Give your life for others.
Let them love you, me you give them.
Wounded healer, keep your eyes on only me
For I will be there. I will use you
Only trust and believe in life I’ve be given
You can look up.
I have forgiven you.