Spring 1969

Page 86

SICK

89

usually think of someone who does something "for" the community, or acts "instead of" the community. This view is not entirely correct. If we look at Christ, who is the representative of man, we can see the perfect example of what representation is. Christ in his life, death and resurrection was not someone separate from the community of mankind, but what Christ did had a basic effect upon mankind as a whole. Christ was mankind in some mysterious way. In other words he did not so much act for the community or instead of the community, but he ?vas the community acting. As with Christ so too it is with individual Christians and the Christian community. The principle of representation is applicable among them too. Anyone who takes seriously Christ's concept of "neighbor" must see in this concept the individual as a basic representative of Christ and in turn of the Christian community (Cf. Mt 10:40 ff.; 18:5; Mk 9:38 ff.; Lk 10: 16; Jn 13 :30; Mt 25 :31-46). To concretize this principle even more within the work of healing we might say that it is Christ who heals; it is Christ who is healed. Christ's actions of healing, preaching, suffering and nsmg were effective signs. of his election by the Father. One who has entered into the Risen Christ through the rite of initiation has entered into this election. Thus it can be said that the healing, preaching, suffering and gradual growth in the life of the resurrection are at one and the same time both a means of assuming this life's election and a demonstration of one's election. When we speak of man as a psychosomatic unity we are using a medical term which expresses an intimate relationship between man's body and mind. There are many ways in which the mind can influence the body and also the body influence the mind. We are familiar with the extremes of such cases. A person can convince himself that he is sick and he will actually be sick: he will have a temperature, feel pain, etc. And anyone who has been sick knows how the sickness affects him as a person, not just as a body. There is a definite influence, no matter how many grey areas that actually exist, and there is


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Spring 1969 by Chicago Studies - Issuu