Hospital card

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Sometimes we want to pray, but it can be hard to find the words.

Whenever I am afraid I will put my trust in you. Ps 56:3

Almighty God, you know me so well, the secrets of my body and soul. Despite my fear and anxiety, help me to trust in you. Bless the doctors and nurses and all who work for my recovery; sustain them in their wisdom and skill that they may be agents of your healing. Amen

Jesus stood still, and called them, saying, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Matthew 20:32

Jesus, during your life on earth you experienced pain. You prayed to your Father for help in
your struggle. I am in pain now and pray to you for help. Allow me to know your presence in my life. Strengthen my faith and give me the assurance of your everlasting love for me. Amen

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Ps 4:8

Father, in the quietness of this night, grant me rest and sleep, an awareness of your presence and knowledge of your love; that I may wake refreshed and strengthened to face the day ahead. Amen

May the light of God surround you,
the presence of God enfold you,
and the power of God heal you,
today and always.

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Bereavement Card

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During this difficult time, you may find the following prayers and readings to be helpful.

There is so much that will never now be spoken,
a need to forgive and be forgiven; a need which dwells
within the desire to also speak of gratitude, of love and the pain of parting.
Breathe your life into these longings, Lord Jesus, that even now your gracious
Spirit would bring healing, light and peace.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.
I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am. John 14:1–4

We give back to you, O God, those whom you gave to us. You did not lose them when you gave them to us, and we do not lose them by their return to you. Your Son has taught us that life is eternal and love cannot die. So death is only a horizon, and a horizon is only the limit of our sight. Open our eyes to see more clearly, and draw us close to you, so that we may know we are nearer to our loved ones, who are with you. You have told us that you are preparing a place for us: prepare us, that where you are, we may be always, O dear Lord of life and death. William Penn

Be gentle with the one who walks with grief. If it is you,
be gentle with yourself. Swiftly forgive;
walk slowly, pausing often.
Take time, be gentle
as you walk with grief.
from Walking with Grief, George MacDonald

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Integrating the summer into daily life

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The summer may be nearly over but I decided not to be only a visitor this summer and to enter the season as if the quality of my life depended on it. Our everyday life has challenges, so at times we may feel that we need a deeper restoration. Earlier in the year that’s exactly what I felt, but I was not sure if a dream of a longer summer holiday would be possible.

I don’t know how good you are in looking after your own needs, but I needed a push and an encouragement in order to explore the options. Thankfully it all worked out and I am just back from the extended leave over the summer.

I went to Malta for some of it and enjoyed the beauty and the sunshine, but I let it penetrate my soul too. I am always grateful for holidays in sunshine and near the beach, but summer can be so much more. It can also be an opportunity for deep inner renewal where we let God bring the summer into our heart and soul.

There are benefits of merely enjoying the summer externally, like a visitor to its chambers. But it is much more beneficial to internalise some of its qualities, to store it within in the recesses of our being.

We can take in the peace that inner rest brings and integrate it in the centre of our soul, as a gift from God. It is like finding our centre-point and grounding ourself in such a way that we can weather life’s challenges when they come. Whatever was restoring over the last few months, whatever life-giving, healing, or even fun, is what we can internalise and let it nourish us in the seasons to come. It is good to be attentive to where God was present in our days – in smaller or bigger things, because those encounters with Jesus in daily life is what heal us. When we allow the blessings of summer to touch our soul, the summer has fulfilled its purpose much more fully than when we allow it to only touch us on the outside. It is as if deciding not only to be a visitor in the season of summer, but to be a host and welcome the summer inside our flesh and bones.

September leads us towards a time of harvest. While we are grateful for the fruits that the land gives us, we can also gather the fruits that the Lord gave us over the summer and over this last year. We can ponder on those fruits in thanksgiving and take them as a strength for the season of life that is ahead of us.

May God bless you with the eternal summer of His love.

Iva Beranek
Dr Iva Beranek is the Ministry Facilitator for the CMH: Ireland

Wellspring, a taste of God’s goodness

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Wellspring is our one day retreat and recently we offered another one in St Patrick’s Church, Dalkey. It was a rainy Saturday and as I was looking at the pouring rain through the window I was thinking of the talk I gave that morning about Elijah and the value of silence.

When Elijah was at Mount Horeb he realised God was not in the fire, nor in the earthquake, God was not in the wind, in a way I could have also said that God was not in the pouring rain. God was in the sound of sheer silence. And yet that morning observing the rain, I felt the sense of calm, of stilling the inner senses. That day rain actually helped create the silence in which we encounter God’s presence.

During Wellspring we try to create a space for people to meet with God on a very personal level. Out of this relationship with Jesus, healing comes. We each come with different questions and life stories and we share in the silence together. Some of us come affected with the current happenings in the world, seeking God in the midst of it. Two of us who are facilitators, Carol and myself, we don’t provide answers. We offer input that facilitates a deep exchange with God, and in that encounter people bring their questions, hopes, need for healing. What happens in Wellspring is often deeper than what we can perceive with our eyes, because it happens in the depths of people’s hearts. Sometimes we get a glimpse of it through the feedback that people give us, but I know that certain experiences where God graces us with His presence and healing are not always easy to put into words.

Every time we offer Wellspring, we have new people coming, and yet some people come back time and again. “Come to the well, the well is deep”, we say. That well is the well of God’s healing presence and whenever we come to it, it is always new. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why some people come back. The prayer practices that we teach and the theological input we offer are easily applicable to everyday life. Each of us can take something from the day and apply it to nurture our prayer life, and to seek deeper healing from God. And yet there is something life-giving when we spend a day in silence with other people. God touches us in a specific way, and it is as if tasting some of His goodness. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). In this world marred with evil, tasting God’s goodness enflames hope and it brings healing to our heart and soul.  

Iva Beranek
Dr Iva Beranek is the Ministry Facilitator for the CMH: Ireland

Wellspring

Wellspring, one day silent retreat, has become a regular feature of CMH:I. We are offering it again on Saturday, 27th May 2017. Our venue is the beautiful and prayerful St Patrick’s Church, Dalkey, not far from the Bullock Harbour. During the day you are invited to be nurtured in silence, to engage with Scripture, healing prayer and mindfulness. There will be time to walk outside; to participate in guided reflections; to avail of one-to-one discussion with a spiritual director; or just take time to read.

This is a day for you and we encourage each participant to use resources we provide in a way that nourishes them the most.

The facilitators for the day are Dr Iva Beranek and Carol Casey. Suggested donation to CMH:I is €25. Please bring your own sandwich for lunch and we will provide tea and coffee. The retreat starts at 9.30am and finishes at 4.00pm.

Please note that places must be booked in advance (hello@ministryofhealing.ie).

Annual Thanksgiving Service & Gift Day

Annual Thanksgiving Service for the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland will be held in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, on Saturday 17th June at 3 pm, followed by refreshments in the Chapter Room at 4pm.

This is a service of Holy Communion. Our celebrant this year is Rev Dr Christine O’Dowd-Smyth, and our preacher is the Chair of CMH:I, Rev Canon Dr Daniel Nuzum. There will be an opportunity to receive prayer for healing during the service, for anyone who would like to do so. We look forward to meeting old friends as well as people who have not been with us before. All are warmly welcome.

This year CMH:I is celebrating our 85th year in Ireland.
We hope you will be able to join us and celebrate Christ’s gift of healing with us.

Art in the photo by © Siobhan Kelly.

Talk to someone, if you need to

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The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come”. And let him who hears say, “Come”. And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.
(Rev 22:17)

Sometimes we Christians think that we have to hold it all together, that we have to be happy and satisfied because if we are not there might be something wrong with our faith, or with us. This anxiety or guilt arises in many life’s circumstances. Perhaps we don’t hold that belief openly or even very consciously, but it affects how we deal with difficult situations in life. Perhaps it is an expectation of fulfilment we have picked up somewhere along the way, and so when feelings of emptiness or unfulfillment come, which are part of life, we don’t know what to do about that.

Especially those of us in ministry may find it hard to reach out for help, should we need it. Life is often not easy, but it is easier if we can talk to someone about it. There is a power of healing in simply being heard, being listened to, because through it we are acknowledged. We experience that we ‘matter’. Self-care is important for everyone, but especially for those who often have to give of themselves through work or ministry.

The thing is, we do not have to hold it all together. Not all the time. There is no shame in asking for a listening ear, no shame in seeking support. I recently spoke with someone who found this challenging, who found it easier to hide the pain, even though it became overwhelming. Unfortunately, many of us to some degree may choose the same route, it seems safer not to say how we really are, even though we know this won’t help us.

Jesus understands all and every emotion we may be experiencing, from happier ones to the more difficult ones.  And He says, “come to me all who are thirsty, all who need rest”. If we use our vulnerability to connect with others, instead of to isolate ourselves, we will greatly benefit. It may seem scary at first, but less scary than feeling alone. Also, we will realise that others are willing to embrace and love us as we are. And then, if we had a burden, when shared, it may eventually lessen, even if slowly, over time. There is a power of healing in being listened to, in being loved as we are. If we need to talk about whatever might be going on in our lives, it is good to do so. Should this apply to you, be kind to yourself and seek someone you trust. In this way we feel less alone. God meets us in each other. And God meets us where we are.

Iva Beranek
Dr Iva Beranek is the Ministry Facilitator for the CMH: Ireland

Finding the peace within

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Life is often not easy, and I am sure we all struggle with different things from time to time. Life is also beautiful, with moments of connection, growth, learning. Human spirit has a great capacity for exploration and many things about life enrich us, as well as people around us. But in the areas where we struggle, areas of dis-ease, where we are not at easy, in those areas we need healing. 

In the book “Jesus Calling”, Sarah Young writes what Jesus tells her:

“Learn to live from your true Centre in Me. I reside in the deepest depths of your being, in eternal union with your spirit. It is at this deepest level that My Peace reigns continually. You will not find lasting peace in the world around you….But there is a gold mine of Peace deep within you, waiting to be tapped. Take some time to delve into the riches of My residing Presence. I want you to live increasingly from your real Centre, where My Love has an eternal grip on you. I am Christ, the hope of Glory.” (20th February)

When we still ourselves we tap into that place within us. But it may not always be as easy to do that. Let’s say we are in the midst of something that we find disturbing, and we feel that our emotions are about to get inflamed and we might react in a way we don’t want to. What may be going on is that the back part of our brain has been triggered, where all unprocessed events of our lives have been stored. That part of brain also doesn’t have a timeline: it does not know if it’s 2017, or 2012, or 1999. If we take time to focus on our breathing, this will not only take us into the present moment, but deep breathing also takes us out of our back brain into our front brain, which is known as our logical brain. So instead of a situation or emotion taking control of us, we now have the power to take control over it – and this happened simply by taking time to focus on our breath.

This will require constant practice and awareness that God calls us to recognise His presence that is always with us. If worry or a disturbing thought is taking our attention, redirecting our thoughts to the present moment and to God will not happen in an instant. We will need to spend some time focusing on our breath, and we may need to repeat this action many times. When we are grounded in the present moment we become aware that we are not alone; God is there with us too.

What is specific about Christian mindfulness is that it leads into a relationship. What I mean is that when we are mindful of the present moment, we notice the Presence around us, God’s presence, and we give it space to surface; like a fragrance it can rise around us and we feel ourselves encircled in it. This presence is the source of our peace.

Iva Beranek
Dr Iva Beranek is the Ministry Facilitator for the CMH: Ireland

Wellspring

Our one-day silent retreat, Wellspring, is coming up again on 25th March 2017. In a beautiful setting of St Patrick’s Church, Dalkey, you will be invited to be nurtured in silence; to engage with Scripture, healing prayer and mindfulness. There will be time to walk outside or snooze; to participate in guided reflections; to avail of one-to-one discussion with a spiritual director; or just take time to read.

This time is for yourself and we will encourage you to use it in a way that serves you best.  Silence is often an entry into our heart and it helps us to better listen to the voice of God.

The facilitators for the day are Iva Beranek and Carol Casey. Suggested donation to CMH:I is €25. Please bring your own sandwich for lunch and we will provide tea and coffee. The retreat starts at 9.30am and finishes at 4.00pm.

Please note that places must be booked in advance (hello@ministryofhealing.ie).

 

New Chair of Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland appointed

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The Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland (CMH:I) promotes the centrality of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ in the Church of Ireland. Based at Egan House, St Michan’s Church Dublin, CMH:I serves the whole Church of Ireland.  CMH:I is led by a board of directors and its day-to-day ministry is served by Dr Iva Beranek and supported by Olwyn Cross. In late 2016 the Revd Canon Dr Daniel Nuzum was appointed as Chairman of CMH:I in succession to the Right Revd Patrick Rooke. Daniel is a healthcare chaplain at Cork University Hospital and a priest of the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. Speaking following his appointment Daniel said “I look forward to this new phase in the ministry of CMH:I and to continuing the faithful work of Bishop Rooke. As a team we look forward to serving the whole Church as together we witness to Christ’s healing presence in the world.”