Beloved Physician

 Seeking healing for the whole person

10/18/2021

Lk 10:1-9 The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

I recently discovered this humorous history of medicine. A patient comes to a doctor and complains: “I have an ear ache.” In the year 2000 B.C. the doctor responds: “Here, eat this root.” In the year 1000 B.C. the doctor would reply: “That root is heathen, say this prayer.” In the year 1850 A.D., the doctor answered, “That prayer is superstition, drink this potion.” In the year 1940, the doctor might advise: “That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill.” In the year 1985, the doctor would suggest: “That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic.” And in the year 2021, the doctor says: “That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.” In other words, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

That short history of medicine should be something students of osteopathic medicine would be very familiar. Why? Well because their concern is to heal the whole person and not limit themselves to pills and surgical procedures. In 1892, Dr. Andrew T. Still obtained a state charter to establish the first osteopathic school in Missouri. He was dissatisfied with the approach of 19th century medicine and sought a more holistic approach focusing on the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health. Dr. Still wanted to step back and see the whole person, and understood that sometimes the best advice a doctor can give is, “Eat this root.” He wanted to get to the real "root" of healing.

Another great physician who wanted to get to the real root of healing was St. Luke, whose feast day is October 18th (today). Luke was St. Paul’s close collaborator and companion, and in his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes: “Luke, the beloved physician sends greetings” (Col. 4:14). As a good doctor, Luke was very familiar with all the prayers and potions and pills available in his day for healing the whole person. But he gave up being a doctor of the body to become a doctor of the soul by joining Paul on his missionary journeys. Why?

Well, Luke, the beloved physician, understood that there is only one way to heal the whole person and that is the Resurrection on the last day. In other words, no matter what kind of medicine you practice, and no matter how much medicine advances as a science, every patient you will ever treat will eventually die. Do you realize that? Every patient suffers from a terminal illness called “life.” And the only antidote for that ailment is faith in Jesus Christ that offers us eternal life and not just earthly life. That is why St. Paul could still call Luke a “physician” – he was still concerned with healing the whole person, but he now wanted to heal people permanently, indeed, eternally.

Do you know who taught me this powerful lesson of permanent healing that faith affords us? It is our Hispanic patients. Several times I have been called to the hospital where a Hispanic patient is suffering from some serious illness like cancer. Once I walked into the room while the doctor was describing the various treatment options. The patient, a devout Hispanic person of deep faith, looked over to me and asked, “Fr. John, what do you recommend?” I was surprised and answered: “I don’t know! Do whatever the doctor says!” The patient finally did what the doctor recommended.

But I have never forgotten that little exchange. The patient was wanting my counsel about holistic healing, which means body and soul, earthly life and eternal life, being healthy in the here and the here-after. That Hispanic patient’s question, strange as it sounded to my modern ears, carried the spirit of Dr. Andrew T. Still, and the legacy of St. Luke, the beloved physician. How can I be healed forever?

And that is the question I would like to leave you with today. Are you really interested in healing the whole person? Are you trying to find the real roots of good medicine? Then remember that every patient you treat suffers from a terminal illness called “life.” And sometimes the best medical advice in the year 2000 B.C. or in 2000 A.D. is to get a second opinion from a “beloved physician” who is a doctor of the soul.

Praised be Jesus Christ!