Louis Grams - The Healing Stories of Jesus: Signs of the New Creation (Keys to the Bible)

Signs of the New Creation

Louis Grams

Copyright 2016 by Louis Grams
All rights reserved.

Published by The Word Among Us Press
7115 Guilford Drive
Frederick, Maryland 21704
www.wau.org

ISBN: 978-1-59325-290-8

Nihil Obstat:

Msgr. Michael Morgan, J.D., J.C.L., Censor Librorum

April 1, 2016

Imprimatur:

Most Reverend Felipe J. Estvez, Bishop of St. Augustine

April 1, 2016

Scripture texts used in this work are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1965 and 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America, copyright 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

Cover design by Andrea Alvarez

Cover Art: Jesus healing Peters mother-in-law (wall painting), Goul, Philippos (fl.1494) / Church of St. Mamas, Louvaras, Cyprus / Sonia Halliday Photographs / Bridgeman Images

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other, except for brief quotations in printed reviewswithout the prior permission of the author and publisher.

The contemporary healing stories in this Bible study are all factual. However, the names and locations have been changed to respect the privacy of each person.

Made and printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016936898

Have you ever lost your keys? Everyone seems to have at least one lost keys story to tell. Maybe you had to break a window of your house or wait for the auto club to let you into your car. Whatever you had to do probably cost youin time, energy, money, or all three. Keys are definitely important items to have on hand!

The guides in The Word Among Us Keys to the Bible series are meant to provide you with a handy set of keys that can unlock the treasures of the Scriptures for you. Scripture is Gods living word. Within its pages we meet the Lord. So as we study and meditate on Scripture and unlock its many treasures, we discover the riches it containsand in the process, we grow in intimacy with God.

Since 1982 The Word Among Us magazine has helped Catholics develop a deeper relationship with the Lord through daily meditations that bring the Scriptures to life. More than ever, Catholics today desire to read and pray with the Scriptures, and many have begun to form small faith-sharing groups to explore the Bible together.

We designed the Keys to the Bible series after conducting a survey among our magazine readers to learn what they would want in a Catholic Bible study. We found that they were looking for easy-to-understand, faith-filled materials that approach Scripture from a clearly Catholic perspective. Moreover, they wanted a Bible study that shows them how they can apply what they learn from Scripture to their everyday lives. They also asked for sessions that they could complete in an hour or two.

Our goal was to design a simple, easy-to-use Bible study guide that is also challenging and thought provoking. We hope that this guide fulfills those admittedly ambitious goals. We are confident, however, that taking the time to go through this guidewhether by yourself, with a friend, or in a small groupwill be a worthwhile endeavor that will bear fruit in your life.

The study guides in the Keys to the Bible series are divided into six sessions that each deal with a particular aspect of the topic. Before starting the first session, take the time to read the introduction, which sets the stage for the session that follows.

Whether you use this guide for personal reflection and study, as part of a faith-sharing group, or as an aid in your prayer time, be sure to begin each session with prayer. Ask God to open his word to you and to speak to you personally. Read each Scripture passage slowly and carefully. Then, take as much time as you need to meditate on the passage and pursue any thoughts it brings to mind. When you are ready, move on to the accompanying commentary, which offers various insights into the text.

Two sets of questions are included in each session to help you mine the Scripture passage and discover its relevance to your life. Those under the heading Understand! focus on the text itself and help you grasp what it means. Occasionally a question allows for a variety of answers and is meant to help you explore the passage from several angles. Grow! questions are intended to elicit a personal response by helping you examine your life in light of the values and truths that you uncover through your study of the Scripture passage and its setting. Under the headings Reflect! and Act! we offer suggestions to help you respond concretely to the challenges posed by the passage.

Finally, stories of contemporary healings appear throughout each session. Coupled with relevant selections from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and information about the history, geography, and culture of first-century Palestine, these selections (called In the Spotlight) add new layers of understanding and insight to your study.

As is true with any learning resource, you will benefit the most from this study by writing your answers to the questions in the spaces provided. The simple act of writing can help you formulate your thoughts more clearlyand will also give you a record of your reflections and spiritual growth that you can return to in the future to see how much God has accomplished in your life. End your reading or study with a prayer thanking God for what you have learnedand ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in living out the call you have been given as a Christian in the world today.

Although the Scripture passages to be studied and the related verses for your reflection are printed in full in each guide (from the New Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition), you will find it helpful to have a Bible on hand for looking up other passages and cross-references or for comparing different translations.

The format of the guides in The Word Among Us Keys to the Bible series is especially well suited for use in small groups. Some recommendations and practical tips for using this guide in a Bible discussion group are offered on pages 98101.

We hope that this guide will help you to understand the role healing plays in heralding the coming of the kingdom of God and to be open to Jesus healing presence in your life and in the lives of those around you.

The Word Among Us Press

There is a certain sense of irony for me in writing this volume of the Keys to the Bible series. On the one hand, I have personally experienced the healing power of Jesus in my own life and have witnessed it in the lives of many other people as well. This healing power has manifested itself in concrete, doctor-certified, physical healing, in marvelous personal transformations, in the repair of damaged relationships, and in many other forms of healing.

Ive personally been brought back from deaths door as I contended with heart failure, complete renal failure, respiratory failure, and a host of other complications related to a rare autoimmune disorder. In a series of amazing events, the Lord healed me completely of this incurable disorder, and I have remained free of any traces of that disease since mid-1997.