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'Reiki allows me to continue the healing ministry of Jesus'
Apr. 19, 2009
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Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionA woman stricken with Multiple sclerosis came to me for a Reiki treatment some years back upon the recommendation of her son. Her granddaughter had been killed in a tragic accident a year earlier and her husband, who could no longer handle the stress of her disease, had recently filed for divorce. She was bent over with grief and stooped from the crippling effects of her disease.
As I listened to her story, and witnessed the despair and hopelessness in her face I doubted that Reiki would provide her any relief. As we entered the treatment room, I asked myself, “What good can I possibly do for this woman?” I was then reminded to never doubt the healing power of God!
When the treatment was complete, she stepped down from the treatment table. I will never forget what I saw. She stood up straight and in her new found stride there was a sense of purpose and ease that had not been there before. Her face glowed with a look of new found peacefulness and serenity. She actually looked joyful.
She then sat beside me. “For the first time in my life, I feel completely at peace,” she exclaimed. “The pain of the grief and the loss have simply melted away. I feel like I have been resting within a warm vessel of peace and love.” She said she had never felt such peace, “ever.”
With her remarks, I found myself moved to tears. I cannot fully explain what happened that day. I only know that on that day, this woman experienced the grace of God’s healing power, and it came through me.
Regardless of the limitations some might perceive within the philosophy or practice of Reiki, this incident proved to me, beyond a doubt, that Reiki can be a powerful tool through which God facilitates healing. No one can convince tell me otherwise.
It is for this reason that in spite of the prohibitions set forth by a U.S. bishops’ committee I continue to openly share Reiki. While some might accuse me of disobedience, I am content in knowing that to God, the ultimate Authority, my obedience is true.
As a Reiki practitioner and instructor of “Christ-centered hands-on healing practices,” I was deeply saddened by the release of the March U.S. bishops’ “Guidelines for Evaluating Reiki as an Alternative Practice.”
The bishops’ committee proclaimed that “since Reiki therapy is not compatible with either Christian teaching or scientific evidence, it would be inappropriate for Catholic institutions…or persons representing the Church…to promote or to provide support for Reiki therapy.”
It saddened me to see that a healing practice that has been widely embraced and shared through Catholic retreat and spirituality centers by lay and religious alike will now be effectively burned at the stake.
Being neither theologian nor scientist, I cannot begin to argue the doctrinal perspectives of the bishops involved. Nor can I challenge the scientific studies that were consulted in issuing their statement. However, as a woman of faith, I need neither theologian nor scientist to decide for me if Reiki is, or is not, of God, or whether it is, or is not, an effective tool for healing.
From the time some 20 years ago when a friend introduced me to Reiki to the day 10 years later when I found Catholic women religious with whom I could study, to the moment that God opened the door for me to practice Reiki at the Catholic campus ministry where I was employed, I knew that this was the path God had ordained for me.
In the nine years that I have actively shared Reiki with others, this discernment has been confirmed as I have witnessed the profound presence and action of God revealed in the sharing of this remarkable tool.
Along with other Catholic Reiki practitioners, I consider Reiki to be a way in which we can accept the call to continue the healing ministry of Jesus. In discerning this path, we are saying “yes” to being the body of Christ. Support for this healing ministry is readily available through scripture in the ways in which Jesus commissioned his disciples and in Paul’s exhortation on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 9: 2
Jesus sent them to proclaim the loving counsel of God and to heal the sick.
John 14: 12-14
Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these because I am returning to the Source. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do so that our Creator may be glorified. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.
1 Corinthians 12: 7-11, 27
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another expression of knowledge…to another faith…; to another gifts of healing…; to another mighty deeds; to another prophesy; to another discernment of spirits; to another variety of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as the Spirit wishes... Now you are Christ’s Body, and individually parts of it.
While support for this healing ministry is found through scripture, my journey has not been an easy one. I have learned that practicing a truth that is not “explicitly handed down by the magesterium” can be a dangerous business. By a fearful few, I (along with other Catholic Reiki practitioners) now have been accused of heresy, simony, witchcraft, sorcery and of communing with Satan. In each moment, however, that I become afraid or begin to doubt, God reveals to me another grace frequently received by those to whom I humbly minister.
Lauri Lumby Schmidt is a trained spiritual director, a Reiki Master, and writer. Lauri was employed as the Pastoral Ministry Coordinator at the Newman Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and is currently the owner of Authentic Freedom Ministries, which offers retreats, adult spiritual formation and classes in meditation and healing practices.
Lauri - Thanks for sharing
Lauri - Thanks for sharing your wisdom and your faith with all of us. I am sure that the ones that you have healed are especially thankful.
Mark 9:38-42 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.
Thank you David, Laurie and
Thank you David, Laurie and others who have reflected honestly about the absurdity of the Bishops' response to discount that they know very little about. First of all, they proclaim that Reiki must be superstitious because it has no basis in spirituality or science. What about Jesus' statement that "By your fruits you will know them." Every article written, quotes by any person who has received received Reiki states that the result of the treatment included deep peace and sense of well-being. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is peace. I could say more on that topic, but I assume any of you reading this article can quote Scripture as well as or better than I can regarding the presence of God being accompanied by peace. Second, there is much scientific research that is being done and some studies that have been completed on the benefits of Reiki. (reduction in systolic blood pressure, reduction in damaging cortisol levels, increase in hemoglobin, decrease in patients' experience of tension and stress) One scientific article is in the Journal Alternative Therapies, March/April 2003 Vol 9, no. 2 by Gala True, PhD. and Pamela Miles; also, there is valuable information on the National Institute of Health website about the benefits of Reiki: nccam.nih.gov/health/reiki
I am a nurse and a Reiki Master/Teacher and have been practicing Reiki for 8 years; I am also a religious Sister since 1974. I see no conflict between my faith and my practice of Reiki. On the contrary, I believe Reiki is an avenue for people to open their hearts to God's gift of peace.
Sister Mary Joan Smith, SCC
Hithere, this document will
Hithere, this document will shed some light on the relationship between Christ and Reiki http://www.onlyjesuschrist.co.za/Jesus vs Reiki.docx
Enjoy and remember - ONLY CHRIST, NOTHING ELSE!
God bless
Gabriel Smit
Thank you for sharing you
Thank you for sharing you moving story, Lauri. May God continue to be with you.
Thank you for printing a
Thank you for printing a reply to the Bishops.
I am a retired Complementary Therapist who worked at an over 400 bed Catholic hospital using Reiki with quiet music and guided imagery in over 3000 sessions to bring the healing love of God to hospitalized persons. For me, Reiki gives me the chance to “Station Keep”—to watch with and be present to those suffering from physical or emotional pain. Reiki allows me to touch someone who desperately needs to feel God’s love with “skin on.” This can be especially true for people who are blaming God for their pain or don’t have a personal relationship with God. I have seen many extraordinary physiological changes in God’s people both with touch alone and when I combine the touch of healing love with positive visualizations and images.
There are so many hurting people in the world who face an uncertain future. They are often isolated because family and friends are overcome with their own fears and avoid listening to them and overworked clergy and doctors don’t have the time or put up walls to the heart-felt anguish of illness. Throughout time, certain women have been called upon to station keep and just be present to the pain of the other. This heart-felt presence, whether it is labeled Reiki or any other name is healing to the core. Yet many have been put to death as witches for their ministry. And unfortunately some practitioners compound the problem by saying that their brand of therapeutic touch is better than someone else’s. There is no trick, no secret—when the heart is open healing flows. It is so simple, yet without some sort of initiation most people refuse to believe that God calls us all to be healers. So we initiate people into what they were already possess and to the birth-right they were called to claim. When I perform such a ceremony, I tell my students that the gift I have passed down to the is something they already have,-- but usually they don’t get it at first. Even the apostles needed a little ceremony to accept their gifts.
I pray that the one avenue of compassion and humanity left in hospitals remains open for God’s people and that the clinical left brain world of medicine does not snuff out care and love as true healing.
Ms Schmidt's life and
Ms Schmidt's life and ministry form the obvious exception to the findings of the bishops, as reported in this story. Will there be more exceptions? I suspect yes. I think both God and Jesus are more than anyone, even the bishops, can completely understand. Still, we must carefully read and reflect on all that the bishops are teaching about this issue, and with informed conscience and prayer, make our own decisions. Our faith is much more than what one person or one group experiences.
Thank you Lauri for sharing
Thank you Lauri for sharing your story. I too have evidence of God's healing power coming through the hands of a reiki practioner.
I have been a Reiki recipient
I have been a Reiki recipient and practitioner for about 12 years. I have found it to be a helpful adjunct to other healing methods and traditions and always non-evasive and acceptable to people of various religious and spiritual traditions. The Benedictine sisters at the Kordes Center in Indiana conduct regular Reiki training sessions, as do other Catholic religious communities. Although Reiki is not a part of everyone's path to health, I have seen remarkable results when Reiki is combined with accupuncture, chiropractic and conventional western medicine. I have found Reiki especially effective in managing chronic pain and halping to lower high blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Something healthy and Godly happens in Reiki healing, and that can't be bad.
Thank you for sharing your
Thank you for sharing your beautiful experience.
I have learned a lot from
I have learned a lot from Lauri's teachings. I have no doubt that she has given healing through our Lord, through Reiki.
I have also learned that there is often a difference between those laws set by God, and those laws set by the male hierarchy of the Catholic church. I'm going with God.
Thank you Lauri for your
Thank you Lauri for your heartfelt response to the Bishops' statements regarding the practice and teaching of Reiki for Catholics. My heart and soul are in full agreement with your response...
especially:
"Along with other Catholic Reiki practitioners, I consider Reiki to be a way in which we can accept the call to continue the healing ministry of Jesus. In discerning this path, we are saying “yes” to being the body of Christ. Support for this healing ministry is readily available through scripture in the ways in which Jesus commissioned his disciples and in Paul’s exhortation on the gifts of the Holy Spirit."
This statement sums it all up for me.
Many Blessings
Roberta
Thanks to all who have shown
Thanks to all who have shown their support for REIKI.
I have been privileged to watch my wife over the past 20+ years as she has given REIKI treatments and taught many others to become REIKI practioners. I have received many treatments myself and experienced the healing that takes place. I have multiple disabling conditions and her treatments have kept me going for years. My wife prays for the healing power of our God whenever she gives a treatment. There is no mystery or Gnosticism involved. We ask God to be present.
Besides my own testimony, I have been able to observe every "client" as they leave our home (where her REIKI Room is located.) Everyone says some part of them has been renewed. To whom should we attribute this healing? According to the Bishops' statement we cannot attribute this to God because REIKI is not Christian and cannot be scientifically proven. I am not a theologian or a medical person, but I am one who has lived a life of service as Jesus taught and so does my wife. I can witness to the fact that "something" takes place in a REIKI session and I hope that is the healing power of God at work. Jesus used mud to heal, I believe that God, as Father, Son and Spirit, can use many healing resources, including REIKI.
I support Reiki as an
I support Reiki as an extension of the healing of Jesus. I am appalled that the very bishops who protected pedophile priests would have the audacity to oppose the pratice of a healing technique...and we wonder why so many people are leaving the church.
I am a lifelong Catholic and
I am a lifelong Catholic and a Reiki master. One of the reasons I decided to learn Reiki is because I saw it being taught by many nuns and Jesuit priests. The Reiki center where I was taught have taught Reiki to nuns and priests. People who are committed to Christ through religious vocations can easily spot the presence of God (or deception), so I don't understand the Bishops' position.
When I experienced and learned Reiki, I found it to bring peace and healing. I've used it on people, plants and animals. It produces amazing results in healing animals. It has proved to be a blessing to all living creatures. As the bible states, "By their fruits you shall know them". The gift of healing is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
It's too bad that Reiki has gone from being practised in Catholic hospitals and convents to being scorned. This does create a problem for everyone who has responded to the call of God to provide comfort through Reiki. I completely support Lauri's views and encourage her to not let the views of some interfere with what she knows in her heart.
Thank-you Sister Mary Joan
Thank-you Sister Mary Joan for your comment and simple and authentic scientific data on Reiki.
The Reiki I experienced directed me TOWARD A CATHOLIC CONVENT EXPERIENCE!!! This advice given during a Reiki session, was by a very kind, loving, nonCatholic lady! The lady did not know that I was a Catholic.
So a Reiki nonCatholic practicioner directed me toward a Catholic experience.
I am embarrassed actually that our Bishops apparently have not studied Reiki as sincere researchers and in an authentic, scientific, deep and thorough search for truth. Please Bishops, I beg you to spend more time and prayer on this topic. Also I beg and suggest that you study and become familiar with Oriental healing, including acupuncture, and all the related healing forms. Honestly Bishops, I feel you may be not up-to-date. Please seek more education in the noninvasive medical arts.
Reiki comes from a power
Reiki comes from a power source that is NOT the Holy Spirit. Just because something looks or feels good, doesn't mean it's from the Lord. Don't be deceived!
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