JULY 26, 2013

Is it correct for a lay person to “lay hands” on another?

Charism gifts building up the Church

http://www.saint-mike.org/warfare/library/wp-content/docs/spiritualgifts.pdf
EXTRACT

(Excerpt from the Rule of St. Michael) 2004, Order of the Legion of St. Michael

237. Misdirected and False Teachings […]

(c) On Using the term “baptism”: Although the Church has instructed the Renewal on the proper definition of the “baptism” of the Spirit, the use of the term, “baptism” in the Holy Spirit, is nevertheless misleading and is a “Pentecostalism.” A more accurate term would be a “re-awakening or filling with the Holy Spirit” 42
since existentially and ontologically that is the phenomenon actually taking place. 43
The term “baptism in the Holy Spirit” in the context of the charismatic experience was born in theological error.

Pentecostals do not believe in the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Thus when they read the passages in the book of Acts about laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit, they misinterpreted it to be some additional post-conversion act that must be performed. That is not true. The gift of the Spirit may not be separated in any way from conversion…44
There are no instances in the New Testament of the “laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit” outside of the Sacraments.

(d) On the Laying on of Hands and Anointing with Oil: The practice of anointing with oil and laying on of hands to “receive the Holy Spirit” was adopted by Pentecostals, as explained above, because they did not understand the doctrine of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Given this theological bias, it is not surprising that they misinterpreted the passages in the Book of Acts 45. As such, it appeared to them that this “laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit” was a separate act and experience from that of conversion, rather than as an act of the Sacrament of Confirmation. As Catholics we know that there is no need for us to “receive the Holy Spirit” in some extra-Sacramental way. As the Catechism instructs us, Confirmation gives us “the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost” (CCC 1302) We already have the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, there is no need for any additional forms of quasi-liturgical ceremonies or actions to “receive” the Holy Spirit and His gifts. In addition, the Magisterium has repeatedly warned the Faithful against performing rites and prayers that too closely resemble the Sacraments or the actions and prayers reserved to priests. The Instruction on Prayers for Healing, 46

Confusion between such free non-liturgical prayer meetings and liturgical celebrations properly so-called is to be carefully avoided. for example, makes this point: Another example is found in the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest: In using sacramentals, the non-ordained faithful should ensure that these are in no way regarded as sacraments whose administration is proper and exclusive to the Bishop and to the priest. Since they are not priests, in no instance may the non-ordained perform anointings either with the Oil of the Sick or any other oil. 47
Pope John Paul II reminds us that: …the particular gift of each of the Church’s members must be wisely and carefully acknowledged, safeguarded, promoted, discerned and coordinated, without confusing roles functions or theological and canonical status. 48
Also in the Collaboration Instruction: Every effort must be made to avoid even the appearance of confusion … To avoid any confusion between sacramental liturgical acts presided over by a priest or deacon, and other acts which the non-ordained faithful may lead, it is always necessary to use clearly distinct ceremonials, especially for the latter.
49

Finally, in a letter sent to us from the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Monsignor Mario Marini, Undersecretary, writes:

Prot. N. 1116/00/L Rome,

24 June 2000

This Congregation for Divine Worship has received your letter dated 4 May 2000, in which you ask whether the Instruction Ecclesiae de mysterio on Lay Collaboration in the Ministry of the Priest, article 9, should be interpreted as prohibiting the use by laypersons of blessed oil as a sacramental.

While a certain degree of prudent reserve in this matter is indeed advisable, it is clear that the exclusion of traditional devotions employing the use of blessed oil, and in which there is no likelihood of confusion with the sacramental of Anointing of the Sick by a priest, is not the intention of this Instruction. Excluded instead would be any use by a layperson of oil, which even if not the Oil of the Sick blessed by the Bishop on Holy Thursday, would be interpreted as replacing the sacramental Anointing by a priest, or which would in any way be seen as equivalent to it, or which would be employed as a means of attaining for laypersons a new role previously reserved to clergy.

The intention of the person using the oil, the clarity with which such an intention is expressed by such a person, and the understanding of those present will all be relevant in determining the likelihood of misunderstanding and therefore the degree to which such a practice should be avoided. In this matter as in all similar cases, such a practice is subject to the supervision of the local Pastor and ultimately of the diocesan Bishop.

Thanking you for your interest and with every prayerful good wishes for a blessed Easter Season, I am,

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Mons. Mario Marini, Undersecretary

The common practices of the Charismatic Renewal of the quasi-liturgical “laying on hands to receive the release of the Holy Spirit” is often done without regard to the understanding of those present that the Congregation requires. Even when permission has been attained by a group’s Pastor, the actual practice among many groups tends to be quasi-liturgical in appearance. Many individual Charismatics seem present themselves as quasi-priest in their demeanor even if verbally claiming they are not. Thus, in much of the Charismatic Renewal this practice can be both potentially theologically problematic and certainly too closely resembling what is reserved to bishops and/or priests.

47 Holy See, Instruction, On Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of The Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry Of Priest (15 August 1997), art. 9 §1.

48 John Paul II, Discourse at the Symposium on “The Participation of the Lay Faithful in the Priestly Ministry” (11 May 1994), n. 3, l.c.; quoted Collaboration, “Conclusion.”

49
Collaboration, art. 6 §2.

An extract from the Konkani Catholics blog, January 4-6, 2008

http://davidmacd.com/catholic/how_did_this_site_get_built.htm

David MacDonald is a convert into Catholicism and he’s a singer; his website www.catholicbridge.com.
The site does provide a wealth of information for Evangelicals on their various doubts and questions on the Catholic faith. The answers are simple and easy to understand and have the additional force of his testimony and music background.
Here is the section on “Sacramentals” (and I hope our readers know what “Sacramentals” – not Sacraments – are). This is how he explains it:
QUOTE: Many Evangelicals have a problem with the Catholic idea that a material item can conduct spiritual power. Despite this criticism, many Evangelicals freely use the idea of Sacraments and Sacramentals in their ministry (though they don’t call it such). For example:
-blessing people (especially the laying on of hands)

-anointing people with holy oil during a healing service

Austine Crasta, moderator

Laypeople’s Use of Oil

http://www.zenit.org/article-26570?l=english

ROME, July 28, 2009 (Zenit.org) Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara…
Q:
There are chaplains who minister at a local Catholic hospital and one of them likes to use “oil” when she prays with the patients (Catholics and non-Catholics). I feel that this causes confusion. One of the chaplains attended a recent convention of chaplains and was told by a presenter that this practice is allowed as long as they tell the patients that they are not receiving the sacrament of the sick. I seem to recall that years ago the Vatican came out with a document on the use of oil by laypersons. Could you please comment? — A.S., Bridgeport, New York
A: The document you refer to is probably the 1997 instruction “On Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest.” This is an unusual document insofar as it was formally issued by the Congregation for Clergy but was co-signed by no fewer than eight Vatican congregations and councils, including that of the Doctrine of the Faith. This gives the document a certain weight with respect to its authority.
The document first presents the theological principles behind its decisions before giving a series of practical considerations on aspects of lay ministry in the Church. Then, having laid the groundwork, it enunciates in 13 articles practical provisions and norms that outline the possibilities and limits of the collaboration of the lay faithful in priestly ministry.
The first article, on the “Need for an Appropriate Terminology,” attempts to clarify the multiple uses of the expression “ministry.” This responds to an intuition of Pope John Paul II who, “In his address to participants at the Symposium on ‘Collaboration of the Lay Faithful with the Priestly Ministry’ …, emphasized the need to clarify and distinguish the various meanings which have accrued to the term ‘ministry’ in theological and canonical language.”
The document accepts that the term “ministry” is applicable to the laity in some cases:
“§3. The non-ordained faithful may be generically designated ‘extraordinary ministers’ when deputed by competent authority to discharge, solely by way of supply, those offices mentioned in Canon 230, §3 and in Canons 943 and 1112.

Naturally, the concrete term may be applied to those to whom functions are canonically entrusted e.g. catechists, acolytes, lectors etc.
“Temporary deputation for liturgical purposes — mentioned in Canon 230, §2 — does not confer any special or permanent title on the non-ordained faithful.”
However: “It is unlawful for the non-ordained faithful to assume titles such as ‘pastor,’ ‘chaplain,’ ‘coordinator,’ ‘moderator’ or other such similar titles which can confuse their role and that of the Pastor, who is always a Bishop or Priest.”
Another article, No. 9, is on “The Apostolate to the Sick.” Regarding our reader’s question on the use of oil in a non-sacramental way, the article is very clear:
“§1. […] The non-ordained faithful particularly assist the sick by being with them in difficult moments, encouraging them to receive the Sacraments of Penance and the Anointing of the Sick, by helping them to have the disposition to make a good individual confession as well as to prepare them to receive the Anointing of the Sick. In using sacramentals, the non-ordained faithful should ensure that these are in no way regarded as sacraments whose administration is proper and exclusive to the Bishop and to the priest. Since they are not priests, in no instance may the non-ordained perform anointings either with the Oil of the Sick or any other oil.
Ҥ2. With regard to the administration of this sacrament, ecclesiastical legislation reiterates the theologically certain doctrine and the age old usage of the Church which regards the priest as its only valid minister. This norm is completely coherent with the theological mystery signified and realized by means of priestly service.
“It must also be affirmed that the reservation of the ministry of Anointing to the priest is related to the connection of this sacrament to the forgiveness of sin and the worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist. No other person may act as ordinary or extraordinary minister of the sacrament since such constitutes simulation of the sacrament.”
To many it might appear that this document is excessively restrictive in its dispositions. Yet by providing clear guidelines and demarcations of proper competences based on solid theological reasons, it actually facilitates fruitful collaboration between priests and laity in a true spirit of charity and service to Christ, the Church and to souls.

Confirmation and the laity’s role

http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=832, Catholic Online

ROME, March 30, 2004 (Zenit.org) Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara…

Q: Could you please comment on the following which occurred at an Easter Vigil Mass in my parish at which a number of RCIA candidates were confirmed. At the confirmation the priest asked everyone in the congregation to outstretch their right arm toward the persons being confirmed as we said the “Prayer of Confirming.” The words of the prayer were, in summary, “All powerful God … send your Holy Spirit upon (names) to be their helper and guide … fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence. We ask this through Christ Our Lord.” After this prayer the priest performed the anointing with chrism on the candidates’ foreheads. The outstretching of arms by the congregation made it seem that the laity had some role in conferring the sacrament of confirmation. My understanding of confirmation is that the role is normally the bishop’s (or a priest in his place) to emphasize the transmission of the Holy Spirit by apostolic lineage going back to Pentecost. — D.N., Victoria, Australia

A: There are two elements to be taken into account the laying on of hands and the proclamation of the prayer over the candidates.

During the sacrament of confirmation there is a double laying on of hands. The rite you describe pertains to the first moment, which does not form part of the essential rite of the sacrament. But as Pope Paul VI wrote when he reformed the rite of confirmation (see “Ad Pascendum,” Aug. 15, 1971), the first rite should be held in high esteem as it contributes to the integral perfection of the confirmation ritual and gives a better understanding of the sacrament.

What the Church wishes to show is the transmission of the Holy Spirit, by apostolic genealogy going back to Pentecost, through the symbolism of consecrated hands being laid on the head of the confirmands.

In conformity with this principle the rubrics for this first laying on of hands states that when that when the bishop and priest(s) are both celebrating the Mass where confirmation occurs, they lay hands upon all candidates (i.e. extend their hands over the whole group of confirmands). However, the bishop alone says the prayer: “All-powerful God … send your Spirit upon them. … We ask this through Christ our Lord.”

The practice of laying on of hands is certainly subject to many symbolic meanings. In some cases, such as the sacrament of holy orders and the second imposition with the anointing of confirmation, it is an essential part of the rite without which the sacrament itself would not exist.

In other sacraments such as the anointing of the sick, it forms part of the auxiliary rites performed by the ordained minister.

In other cases it is a sacramental, such as when the priest extends his hands over a person or object in order to impart a solemn blessing.

It may also be used by lay people, such as when parents bless their children. In recent times it has often been used in prayer groups such as the Charismatic Renewal.

Given the symbolic polyvalence of the gesture it is necessary to determine its meaning and importance within the context of each specific rite.

In the rite of confirmation it clearly symbolizes the power of efficaciously invoking the Holy Spirit so as to achieve the effect of the sacrament. This power properly and fully belongs to the bishop.

Priests also possess this power in a latent manner and may exercise it whenever the bishop or general Church law delegates them to do so.

This is why only the bishop and concelebrating priests should extend their hands at this moment. But only the bishop says the prayer, since he actually administers the essential rite of the sacrament.

Even in a very large confirmation, where the bishop is assisted by priests who also administer the sacrament, only the bishop recites the prayer, as the priests receive their authority to administer the sacrament through the bishop.

When a priest confirms alone, as is commonly the case during adult initiation at the Easter Vigil, then all concelebrating priests extend their hands. But only the priest who confirms says the prayer.

Thus in the case of the sacrament of confirmation it is inappropriate for the entire assembly to either extend their hands or to say the prayer, as this gesture would symbolically indicate the possession of a spiritual power which they do not possess as it requires the sacrament of orders.

It is also hard to see exactly what is meant by this change, because the other elements of the rite seem to be respected; it does not appear that it symbolizes that the community is the source of the sacrament.

It might have been introduced as a nice way of having everybody involved, without much thought given to the consequences for the meaning of the rite itself. Modifying the rites in the way described despoils them of the wealth of meaning that they embody.

The reception of this sacrament through the ministry of the bishop — and in general the need for a minister for any sacrament — is a necessary element in showing that the grace of our sanctification is primarily God’s gift to us through the Church and does not spring from ourselves nor from the community. This does not mean that the community has no role in the sacraments. On receiving confirmation, a Christian enters, in a way, into the fullness of the common priesthood of the baptized through which Catholics receive the power and capacity to participate in the Church’s liturgy and to place their own personal sacrifices alongside that of Christ in the Eucharistic celebration.

However the common priesthood may only be exercised in communion with the ministerial priesthood and can never substitute it in its essential tasks.

This communion and the interplay between the two priesthoods are highlighted by the very rite of confirmation now under discussion, although it entails repeating one or two aspects already mentioned.

Before beginning the prayer of confirmation, the bishop, with the priests who will assist him on either side, says a prayer which invites all present to pray to the Father to send the Holy Spirit.

All then pray silently for a brief moment. This silent prayer is the exercise of the whole body of the faithful and thus for the faithful an exercise of their common priesthood.

After all have prayed, the bishop and priests extend their hands over the candidates while the bishop says or sings alone the following prayer which is redolent of similar priestly prayers of consecration such as the prayers of ordination:

All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life.

Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide.

Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence.

Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

To this prayer all give their assent by responding “Amen” in an analogous way to the final amen of the Eucharistic Prayer.

In this way the organization of the rite makes clear that the prayer of the whole assembly is called upon during confirmation although the administration of the sacrament is reserved to the bishop or priest in virtue of the ministerial and hierarchical structure willed by Christ for his Church.

Traditionalists are wary and critical of the laying of hands on one another in charismatic circles:

When did the laying on of hands become Catholic? 

http://catholicforum.fisheaters.com/index.php?topic=2393555.0

Who did laying on of hands to Paul?

http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=109968

The Catholic Answers Forum, September 18, 2006

Interesting discussion… The brief answer is i) Ananias, Acts 9:17 and ii) The elders at Antioch Acts 13:2, 3.

St. Jerome wrote:

As Sergius Paulus Proconsul of Cyprus was the first to believe on his preaching, he took his name from him because he had subdued him to faith in Christ, and having been joined by Barnabas, after traversing many cities, he returned to Jerusalem and was ordained apostle to the Gentiles by Peter, James and John. –Lives of Illustrious Men Chapter 5

Laity and laying on of hands

http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=684800

The Catholic Answers Forum, June 13, 2012

Q: Do the hands of lay people have any special powers?
Last night I was praying with my wife and she got upset when I wouldn’t put my hand on her belly to pray over the baby in her womb (I would have but it would have been an awkward position for my arm). I told her it didn’t matter where I put my hands and the argument went on. Who is right?

There is another discussion here:

Laying on of hands

http://theologica.ning.com/forum/topics/laying-on-of-hands

Check out these:

The laying on of hands

http://laviecatholique.blogspot.in/2009/04/laying-on-of-hands.html

April 9, 2009

The Sacrament of Confirmation
– The Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 1285 to 1321

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a2.htm

Imposition of hands

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07698a.htm

The Catholic Encyclopedia

A symbolical ceremony by which one intends to communicate to another some favour, quality or excellence (principally of a spiritual kind), or to depute another to some office. The rite has had a profane or secular as well as a sacred usage. It is extremely ancient, having come down from patriarchal times. Jacob bequeathed a blessing and inheritance to his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh by placing his hands upon them (Genesis 48:14) and Moses on Josue the hegemony of the Hebrew people in the same manner (Numbers 27:18, 23). In the New Testament
Our Lord employed this rite to restore life to the daughter of Jairus (Matthew 9:18) and to give health to the sick (Luke 6:19). The religious aspect of this ceremony first appeared in the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the office of priesthood. Before immolating animals in sacrifice the priests, according to the Mosaic ritual, laid hands upon the heads of the victims (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8:9); and in the expressive dismissal of the scapegoat the officiant laid his hands on the animal’s head and prayed that the sins of the people might descend thereon and be expiated in the wilderness (Leviticus 16:21). The Apostles imposed hands on the newly baptized, that they might receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost in confirmation (Acts 8:17, 19; 19:6); on those to be promoted to holy orders (Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6; Matthew 13); and on others to bestow some supernatural gift or corporal benefit (Acts, passim). In fact this rite was so constantly employed that the “imposition of hands” came to designate an essential Catholic doctrine (Hebrews 6:2).

To understand clearly the extent to which the imposition of hands is employed in the Church at present it will be necessary to view it in its sacramental or theological as well as in its ceremonial or liturgical aspect. In confirmation, the imposition of hands constitutes the essential matter of the sacrament, not however that which precedes the anointing, but that which takes place at the actual application of the chrism (S.C. de Prop. Fide, 6 Aug., 1840). In the sacrament of Holy orders it enters either wholly or in part, into the substance of the rite by which most of the higher grades are conferred. Thus in the ordination of deacons according to the Latin rite it is at least partial matter of the sacrament; in conferring the priesthood there is a threefold imposition, viz.: (a) when the ordaining prelate followed by the priests, lays hands on the head of the candidate nil dicens; (b) when he and the priests extend hands during the prayer, “Oremus, fratres carissimi”, and (c) when he imposes hands at giving power to forgive sins, saying “Accipe Spiritum Sanctum”. The first and second of these impositions combined constitute in the Latin Church partial matter of the sacrament, the traditio instrumentorum being required for the adequate or complete matter. The Greeks, however, rely on the imposition alone as the substance of the sacramental rite. In the consecration of bishops the imposition of hands alone pertains to the essence (see CONFIRMATION; ORDERS).

The ceremonial usage is much more extensive. (1) In baptism the priest signs the forehead and breast with the sign of the cross, lays hands on the head during the prayer, “preces nostras”, and again after the exorcism, beseeching God to send down the light of truth into the purified soul (cf. Rom. Rit.). Tertullian mentions imposition being used in conferring baptism in his own day (de Bap., VI, VII, &c.). (2) In penance the minister merely raises his hand at the giving of absolution. The ancient ordines (cf. Martene, “De antiqua ecclesiæ disciplina”, passim), record this custom. (3) In extreme unction there is no imposition of hands enjoined by the rubrics, although in the prayer immediately before the anointing the words “per impositionem manuum nostrarum” occur. Possibly the imposition is contained in the unctions as it is in the administration of confirmation. (4) Apart from the sacraments the rite is also employed in almost all the various blessings of persons and things. Abbots and virgins are thus blessed (cf. Roman Pontifical and Ritual). (5) In the reconciliation of public penitents and the reception of schismatics, heretics, and apostates into the Church, hands were formerly, and still are, imposed (cf. Duchesne, “Christian Worship”, pp. 328, 435, St. Cyprian, De Lapsis 16). (6) Those obsessed by evil spirits are similarly exorcized (cf. Roman Ritual, Titus, x, cl). (7) The rubrics of the missal direct the celebrant to hold his hands extended during most of the prayers. At the pre-consecration prayer, “Hanc igitur oblationem”, he also holds his hands over the oblata. This action seems borrowed from the old Levitical practice, already noticed, of laying hands on the victims to be sacrificed, but curiously it has not been proved to be very old. Le Brun (Explication de la Messe, iv, 6) says he did not find the rubric in any missal older than the fifteenth century. Pius V made it de præcepto (cf. Gihr, “la Messe”, II, 345). The significance of the act is expressive, symbolizing as it does the laying of sin upon the elements of bread and wine which, being changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, become thus our emissary or scapegoat, and finally the “victim of our peace” with God. Nothing can better show the relationship that has always existed between prayer and the ceremony that is being considered, than this expressive sentence from St. Augustine, “Quid aliud est manuum impositio, quam oratio super hominem?” (De Bap., III, xvi, 21).

Laying on of hands

https://www.ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?number=314688&Pg=Forum4&Pgnu=1&recnu=15

March 18, 2002

Q: What can you tell me about the idea of laying on of hands? Is it biblical? Can Catholic lay people do it to other lay people? What does it mean? Is it Catholic in tradition or does it come from more from a Pentecostal or Evangelical type tradition? –Brian Vogrinc

A: The laying on of hands is a sign used in a number of the sacraments, most particularly in ordination. It has been used in this manner since the first century and signifies the invoking of God’s blessing on the person on whom hands are laid.

Catholic lay people cannot administer any of the sacraments that involve the laying on of hands, therefore they cannot do it sacramentally. Some Catholics do lay hands on others while praying for healing, though this is not a sacrament and must not be confused with one. The latter practice has been especially popularized through the Pentecostal movement. -James Akin, Catholic apologist

Laying on of hands: Widespread practice can be both a ‘danger’ or a gift of the Holy Spirit

http://www.spiritdaily.net/layingonhands.htm

We are of two minds when it comes to the “laying on of hands.”

On the one hand (not to play on words), there are the many claims of healing and deliverance. Through the years — through the centuries — countless have benefited from prayer that is said while a healer or simply another person rests one or both hands onto the afflicted person, allowing for the flow of the Holy Spirit. “When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied,” we have in Acts 19:4-6.

Clearly, the laying on of hands is biblical.

But then, in Scripture, we also have: “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others,” intones 1 Timothy 5:22. “Keep yourself pure.”

Therein is the rub and the reason we always urge prayer and fasting (without haste) before allowing anyone, including a priest, to lay on hands. The reason is simple: if the person laying on the hands has a dark spirit (“sin”), there is a chance that spirit can be transferred. This is called “imparting” a spirit. Fasting seals a person against the enemy — and purifies. Meanwhile, we see that Jesus also healed by praying from a distance.

“Laying hands on a person in prayer is not just a picturesque religious ritual,” a foremost deliverance expert named Derek Prince once warned in a terrific, insightful book called They Shall Expel Demons. “It can be a powerful spiritual experience, a temporary interaction between two spirits through which supernatural power is released. Normally the power flows from the one laying on hands to the one on whom hands are laid, but at times it can flow the other way.

“The power may do either good or evil. It may emanate from the Holy Spirit or from a demon, depending on the one from whom it flows. For this reason Paul established certain safeguards. [Here he quotes the passage from 1 Timothy above]. In other words, be careful with whom you allow your spirit to interact!

“The laying on of hands should be done reverently and prayerfully. Any person participating should make sure he or she is not thereby, in Paul’s words, sharing in another’s sins. It is a mistake to lay hands indiscriminately on one another. The following brief testimony illustrates the danger:

“‘In 1971 I was attending a charismatic meeting, and the speaker asked people to stand if they wanted prayer for healing. I had a bad cold, so I stood. He then instructed people seated nearby to lay their hands on us and pray for our healing. Four or five prayed for me.” 

‘When I awoke the next morning, my cold was better — but my fingers were all curled up and stiff and hurting. Immediately I thought, Someone with arthritis laid hands on me last night! I renounced the spirit of arthritis, and within five minutes all the symptoms were gone.  

“‘I was a very young believer, less than one year old, and I have been so grateful to God for teaching me then to be careful who lays hands on me.'”

We see the need for caution at the same time we must not be paranoid. These things we discern only through extensive prayer, and protect against by fasting.

See The Laying on of Hands – Derek Prince Ministries

http://saint-mike.org/swbbs/viewtopic.php?t=133

St. Michael Spiritual Warfare Depository Archive, May 17, 2010

Q: Well is laying on of hands good or bad? I have been to many Charismatic groups where they do this, but I will only let someone that I know and is right with the Lord to do this?

A: You are looking for trouble when you have someone lay hands on you. It is an open door to possession. The same goes with massage. If you consider how many people to a massage therapist and how many of them are carrying some kind of demonic “baggage” it can get transferred. So, the answer is NO, do NOT let someone lay hands on you. The only one who should lay hands on you is an ordained Catholic priest. PERIOD. –Ellen Marie

A: Well Ellen is wrong again on certain points not because I say so, but because the Vatican says so.
There is a grain of truth in what Ellen says. The Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest states at article 6 §2:

Every effort must be made to avoid even the appearance of confusion… To avoid any confusion between sacramental liturgical acts presided over by a priest or deacon, and other acts which the non-ordained faithful may lead, it is always necessary to use clearly distinct ceremonials, especially for the latter.

This Instruction, however, does not prohibit such things as laying on of hands or the administering of oil in conjunction with laying on hands. I personally wrote a letter to the Vatican to clarify this.

In Summary, what follows is what the Vatican told me about the use of Holy Oil:

A) Sacramental Oil (blessed by the Bishop on Holy Thursday) cannot ever be used.

B) Blessed oil, like that you get at shrine MAY BE USED, but

1. Prudent reserve must be exercised.

2. The situation of its use MUST NOT be one in which there is ANY confusion that what is happening is the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick.

3. The use of a blessed oil by the laity MUST NOT replace the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

4. The use of blessed oil by the laity cannot be used in such a way as to be EQUIVALENT to the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

5. The use of the blessed oil cannot be used in such a way as to create a new role for the laity which is really reserved to clergy.

6. The intention of the person using the oil must not be to violate items 2-5 above.

7. The person using the oil must express WITH CLARITY why he is not in violation of items 2-5 above.

8. The people observing or participating with the person using the oil must fully UNDERSTAND what is happening is not in violation of items 2-5 above.

9. The practice of using blessed oil by the laity is governed specifically (in addition to these general principles) by the local Pastor and ultimately the diocesan Bishop.

This instruction clearly does not prohibit the use of oil, or the lay on hands that is associated with it. What it means is that they laity can NEVER substitute the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick with their own anointing. If the situation is one that a priest would normally administer oil, then the laity cannot do it.

Laity cannot use oil in such a way that is equivalent to the Sacrament of Anointing of Sick even though they are not intending to do the Sacrament. This probably prohibits many charismatic groups from using oil in the way they do.
Laity cannot use oil in such a way that they essentially co-opt a role that really belongs to clergy. This too will prohibit the way typical charismatics use oil.
What is also important to see here, is that even if all criteria is met to allow a layman to use oil, if there is misunderstanding on the part of on-lookers, then it is not to be done. All involved must be properly catechized.
The situations in which oil and laying on of hands can be used are in situations in which there is some sort of paterfamilias relationship. This would include laying hands on your children, your spouse, or others family members. A paterfamilias relationship also may exist between a Spiritual Director and a directee or a Counselor and counselee (even the Spiritual Director or Counselor is not a priest). Even in these paterfamilias relationships, however, the non-priest can never use this privilege as a replacement for the Sacrament of Anointing which must be administered by a priest.
In other words, we cannot do these actions in such a way that too closely resembles that which is reserved to a priest. As long as we are cautious about that and those prayed over, and those on-looking are properly catechized about this, laying on hands can be done by laity.
The use of Holy Oil must not be the Sacramental oil blessed by the Bishop. If we use oil it must be oil that blessed in the normal way by a priest like that of Holy Water. Thus, oil given a normal blessing can be used by the laity in a similar way as Holy Water. Holy Water represents a washing clean factor, and is a reminder of our baptism and our baptismal promises. Blessed Oil represents a healing factor, and is a reminder of our confirmation and the fullness of the Holy Spirit indwelling us, and our promises to live a Godly life.
If we understand the differences between Sacramental Oil and regular blessed oil, and understand the differences between the Sacrament of Anointing and what laity might do with its limitations, then we can be okay in the practice.
We must always remember that the Particular Sacramental Power of Healing is reserved to clergy.

Ellen also has a grain of truth concerning the possibility of becoming demonized when laying hands on someone. We have had clients who became demonized after having hands laid upon them. There is a phenomenon called transference. A demon can transfer from one person to another through laying on hands. This is why one should not lay hands on a person too quickly and a person should not allow someone to lay hands on them too quickly.
Certainly we should never lay hands on anyone without their permission. But, if we have the permission of the person being prayed for, and have the right preparations and discernment, and doing the act with the proper circumspection, avoiding doing anything that too closely resembles the acts reserved to priests, then lay on hands may be done. Only the leader of the prayer team, however, should be laying on hands, not the whole team. –Bro. Ignatius Mary

Isn’t Energy Healing and Laying on of Hands the Same Thing?

http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/?p=13036

By Susan Brinkmann, March 14, 2012

MM asks: “There must be some element of truth in the practice of energy healers who use their hands to heal. Aren’t their methods similar to what Christians refer to as the ‘laying on of hands’?”

Great question, MM, and now that you ask it, I’m actually a little surprised that it took two years for someone to pose it.

The only similarity between the methods used by energy healers and Christians who lay on hands is that they both use their hands – and this is as far as it goes. 

The Catechism clearly states that the use of the hands in Christian healing is as a “sign,” not as an energy channel. “Jesus heals the sick and blesses little children by laying hands on them. In his name the apostles will do the same,” the Catechism teaches. “Even more pointedly, it is by the Apostles’ imposition of hands that the Holy Spirit is given. The Letter to the Hebrews lists the imposition of hands among the ‘fundamental elements’ of its teaching. The Church has kept this sign of the all-powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in its sacramental epiclesis.”

In other words, the use of the hands in the Christian form is a symbol while in energy healing the hands have an actual function as a channel. 

But that doesn’t stop proponents of energy medicine from luring Christians into their practices by drawing attention to this similarity. Some even go so far as to suggest that Jesus was an energy healer because of how He used His hands during healings. William Lee Rand, founder of the pro-Reiki International Center for Reiki Training actually suggested that because Jesus sometimes laid hands on people while healing them, He may have been using Reiki.  
“There are many similarities between the laying on of hands healing Jesus did and the practice of Reiki,” Rand writes.

Naturally, he goes on to list only those episodes in the Gospel where Jesus used His hands to heal, leaving out all other methods such as the casting out of demons and healing by command. By deliberately “cherry picking” Scripture in this way, the result is a myopic and distorted view of the nature and purpose of the healing power of Jesus.
“Jesus was not channeling a universal energy, but was acting with the power of God,” writes New Age expert Marcia Montenegro.

“As Acts 10:38 says, ‘God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.’ The power of God was not coming through a technique or secret teaching, but from the Person of Jesus Christ. When Jesus conferred this power specifically to and only on His disciples, He ‘gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness,” (Matthew 10:1, Mark 3:13-15, Luke 9:1). It is His authority over illness that Christ gave the disciples, not a secret teaching or technique.”

Perhaps the biggest difference between energy healers and the Christian laying on of hands is the fact that energy healers claim to be manipulating an alleged energy force. When Christians pray over one another, we’re not trying to manipulate God’s power. We’re simply using our hands as a sign of intercession. Whether or not God wants to heal the person is left totally up to Him.

Energy healers have a whole different mindset. This is their power that they supposedly learn how to use through classes or attunement ceremonies such as those required for Reiki masters. True biblical healing is never based on a belief in one’s own power, but is based solely on the power of God.

You should also beware of those who say Christians can participate in these practices simply by believing that the energy comes from God. This can be a very dangerous delusion, particularly in the case of techniques such as Reiki, which employ occult entities known as spirit guides.

Even if energy healers are Christians (sadly, there are many of them out there), they can’t say their energy comes from God because God never revealed Himself to us as an energy force. He’s a personal God who once identified Himself to Moses as “I am” not “It is.”

Whether the healer believes it or not, the energy he or she is using during an energy healing session is a putative energy form (that has no scientific basis) which is believed to permeate the universe. The healer can call this energy anything they want, but it doesn’t change the nature of it. It’s still a putative energy form. Just by calling it God doesn’t make it God. That would be like calling a dog a cat and expecting the dog to now be a cat. The energy is what it is and if the healer doesn’t understand this, then they don’t understand either energy medicine or basic Christian theology.  (This blog gives a more in-depth explanation for why God cannot be called an energy force.)

The bottom line is that energy healers are to be avoided by Christians. They are not only practicing a bogus science that won’t help you anyway, but many of them also dabble in other New Age modalities, some of which – such as Reiki – are effected through occult agencies.

Categories: Liturgical Abuses