It must have been a saintly philosopher who first coined the aphorism, ”The problems ahead of us are never as great as the Power behind us.” The capitalizing of the word “Power” reminds us of its divinity and infinity. But God’s power is always hyphenated with his love. His powerful arms that support us in our trials are the same arms that embrace us in those trials, with a loving compassion beyond reckoning. And this supportive, loving power is most dramatically expressed in healing.
The healing that we problem-staggered humans seek is not just an integrative healing of our body, mind and spirit (1 Thes 5:23),-but also, most frequently, a healing of relationships — especially family relationships. A hurt from a family member is more painful and damaging than an insult from a stranger or remote acquaintance. Physical and emotional ailments can be agonizing, but often they are more acceptable than the grief and heartache of seeing a family member enmeshed in financial stress, addictions, sinful affairs, atheism, perversions, invalid marriages, loss of faith, unemployment, abortion, suicide, etc. These personal problems by their very nature fester into interpersonal, relational, and primarily familial problems. Thus, whole families become infected, and the problems tend to metastasize through succeeding generations. Some eventually realize that the Divine Healer is their only hope.
ln this treatise on the healing of families — a field of pastoral theology that is becoming wildly popular in these tumultuous times - Father Ioseph has explored the spiritual approaches to family healing that have proven to be most effective and at times even miraculous. The reader will finish the book with an uplifted expectancy and a holy optimism in knowing that “the Power behind us” is eminently available. This is a book recommended for the problem-weary — and they are part of almost every family living on this planet today!