Jr. Ph.d. James A. Houck

Redeeming the Bereaved Jr. Ph.d. James A. Houck

The beauty of the gospel centers on how Christ viewed the woundedness of people. He never saw them as "sinners" but rather "lost." He never reduced people to their illness, disease, or situation in life, but instead, saw them as people in need of liberation. For faith communities today, and as a model for pastoral counseling, Christ's way of redemption is essential for those who desire to offer healing to the bereaved, disenfranchised or otherwise. In order to redeem wounded and bereft people, Christ went beyond the limits of the purity laws, reaching out to the "unclean" on the fringes of society and restored them as persons of dignity and worth. By ministering to marginalized people, Christ enfranchised people as members of a far greater society, the Kingdom of Heaven. Certainly, as we are exposed to the losses and pain of others, we get in touch with our wounds. Of course, this is also key to redeeming others from their pain: We are able to model Christ's redemption to the wounded, since we acknowledge that we have been redeemed, both from our sins and from the on-going wounds and scars we sustain as we are engaged in life and death.