Cedric Pisegna - God Is Your Healer (01/21/2026)
Father Cedric draws from James chapter 5 to emphasize God's power to heal physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally, revealing Himself as Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our Healer, just as Jesus healed during His ministry. He shares testimonies and stories to stir faith, distinguishing between physical cure and deeper healing through God's presence and grace even in suffering. Ultimately, the greatest healing comes from trusting the cross of Jesus for forgiveness and eternal salvation.
Welcome and Opening Scripture
Welcome to «Live With Passion,» I’m Father Cedric Pisegna. So glad that you tuned into the program, because I believe you’re going to experience blessing and healing. This comes from the letter of James chapter 5, «Is anyone among you suffering? Let them pray. Are you cheerful? Then sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Then call for the elders of the church. Let them pray over them, anointing that person with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of the faith will heal the sick person, and the Lord will raise them up. And if they’ve committed any sins, they will be forgiven».
A Testimony of Healing
Don’t normally do this, but I thought I would start with a testimony, and I actually got this off my Facebook page today, and I thought it was perfect for this program.
This woman writes, she said, «Father Cedric, I’m 76 years old. I’ve followed you for many years. About two months ago, I was watching one of your episodes on the TV set, and you encouraged us to ask about healing. I’ve never done this before, but I asked God to heal my right hip, and I claimed that healing. A few minutes later, I took the dog out for a walk, and I realized there was no more pain in my hip, and that was two months ago, and the pain hasn’t returned. Praise be to God». I’m so happy for that woman. She experienced a healing, and I believe in healing. God is our healer.
Jehovah Rapha: The Lord Our Healer
In fact, that’s what it says in the Old Testament. If you know the story, the Hebrews were in the desert, and in journeying through the desert, they got thirsty, and their thirst was intolerable. They said, «Moses, we need water». They came upon some water, but it was bitter, undrinkable. They said, «Moses, help us,» and Moses prayed, and God made the bitter water clean, and the people drank it. And the Lord revealed himself as Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our healer, and that’s exactly who God is. And of course, Jesus came among us as a healer. He healed those who were blind, he healed people who are paralyzed, he healed lepers, and he even raised people from the dead.
Now, we know by reading the Scriptures that everywhere Jesus went, he brought healing to people. And I believe that Jesus can heal you everywhere you hurt. And where are you hurting right now? And I realize that there’s so much pain, so much suffering, so many trials and tribulations in the world. Many of you watch my program, I know you’re in your 70s and 80s, some of you are in your 90s, and the body wears out. I’m gonna pray for healing for you right now, right at this moment. Would you stir up your faith? You know how right before Communion we pray? We pray like this, we say, «Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed».
Stirring Up Faith and the Sacraments
I love that, because the church is trying to stir us up to receive a healing. That was the words of the centurion, if you remember. «Jesus, no, I’m not even worthy that you should come into my house under my roof. Just say the word. You have the authority. Just speak it and my servant will be healed». And his servant was healed. Right before Communion, «Only say the word». The sacraments are healing. The sacrament of Confession is a resurrection sacrament, bringing healing to the guilt and the shame. Sacrament of Communion, healing sacrament, strengthening us, helping us on the journey. Whatever sacrament we celebrate in the Catholic Church, Jesus healing us, bringing new life, bringing strength.
People have arthritis, they have heart problems, they have hip problems and knee problems, people are going through cancer and all kinds of trials. The number one email that I get from people, and I get prayer requests from lots of people on my website, FRCedrick.org, number one prayer request I get is, «Father, I’m sick. I need healing. Would you pray for me»? And I certainly do, I see all those prayer requests. We’re going through a pandemic. Some people have caught that virus, that illness. Many people have died.
Some 800,000 people in the United States alone have died from this, never mind all around the world, I think it’s four million, five million. We pray that God will protect you and keep you. And hopefully you’ve been vaccinated, but even if you haven’t, I pray for God’s protection and healing in your life. Then spiritually, people feel distant from God and dry, talk about going through a desert, and it was dry and bitter water. People feel dry and empty, and I think the number one healing that people need has to do with a relationship with God. This series is all about being fruitful. And I talked in one of my episodes about the foundation of fruitfulness really has to do with your relationship with God. And I’m believing just by watching right now, your relationship with God is going to grow, your faith is gonna grow. Faith comes by hearing.
Healing in Every Area of Life
Then mentally, people are distressed, and anxious, and worried, and fearful. Maybe you haven’t been able to sleep. And then emotionally, people are up and down, and people are depressed and discouraged. And I pray that you will come to a new stability. That instead of being up and down, you will be calm, peaceful, going forward. Relationally, people are having trouble. They’ve got bitterness. Having trouble forgiving. Some of you are in a relationship with a person that’s addicted, and you’re codependent, and you’re up and down with your happiness level. And that can happen, this is real life, real issues. And now, here’s a real solution. I pray, now believe, receive. I say that all the time, believe and receive. Believe that God is there for you right now, receive his mercy, receive his healing. I pray for all of you who are suffering physically, and I know, I hear from you. I pray that God will touch you. Should it be his will, he’ll take away the pain.
Heavenly Father, touch bodies right now. Bring your grace, your mercy. These are your people. You are Jehovah Rapha, God our healer. I pray for those who feel distant from God, that there will be a new intimacy, a new faith in God, a new trusting God. For those of you who are suffering with negativity, anxiety, and worry, be positive, optimistic, full of hope, calm, peace, tranquility, shalom. And then your emotions, fear, depression, discouragement, going through some trials and tribulations, you need some balance. God work in your heart right now. And relationally, codependent, as I was saying, you’ve got somebody that you’re bitter about and not forgiving, by the grace of God, by the love of God, I pray that you’ll be able to let it go and forgive, in the name of Jesus our healer. Experience grace right now.
Jesus can heal you everywhere you hurt. That’s right, right now. Don’t resist, don’t doubt, let the grace of God flow right into you.
The Anointing of the Sick
We have a sacrament called the Anointing of the Sick. It used to be called the Last Rites. When people see a priest coming with the priest collar on, and they’re sick, when they see that priest coming, they get kinda worried, because they think, «Oh no, am I gonna die»? Well, it’s not called the Last Rites any more, it’s called the Anointing of the Sick. That’s exactly what happened in the Gospel of Mark. When Jesus sent out the apostles, you might not have noticed this in the Bible, he sent them out with oil, with the anointing of oil to heal the sick. The apostles, priests, bishops, deacons, evangelists, we now go forth in Jesus’s name with this oil, with this holy oil.
In the Catholic Church, it’s the oil of the sick, and we go forth, and we bring healing. In the seminary, I went to the Catholic Theological Union. I was taught that there is a distinction between healing and cure. Cure of course is physical, and we all know about that and what we want. We want the pain taken away. We want the arthritis taken away so everything works. We don’t want any more suffering. And I believe, I believe that God can do that. When we come into somebody’s home, or a hospital, or a nursing home to anoint that person, the anointing of the sick, this is what I was taught in the seminary. Yes, God can cure, that’s the distinction. Cure is physical, but they also taught that there is something called healing, and this is the true sense of healing. Healing is beyond physical, healing has to do with God’s strength, his comfort, his presence, and his power.
The Deeper Meaning of Healing
I’m believing that God’s gonna take away the pain, bring you cure in your body. But if he doesn’t, most of the time God doesn’t, let’s be real. He can; I want to stir up your faith. «Only say the word and I shall be healed». But most of the time he doesn’t, and there’s many reasons for that. If you’ve listened to my preaching, I’ve talked about the meaning of suffering, I’ve talked about the transformation that suffering can bring, I’ve talked about mystical union with Christ in suffering. There’s purpose in suffering. God may want to take it away, most of the time God doesn’t, therefore I want you to know about healing. And healing is more than just physical, and it’s more than just temporary. Healing endures, healing lasts.
Stories of God's Presence in Suffering
Let me put it to you this way. Back on 9/11, we’re talking about when the terrorist attack occurred in New York, one of the towers was hit, and there was a woman in the towers, and she was, as the building was collapsing all around her, her name was Janell Guzman McMillan. She made it all the way down to the 13th floor, and as it collapsed, she couldn’t make it any further, and the rubble went all above her. Well, she was able to work her hand through some of the rubble, and all of a sudden, she felt another hand grab her, and the person holding her hand said, «You know, I’m with you». And she said, «What’s your name»? and he said, «Paul».
Well, Paul finally said, «You know, I have to let you go, the finders are here to get you,» and he let her hand go, and the next you know, she got dug out of the rubble, and she wanted to meet Paul. And they all looked around, the first responders looked around and said, «We don’t know anybody named Paul, and there’s nobody named Paul among us». And we believe that that was an angel, holding her hand, and comforting her. And that’s exactly what God does in our life. No matter what you’re going through, he walks with you. You’ve all heard that story about footprints, you know.
This man has a dream, and in the dream there’s two sets of footprints. I like to tell that story. Everything’s going good, then all of a sudden, he gets into some suffering, some tribulation, and in his dream he only sees one set of footprints. And then he wakes up and he prays, he goes, «Lord, I don’t understand it,» he said, «When everything was going good, you were walking with me, then when I went through suffering, I only saw one set of footprints. You left me, what was going on»? And he sensed God tell him, «You have to understand, you misinterpreted that dream. That one set of footprints, when you were going through the hard things, that was my set of footprints, because I was carrying you».
That’s healing. What we need is that comfort, and strength, and help.
God's Grace in Weakness
Now remember Paul the Apostle? He was going through some kind of a thorn in the flesh. Get this, Paul begged God, just like many of you, begging God that God would take away this thorn in the flesh. You know what God tells him? He said, «Paul, my power is made perfect in weakness». Any of you who are in the 12-step program know that, that through humility, through powerlessness, the power of God flows in you to bring you into recovery. My power is made perfect in weakness. And then God said, «Paul, my grace, my presence, my love, it’s enough for you, it’s sufficient».
I even write that in one of my books. I wrote a book called «Real Life, Real Issues, Real Solutions,» and when I sign it to a person who donates, I put, «God’s grace is sufficient». He may not take away the pain or the suffering, and I’m believing that he will, but if he doesn’t, his grace, just like with Paul, is sufficient. Paul in another letter talked about how he was crushed by what he was going through. «Beyond all telling,» he said, «We despaired of life itself,» and then he said, «That was to make us trust in God who raises the dead». I love that.
Examples of Trust in Suffering
I remember talking to a woman who used to work for my ministry, actually she was a volunteer, and she would pray for people, people that emailed. I would send it to her, and she would pray with them. Her name was Jan. She developed pancreatic cancer, and I was so struck as we talked on the phone by her trust in God. She only had three months to live, and she has passed away. But she trusted God in the midst of her affliction. One of my editors, my book editors, her name is Peg, has trouble with her eyes. She’s in her late 70s and is now losing her vision. And she says this, she says, «I don’t understand, but I trust God».
I think that’s one of the most beautiful statements, and I pray it quite often 'cause there’s so much I don’t understand. I don’t understand why God doesn’t cure everybody, God can. That’s what happened with Saint Thomas Aquinas, great writer. And toward the end of his life, he has a vision of God about a month before he died. And when he had that vision of God, he said, «All that I have written is straw». It’s like there are no words once you see God. In other words, trust God. Now, I’ve written to date 25 books, and they all have a couple hundred pages, or just under that. I’ve written a lot of words, and I have had visions from God. God has touched my life. And what I’d like to say is not all is straw.
Not that it doesn’t all matter, not that my words don’t matter. I would put it into two words, all that I’ve written, trust God. Trust God, even though you don’t understand. What does trust mean? And that’s the greatest healing, when you’ve come not just to believe in God, not just to believe that God can cure you, but to trust him even when you don’t experience cure. Blessed are you who believe without seeing. Blessed are you who trust without being cured. But again, I want to stir up faith. I’m not trying to take that away, I want you to believe that you can be cured. I get testimonies, people watching my programs that are cured.
Most of the time, however, what I proclaim is the meaning of your passion, the meaning of your suffering and trusting God, that’s so important. To trust God means that you rely upon God, you lean upon God, lean upon the everlasting arms. You depend on God in the midst of your trials. That is mature faith. One of our priests went through depression, and you might be thinking, «Well, wait a minute. If he’s a priest, he shouldn’t be depressed. If he had the faith, that depression would be taken away». Maybe so, but what I believe is that because he believed, he was able to face his depression, and because you trust, because you believe, you can face whatever it is you have to face. Whatever trials and difficulties, whatever sufferings that you are going through, you can face it because God is with you and you are strong, and you are comforted, and that’s healing.
The Bronze Serpent and the Cross
I wanted to share with you in the desert something happened. The people were snake bit, and because they had sinned, and snakes came and they bit them, and they started to die. And they go to Moses, «Moses, help, pray for us». Moses raises up the serpent in the desert, and anybody who just looked at it were healed, wow. Then along comes Jesus in the Gospel of John, and he says, «Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that whoever believes, whoever just looks with faith, we will be saved».
That word «saved» is the same word for healed, healing and saved, sozo in the Greek. What is Jesus saying? He’s saying the greatest healing that we need isn’t physical, because eventually, even if you are cured, eventually you’re going to die. It won’t last. But what will last is salvation, eternal life. I want you, and I’m hoping that as a result of this program, and you’ve heard me before, those of you who watch my program, you will trust simply by looking to the cross, that Jesus died for you, that he gave his life to forgive your sins, that he’s redeemed your life. And I love what it said in the desert, just by looking at the snake. They held it up. Just all you have to do is just look at it and you are healed.
Not by works, not by being good enough, just look at it. It reminds me of Passover. All they had to do is put the blood on the doorpost. There were some pretty bad Hebrews, Hebrews that had stolen, committed adultery, and everything else, but if they had the blood on the doorpost, the angel of death passed over. And it’s the same with us. It’s not our perfection, it’s not our, quote, «good works,» although those things matter, and that’s part of faith, but the bottom line is whoever just looks to the cross in faith will be healed, saved. Remember, «Only say the word and my soul shall be healed». And that’s what we need most of all. We’re going to pray for you now. That’s true healing, the healing of the cross, the healing of knowing that God is with us.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, I pray that you will bring cure to every person watching this program. That you will take away the pain. Bring cure to their bodies. But should it not be your will, that you will bring healing, comfort. That they will sense you holding their hand, walking with them, that they’re not alone, that you’re with us, and close to us, and nearby. Most of all, Heavenly Father, I pray that you’ll anoint people with faith. Faith comes by hearing. You’ve heard the word. That you will have faith stirred up. «Only say the word and my soul shall be healed». We believe, Lord, that they will have new trust in you. We don’t understand, but we trust, especially in the cross, that Jesus died for you personally, that you could have eternal life. Just look, believe, receive, in the name of Jesus, be healed. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.