Medicine or New Age?

Dear Mary,

Yours in Christ,

Bev

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Dear Bev,

This is where a balanced Catholic understanding comes into play. First of all, we recognize that we don’t know everything about the material world or the human body or how the two interrelate. There are many things still to be discovered and sometimes those discoveries will come about because of the observation that something works or helps us, even if we don’t know the mechanism by which it works.

Certain practices in chiropractic, homeopathy, use of essential oils, acupuncture etc. may very well work by as yet unexplained physical and biological principles. A Catholic is as free to make use of them as he or she is free to make reasonable use of standard Western medicine.

A Catholic may decide to make use of these things even if the people who market them or their practitioners give an account of their function that clearly contradicts known science or that invokes religious ideas that are contrary to the Catholic faith, but in this case the decision becomes more complex. Here are some things to consider:

1. The virtue of prudence would be exercised by seeking good, reputable counsel regarding the practice and the practitioner (Prv 15:22). This is protective of your health, your wealth, and your spirituality. Learn to think critically about the claims that are made by reading or listening to opposing points of view.

2. The virtue of charity (love of neighbor) would require that that you don’t do anything that could cause someone who observes you to stumble. Would going to this particular place or buying or using these items appear to be supporting quackery, approving of an occult practice or observing the rites of a pagan religion? Read the 8th chapter of 1 Corinthians for St. Paul’s admonition about the care we should take in not using our Christian freedom in a manner that causes others to stumble.

3. Our faith is a gift from God and we must cherish and protect it, never incautiously endanger it. Can your use of these things actually be separated from occult practice, superstition or false religious ideas — not only in the mind of someone who observes you (see point above) but in your own mind?

Regarding occult and superstitious practices, remember that the criterion is not utilitarian. Just because something “works,” we cannot assume that it is right. The Scriptures are very clear that the demons are capable of performing even miraculous signs to mislead people. Recall how the priests of Egypt imitated the first signs that Moses gave to Pharaoh, and St. Paul warns us that Satan disguises himself as an “angel of light” (2 Cor 11: 14-15). How could oil “attract good things” to you? Does oil know what is good? If you use such oil and then observe — or under the influence of suggestion come to think — that good things are indeed being attracted to you, is it possible that an unseen intelligence is manipulating you? The Scriptures and the experience of thousands of years of God’s servants indicates that that indeed could be the case. Using essential oils for health benefits is one thing; using them or any other creation as a kind of “good luck charm” is quite another.

Let me give you an example of how insidious these things can be: A couple of months ago I received a chain letter in the mail. The letter promised blessings to those who sent it on to others. Big deal — that I could laugh off. But it ended with a curse upon anyone who failed to send it on — they would have certain problems within 5 days. I know better. I am a baptized child of God, a practicing faithful Catholic — I am both rational and making use of things like Holy Water in my house. But upon reading the curse, I felt little tendrils of fear begin to encircle my heart. I tore the letter to bits and said the prayer to St. Michael. I asked God to free me from that superstition. And do you know that by His grace, I actually forgot about the letter until just now writing this! You see if I had kept that in my mind, I might have engaged in attributing things to it, blaming some disappointment or misfortune on the curse — what a trap that would have been! Can you see how using those oils would be the same thing in reverse?

Let’s be faithful to our God who gave Creation to us for our proper use — to honor and glorify Him. We have Him, not oils or crystals or any other thing, to thank for every good gift (Jas 1: 16-17) and let’s remember who we are and send the demons packing right back to their pit!

Blessings,

Mary

Mary Kochan, Lead Content Editor and contributing author to Catholic Exchange, was raised as a third-generation Jehovah’s Witness. Before converting to Roman Catholicism, she worked in Evangelical Protestant ministry, speaking and teaching in many settings. She is a member of St. Theresa parish in Douglasville, GA. Her tapes are available from Saint Joseph Communications.