By Msgr. Christopher Goodwin
A priest of the Lincoln Diocese serving the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C.
It was a Saturday morning in the fall of 2013 when I slipped into the back pew of the church where I was pastor. At prayer the night before, I had felt an unexpected “pull” toward the cross of Christ, which made me want to return. For several weeks I had been asking God to fill me more deeply with his Holy Spirit so that my life and ministry would be more his initiative. That morning as I prayed, the Father met me with a love so comforting and weighty that I simply rested in it. It awakened in me a desire to draw closer to him and a capacity to love others with a more open heart.
That experience planted the seed of a deeper spiritual renewal. Within a year, a change in assignment brought me to a new place and a chance to continue exploring the work God had begun. Two friends, independently of each other, encouraged me to attend an upcoming priest retreat at John Paul II Healing Center in Tallahassee, Fla. Their timing felt providential, so I registered. I sensed the Lord had something in store for me.
The retreat was five days of prayer, teaching, and—most of all—God’s tender work in the heart. The moment that changed me most happened during a prayer-for-healing session with Dr. Bob Schuchts. The Spirit led me into a memory from early adolescence, one that seemed insignificant but that carried real pain. In the prayer, I invited Jesus into that memory. I can only describe what happened next as a personal encounter. Jesus met me there—in that place of unaddressed sorrow—and poured his love into parts of my heart I had never allowed him to touch.
In that moment, the Lord began to dislodge layers of shame, embarrassment, and self-contempt I hadn’t realized I carried. Looking back, I can see that I had unknowingly believed certain lies about myself: that I was “less than” my peers, that I deserved their contempt, that my value was always in question. But Jesus blasted through those lies. He showed me that he sees everything about me, and that he loves me.
That prayer did not instantly remove every struggle. I still wrestle with old patterns and wounds, as we all do. But something fundamental shifted. I became freer. The grip of those old lies loosened. And I began to trust more deeply that the Lord does not just love me in an abstract way, but delights in who I am.
I told Bob on the last morning of the retreat that I felt as if I were lying on an operating table with my insides still exposed, and now it was time to go home! He reassured me it would be okay—that the Lord had begun something, and he would continue it. That reassurance carried me into Lent. I kept a journal, read “Be Healed,” and practiced relating my thoughts, feelings, and desires more honestly to God.
Since then, healing has become less of a moment and more of a way of life. When I slip into feeling alone, overwhelmed, or responsible for fixing everything myself, those moments have become invitations. When I turn to the Lord—with frustration, anger, or questions—I find he receives me, meeting me with compassion rather than judgment. As I’ve learned to open my heart to God in this way, I’ve also found it easier to be real and vulnerable with people I love and those I minister to, enriching those relationships.
What continues to astonish me is this: God feels our wounds with us. He knows our losses. And he has plans—real plans—to restore the joy that has been diminished or taken from us. Often his restoration is deeper and more abundant than we imagine.
For me, that is what “inner healing” really is: an encounter with the living God that brings conversion, freedom, and the integration of the heart. It is not separate from holiness; it is part of it. And it is available to every one of us.
As our diocese prepares for the upcoming John Paul II Healing Center event, I offer my own experience as a witness. God’s healing love is personal, specific, and powerful. If you are longing for deeper freedom or a renewed relationship with the Lord, I encourage you to consider participating. You may discover, as I did, that Jesus wants to love you into a joy greater than you thought possible.
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The John Paul II Healing Center in Tallahassee, Fla., is bringing its “Healing the Whole Person” conference, including a “Day of Equipping,” to the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln. Speakers at the conference will include Dr. Bob Schuchts, Sr. Miriam James Heidland and Bart Schuchts.
The “Healing the Whole Person” conference will be April 16-18, 2026, at North American Martyrs Church in Lincoln. Online registration is now open.
A separate but complementary event, a “Day of Equipping,” will be held April 17, 2026, and requires a separate registration. Online registration is now open. For more information on both events, visit jpiihealingcenter.org.
Read more:
'Healing the Whole Person' Q&A with Dr. Bob Schuchts
Identity through the lens of healing by Fr. Ryan Kaup
The power of the Gospel and physical healing by Fr. Ryan Salisbury
News story: 'Healing the Whole Person' conference coming to Lincoln
