The book Be Transformed by Dr. Bob Schuchts is based on his belief that the sacraments are how God heals the person, the family, the Church, and the world, because through them the Holy Spirit brings us more deeply into the resurrection life of Jesus.
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Dr. Schuchts knows that Jesus calls us to true transformation and that He gives us the sacraments as means of that transformation.
Throughout the book, Dr. Schuchts uses Scripture, Catholic teachings, personal experiences, and stories to help readers unleash the healing power of the sacraments in their lives.
This article will discuss lessons for the journey of finding healing after trauma found in this book. You can pick up your copy here.
Why the Sacraments Aid Our Healing Journey
As Catholics, we believe that the Holy Spirit is present in each sacrament, bringing us the special grace granted by the sacrament, such as forgiveness of sins in Confession and grace to face an illness in Anointing of the Sick
The Holy Spirit is a healer, and in His presence, most fully in the sacraments, can help us do three things essential for living as Christians: heal our brokenness, restore our identity, and empower us to live out our share of Christ’s mission.
Now, as you read those paragraphs, you may have been wondering: I’ve received the sacraments many times, and not experienced these effects. Why is that the case?
Dr. Bob Schuchts answers this question using passages from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He writes that Jesus gives the same amount of grace to all who receive a sacrament, but the disposition of our hearts can affect how much of that grace we receive and how much transformation it works in our lives.
When we are open to God’s grace and believe in His ability work through the sacraments, we are much more disposed to the graces of them. When we are closed off, because of wounds and certain beliefs, they may not bring much transformation in our lives.
Throughout the book, Dr. Schuchts provides exercises and prayers to help us open our hearts more to sacramental graces and to bring any wounds or beliefs that are blocking us from the graces of Christ to the foot of the cross.
The Seven Deadly Wounds and Identity Lies
Dr. Schuchts acknowledges that we live in a broken world and have all faced some kind of wounding experience, including trauma. Through his work, he has categorized the wounds present in our fallen world as the following:
- Rejection
- Abandonment
- Powerlessness
- Confusion
- Fear
- Shame
- Hopelessness
Through his work, Dr. Schuchts has found that having experienced these wounds makes our minds more fertile ground for believing lies about our identity. These identity lies can be more specific to the wound. For example:
- Rejection can lead to believing that you are not loved or wanted
- Abandonment can lead to you believing that you are alone and no one cares about you
- Powerlessness can lead to feeling overwhelmed and that you can’t do anything
- Confusion can lead to you feeling like you don’t understand things, and they don’t make sense.
- Fear can lead to difficulties trusting others and feeling safe
- Shame can lead to feeling bad, dirty, or stupid
- Hopelessness can lead to the feeling that things will never change
Dr. Schuchts writes that these identity lies can block God’s blessing in our lives, even blocking the graces of the sacraments, and can lead to sin. He provides exercises in the book for identifying the wounds and identity lies present in our lives.
The good news is that the seven sacraments can help us find healing from these wounds and identity lies.
The Healing Power of the Sacraments
After introducing the seven deadly wounds and the associated identity lies, Dr. Schuchts then writes about how each sacrament can provide healing for a particular wound or identity lie. It is important to note that, even when we haven’t directly received a sacrament, we can find healing through the authentic living out of a sacrament (for example, a priest living out his fatherly authority can restore your trust in authority).
Here are the ways in which each sacrament can help people find healing:
- Baptism heals the wound of rejection by helping us realize we are God’s beloved children
- Eucharist heals the wound of abandonment by receiving God’s abiding presence
- Confirmation heals the wound of powerlessness by being anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit
- Holy Orders heals the wound of confusion by helping us to see God the Father’s authority
- Matrimony heals the wound of fear by helping us to see God’s faithful love
- Reconciliation heals the wound of shame by restoring us to grace
- Anointing of the Sick heals the wound of hopelessness by giving us strength in the midst of illness
Throughout the book, Dr. Schuchts provides exercises for receiving the healing power of each sacrament in your life.
Conclusion
Be Transformed by Dr. Bob Schuchts is a great healing resource that helps readers to find healing in the sacraments. I highly recommend picking up a copy to learn more.