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     Several issues ago I wrote a column about the rationality of faith so I do think the subject is understood, but recently there has been a new question which relates to it, and since the query came from the head minister of a certain church, I will address the issue. This question concerns a believer who joined about two years ago. Her motive for joining was because her husband had been healed of pulmonary infiltrate, and in February this year, her own child came down with pneumonia, so she reported this to the head of her branch church. The head minister said he would heal the child and proceeded to earnestly administer Johrei, but the child’s condition did not improve at all, and finally the child’s condition came to be on the verge of critical. Several days ago a telephone call was received asking for a blessing. From that time, the child’s condition improved, but there was worry about what would happen in the future. The church head brought the mother and child to me and asked what they should do from now on. This is how I answered them. Pneumonia is not something that takes a long time to heal. Healing is taking too long because somewhere someone is in error. There were two causes for this particular error, and one of these was serious, but as it was a very personal matter, I do not disclose the details here. There is one more very important point to make, however, and I wanted the church head to hear it as well, so I spoke to them in detail. What I said was that both parents had joined the church one or two years before, so for something on the level of pneumonia, it is sufficient if the father or the mother administers Johrei. That should be enough to heal the pneumonia, but misunderstanding the nature of healing and without administering Johrei themselves and then asking the branch head to administer is not logical. The branch head is also at fault. He often went to administer Johrei, so both parties are mistaken. As the role of the branch church head should be to help non-believers become believers, those who have become believers have already received from God permission to heal sickness, so for sickness among family members, they should administer Johrei themselves. To have the branch head administer Johrei is to interfere with the branch head’s activities. And even though the branch head should be instructing believers about this, the branch head did not perceive, so I can only think the minister was not thinking properly. Now in special circumstances, after asking God for permission, it is all right for the minister to administer infrequently, but no more than that.
     In other words, blessings are not received in matters and affairs when they do not make sense, if the matters and affairs are not logical. Church heads, branch heads, ministers, executives, and all others in positions should understand their responsibities, and be careful to make sure that what they do stands to reason, makes sense. When these persons perform their tasks, read the divine writings, and continually polish their awareness, they are aware of the right thing to do at any time.
     Also what not must be forgotten in these cases is the distinction between daijo and shojo. When the expansion of the divine light program is placed first and personal matters are placed second or third, all will go smoothly. In other words, when the interests of the whole are considered and matters are conducted within reason, any amount of blessings may be received. If even by a little the divine light program is interfered with, it is only natural that matters and affairs do not go as one would think. Saving the entire world is a tremendous task, and God is indeed in a hurry, so to this point all should give consideration.

The essay referred to in the first sentence of this essay is “Shinkō no Gōrisei to Saijōka” (“The Rationality of Faith and the Recurrence of Purification”) which appeared on the first page of Eikō, Issue 210, May 27, 1953. This essay, “Shinkō no Gōrisei ni Tsuite,” appeared originally on the front page of Eikō, Issue 213, June 17, 1953, and was reprinted in the essays anthology for ministers Goshinsho: Shūkyōhen (Divine Writings: Volume on Religion), page 96, March 25, 1954. As far as is known, “Shinkō no Gōrisei ni Tsuite” has not appeared in translation previously.