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04th in Matthew 2004 "I
shall come to your house and heal him." Matthew
8:7 With this simple phrase, characteristic of our Lord's eagerness to help
suffering humankind, the Centurion of today's Gospel Lesson receives the
assurance, that his petition would be affirmatively answered. The Lord's popularity as a
Healer of body and soul was widespread, not only among the Jewish people, but
even among the Pagans, that is the idol-worshipers, who worshiped gods. which
they created with their own hands. It can readily be deduced,
that the Centurion of today's Gospel was a proselyte. His Country had a god for
every expression of nature and life. This polytheism apparently left a void in
his heart and he sought, as so many people do, to find a Faith or Religion that
would offer him a lift to a more spiritual life. A quest, which would unite him
not with the natural or material, but with a spiritual divine nature. This can be easily
understood from today's Gospel Lesson. Let us briefly hear about the petition of
the Centurion to the Lord, and then bring to fore the type of petitions we
should be making. The servants of all eras
were perhaps the most unfortunate individuals on earth. But, there were
exceptions. Many lords, or people of influence would select a servant or two,
who became their confidants and advisors. They had
a special place in the household, and there were even instances, where a servant
would sacrifice himself for his master. The masters also, did not remain
apathetic, regarding the needs of their faithful servants. One such striking
instance, is the total concern of the Centurion for his seriously ailing
servant. The
Centurion had exhausted all other means to find a cure for his very trusted
servant, who was paralyzed and condemned to be motionless and silent on his bed.
Then, as does happen, a force from within brought to his mind the Great Miracle
Worker, who was known for the many cures he had wrought. With
exemplary humility, he comes before the Lord Jesus, and with a trembling voice,
which revealed his paternal pain and empathy, he asks the Divine Physician to
heal his paralyzed servant. The
omniscient Lord, knowing well the depth of the Centurion's love and concern for
his servant promptly answers: "Yes, I shall come and heal him." At this
point, we have to pause and marvel at the moral magnitude of the Centurion. He
didn't say: "Lord, I thank you profusely. Please come as soon as possible
to my house to effect the healing." Nothing of the sort. As a result of his
humility, he sensed his unworthiness; and perhaps comparing his frail human life
with the spiritual greatness of the Great Healer he says: "Lord, I am not
worthy for you to enter my house; just say the word, and I believe that my
servant will be healed." He
firmly believed this because he expressed the following to the Lord.He said:
"Lord, I am a junior Officer of the Roman army with one hundred men under
my command. When I want something, all I have to do is say to one 'go' and he
goes;
and to another 'come' and he comes, and to my servant 'do this' and he
does it." "How
much easier it is for You, with Your great spiritual power to overcome all
obstacles, and with your word effect the healing, even from afar!" This
great, most ideal and positive affirmation, or confession of faith had never
been heard before. For this reason, the Lord Jesus deeply moved, marveled at the
Centurion's confession and said: "Assuredly I say unto you, I have not
found such great faith, not even in Down
through the centuries, the words of the Lord must have been spoken or sensed
countless times in the hearts of many: "I shall come and heal you!"
Unfortunately, the ears of the human psyche, or soul, are clogged up by the din
of our modern day society; by the mania of acquisition in so many forms; by the
struggle for power; by the reverberation of our various endeavors, so that we
just do not hear the Lord's invitation: "come to me all you who labor, and
are heavily laden, and I shall give you comfort." Perhaps,
the trials and tribulations of life, and maybe our involvement with our material
possessions, do not give us the opportunity to sense our spiritual frailty, and
to ask the help of our Lord, Who at all times gives the promise: "I will
come and heal your soul." Unwillingly
and unconsciously, somehow we submit to our human desires and endeavors, never
thinking of the Lord, and asking Him to be by our side. The daily routine has a
way of captivating us, so that we don't take the time to give some thought to
our destiny in life. We must
make time so as to pause for a rest from the whirlpool of life. By pausing we
come into the realm of peaceful moments, and in this tranquility, we may be able
to sort many things in our life. This is a form of prayer, because we are in
moments of peace. Our life cannot be one of perpetual motion, which is how so
many live; that is, until the clock stops ticking, and our soul remains shortchanged! We could
say, that prayer is the spinal column of our spiritual counterpart- our soul.
Prayer is a powerhouse for our soul. It consists of glorifying the Name of God,
and also thanking Him for His blessings, for which we should always be mindful;
--- and yes, if we have exercised our soul to be strong enough to even thank God
for the trials and difficulties, which we are called upon to shoulder. These
trials and tribulations can be the best exercise for soul strengthening, because
they have the power to polish, and to make our soul shine, giving it a permanent
lustre. The Lord
said: "Ask, and it shall be given to you." He also said: "The
Heavenly Father knows the things of which you have need, before you even
ask." At one time He asks: "Which of you fathers when your child asks
for bread you will give him stone, and when he asks for fish you will give him a
serpent?" Thus,
our Heavenly Father, Who is all merciful, will grant us only those things, which
are to our advantage. But, it is we humans, who instead of bread ask for a
stone, and instead of fish we ask for a serpent. There is
no question that some may not know how to pray, and what to ask for. The Apostle
St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans chapter 8, verses 26-28 gives us explicit
answers. He says: "The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do
not know what to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans
that words cannot express. And God, who searches our hearts, knows the mind of
the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with
God's will. And we know, that all things work for the good, for those, who love
God." These
verses of St.
John the Chrysostom, that is golden-mouthed, who gave Orthodoxy the world over
our Divine Liturgy says, that the Priest or Deacon pray all the many petitions
of the Liturgy for the spiritual health of every Christian. With
hearts then that are attuned to God in prayer, whether in thought or words, we
have every assurance, if of course it is to our advantage, that we will sense in
our heart: "My child, do not despair, I shall
come and heal you." And in continuation, we shall sense the assurance:
"Go your way, and as you have believed, let it so be done
for you." +Fr.
George Papadeas |
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