Слова и речи произнесенныя в 1841–1868 г.

A speech in the week about the paralytic, delivered in the Baptist Church of the Bishop's House on April 13, 1858. “Arise, take up your bed and walk” (John 5:8). One of the greatest evils to which man was subjected as a result of his fall is the countless number of diseases that pursue us from the cradle to the grave. There are mild and short-lived illnesses; but there are severe and very long-lasting illnesses, such as was the illness of the paralytic, whose healing St. now recalls. Church. It is regrettable to endure illnesses of the first and second kind, but incomparably more regrettable are illnesses of the last kind: they sometimes suppress a person with their severity. What should we, Christians, do in these cases? First of all, no matter how long your illness is, do not give in to despair. The weakened man suffered for thirty-eight years in his illness, suffered and hoped, hoped, and finally received healing. No matter how strong and great your illness is, do not give in to despair. The weakened man was completely relaxed, could not move on his own, lay only on his bed - and yet he then began to walk and became completely healthy. Even if you have already experienced all human benefits, even if the doctors do not give you any hope of recovery: remember firmly that there is still help for you from above, help “from the Lord who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 120:2). And the paralytic said: “The imam is not a man, but when the waters are troubled, he will cast me into the font” for healing (John 5:7). But instead of the man, the Lord himself came to him and healed him. Should we not hope for such a doctor? See how great is His mercy and compassion for the needy: He himself, without an invitation, comes to the sheep pool, where there were five porches filled with all kinds of sick people; He himself turns to the paralytic and, “realizing that he had been sick for many years” (John 5:6), mercifully raises him up from his sickbed. And the power of our heavenly Doctor? It knows no limits. As soon as He said to the paralytic: “Arise, take up your bed and walk, and the man will recover” (John 5:9). But, brethren, placing all our hope in the Lord God, especially in serious illnesses, we must also use those special and supernatural means that He has given to heal us from these illnesses. In Jerusalem there was a wonderful font - a sheep's font, into which every summer the angel of the Lord went and disturbed the water, so that whoever was the first to climb into the font “after the water was troubled, you were in good health” (John 5:4). In the New Testament Church there is no such font, but there is a special sacrament that not only once a year, but constantly and at all times can heal us from bodily illnesses, while also healing us from spiritual ones, namely the sacrament of consecration of oil. St. clearly commands us to use it. The apostle, when he says: “Is anyone hurting in you? Let him call the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, we will forgive him” (James 5:14-15). Unfortunately, due to deep-rooted prejudice, we very rarely turn to this saving medicine, usually just before death, when the soul is completely ready to part with the body. Meanwhile, according to the commandment of the Apostle, the sacrament of the Blessing of Anointing is intended for all those who are seriously ill, for all those who are exhausted from illnesses, and not for those who are already approaching the grave. And perhaps many of our deceased brethren would still be alive if they had taken advantage of this gracious help in a timely manner. Other sources, as it were, emanating for us, by the will of God, supernatural healing for our ailments, are St. miraculous icons and relics of saints of God. There have been so many cases, both in former times and in our days, absolutely reliable cases, that people possessed by the most serious, inveterate, incurable diseases went to venerate miraculous icons and St. relics, and returned from them suddenly healed! Why not flow to these saving sources for each of us? It is only necessary that our hearts burn with living faith in God and in the intercession of His saints, to whose relics or images we will flow. In a word: even in ordinary illnesses, mild and easily curable, we must, brothers, using human medicine, place our main hope in God and ask for his mercy; because He gives wisdom to doctors and power to medicines. And even more so in serious and dangerous ailments, when there is little or no hope left for human help, we must turn with all our believing souls to the heavenly Physician and use those supernatural means that, by His infinite goodness, He bestowed in the New Testament Church for our healing. Amen. You might be interested in: