РОСА ПОСЕЩЕНИЯ БОЛЬНЫХ

One is the visitation of the sick, one is the correction of the fallen, one is the Lady, one is the guide and entrance to God (Octoechos, tone 1). A certain woman Anna from the city of Bragin suffered greatly for two years from a disease called “gostets” (rheumatism). She received healing by the grace of the Mother of God from Her miraculous icon, which she herself confessed to the Right Reverend Shepherd in these words: “I, poor Anna Rozsudovskaya, having been punished by the Most High Master with sickness for up to two years, reached the miraculous image of the Most Holy Virgin, which Saint Elijah has, and, by the grace of Almighty God, began to return to initial health.” Who can count our illnesses, physical and mental? Who can heal them? “Mortal diseases have seized us, and the streams of iniquity have troubled us” (Ps. 17:5). Even such wise doctors as Asclepius, Hippocrates and Galen could not cure these diseases; from whom shall we seek healing? Of course, you will say, from God. But “the imams do not have boldness towards Him because of our many sins” (Theotokos at the 6th hour). And if so, then let us seek healing from His Most Blessed Mother, because the Mother’s prayer can do much good, for She is the Healer of the whole world. There is a natural habit among people: when someone has a wound on their body or when their head or stomach hurts, they immediately put their hand there and as if they receive some kind of relief from the illness. That’s why they say: where it hurts, there is a hand. “But it is well known that our Doctor is called “Handle”: “Rejoice, Golden Hand!” It is to Her that Damascus calls out: “We are tormented by fierce adversity, we are cold from our enemies, the accursed one, I invite with tears: stretch out to me from above, O Most Rich One, Thy hand” (Octoechos, chapter 1, on Saturday at Compline, 1st hymn of the canon). When we are surrounded by severe illnesses and painful passions, let us apply this Hand, I say, to the Most Holy Virgin, and we will even venerate ourselves to Her, entrusting our soul and body into Her almighty hands. The ancient Egyptians said to Joseph: “Our health is in your hand, only let our lord look upon us” (Gen. 47:25). Oh, merciful Healer! Truly our health is in Your hand! You are the healing of our bodies, You are the salvation of our souls. You heal those who are down with their weakness, we flow to Your healing - just look at us with Your merciful eye. “Behold our evilness from our ascension on high!” (Akathist to the Assumption, canticle 8) Every doctor who wants to cure a physical illness looks for its cause: whether it came from food, from drinking, or from what event it came from. But church teachers say that sin is to blame for every illness. Thus, Saint Macarius of Egypt states: “Whether someone is weakened, or what part of the body is crippled, or suffers from fever, or any other infirmity, all this comes from sin, it is the root of all evil.” Saint Callistus writes: “From the beginning of the world, because of sin, weakness entered Cain’s body, after the fratricide he became paralyzed and walked the earth, sighing and shaking.” And Saint Jerome: “As many sins as we have, we have so many illnesses.” Do we want to get rid of bodily illnesses? First of all, let us cure their cause, sin, by repentance. For Christ the Lord, the good Doctor, wanting to heal the paralytic in body, first heals the relaxation of his soul, that is, his sins, saying: “Child! your sins are forgiven you." And then: “Get up, take up your bed and go to your house” (Matthew 9:2, 6). The sick person repents of his sins, and, truly, he is given doubly good health. A certain husband, one of the eminent in Constantinople, had great faith in the holy hierarch of Christ John Chrysostom. One day he fell into a serious and incurable illness. The doctors could no longer treat him and despaired, then he ordered to be carried to the church where Zlatoust’s holy shrine stood. Here, praying with tears, he took into his mind the sins he had committed and sobbed over them: “Alas for me, a sinner and unrepentant! How can I go on a journey of no return? How will I endure the thrill of the Last Judgment? How will I suffer eternal and unbearable torment?” When everyone left the church, he ordered his slaves to leave, leaving him alone closed. In private, looking at the top of the holy church, I saw the image of our Lord Jesus Christ and began to speak to Him like this: “If I am afraid of Your image, Master, created by human hands, how can I, the damned one, see You, the terrible Judge, when You come to judge everyone? I have sinned, Lord, forgive me for not keeping Your commandments!” And he began to confess his sins committed in his youth before the holy image. After confession, he added: “And I have committed other cruel sins, O Lord, but I do not dare to say, O Lover of mankind, I do not dare, O Merciful One.” At this time, a voice was heard from that holy image: “Speak, don’t be ashamed to confess it, man!” Having said everything, he again heard a voice: “Your sins are forgiven you.” And as soon as this terrible voice came, he stood up healthy. Then, falling on his face, he began to loudly send thanks to the Lover of Mankind, God, “who does not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11). Having bowed to the tomb of Saint Chrysostom, the healed man went, rejoicing, to his home. Having lived in chastity the remaining years of his life, he departed to the Lord. You see how a man received physical health by healing his sins. You might be interested in: