In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 9:1-8
At that time, getting into a boat Jesus crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘Rise and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” he then said to the paralytic — “Rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
In our Gospel reading today, our Lord tells us that it is the faith of his friends that have made the paralytic well. This should not surprise us, for the faith of others play an important part in the life of the Church. We may think here of how others ask for our prayers; and how we ask for the prayers of others.
Praying, naturally, is a mark of faith. As is asking others for their prayers. When we pray we show our faith that God listens to our prayers. And when we ask others for their prayers, we show our faith that God listens to theirs. By such prayers we plead for God’s help, believing that however He answers, that answer, in His infinite wisdom, is the best of all possible answers, even if we do not understand why that is.
Prayer, of course, is not the only way we show our faith. It is also witnessed in the way we live our lives. Sometimes that is in the simple things, such as keeping the fasts of the Church, attending the Liturgy faithfully, and struggling daily to avoid the temptation to sin visited upon us by the world, the flesh and the devil.
Sometimes it is shown in more powerful ways, such as remaining faithful to Christ even to shedding of our blood.
A week ago I made pilgrimage to the church of Mar Elias in Damascus. There on the 22nd of June this year, many Christians were martyred for their faith in Christ by a suicide bomber. The story some of the survivors told me was harrowing indeed.
The local community of Orthodox Christians had gathered for the Sunday Liturgy. Just as their priest, Father Peter, finished the Gospel and was returning to the altar with the Holy Book, a man entered the church, firing an automatic weapon. He rushed to the very centre of the building and if he had detonated his explosive device there it is unlikely that anyone would have survived that day.
Instead, a young man fearlessly jumped up and ran at the bomber and drove him back to the doors of the Church, where both fell to the ground. Two more young men threw themselves on the attacker, at which point the device was detonated.
A massive crater was blown into the stone floor of the Church. The walls and ceiling were sprayed with shrapnel. Every window was shattered. Two dozen Christians perished in the blast. Two dozen more were seriously injured. It was a scene of horror I won’t even attempt to describe.
And yet when I spoke with survivors, how loudly they praised God that so many lives had been saved by the young heroes who sacrificd themselves, so that it was only dozens who had died, rather than hundreds.
And did those survivors flee the bloody scene? No, they stayed, tending to the injured, reverently caring for the bodies of their martyred friends, and beginning the work of clearing away the devastation. The Church was prepared for a memorial service the next day, to honour the fallen and pray for the injured.
I am sure, having heard their story so far, that you will not be surprised to learn that the following day the Church was full to capacity. Nor that in the days that followed, they continued to come, worshipping and witnessing to their faith in a place where to do so might cost them their lives, just as it had their friends.
The afternoon I was there, dozens of young people were there, cleaning away the dust and plaster that continue to fall from the ruined walls and ceiling. A special service in honour of Saint Paisios was planned for that evening, and there was nothing that would keep them from keeping the feast.
It was humbling to see such faith in action. The blood of those who died that day cries out to us to be strong in the faith, come what may. And the refusal of those who survived to bow their heads to the threats and violence of those who hate them for their Christian witness implores us to be witnesses also before the world. Such a witness can hardly cost us even a fraction of what it costs them. I pray that you will never fail to be inspired by their example and follow it in your own lives. Amen.
The Holy Orthodox Order of St George the Great Martyr works tirelessly to help those in need. We focus particularly on our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in the Holy Land and those who suffer because of their Christian faith. However, we strive to help all in need. Funds are desperately needed at this time to help those facing the horrors of war in Gaza and Lebanon and Syria. Please help if you can by making a donation to the Order. And please keep all those who suffer in your prayers. Thank you and may God bless you.
