Sermon at the Fourth Sunday after Easter [2014]
My beloved,
Christ is risen!
If in the previous Sundays, the Evangels were centered on the risen Christ, for to show how looks the risen Christ, in the Evangel for today is desired to show what makes Christ for us, humans. And what makes Christ for us means all many wonders through which we see His deity.
In the evangelical text for today, from John 5, 1-15, the sick healed by the Lord has 38 years of disease. Nobody had been able to cure! For that no one helped him in all this time. And when no one sees you so long time is sign that the selfishness has no eyes for others.
And we have today this holy text in before our eyes just for to see how looks our God, the God in Whom we believe. And we see that our God is not selfish. He sees the sick and speaks him. But He speaks him with divine power, commanding him to raise up and to walk (v. 8). And „immediately, the man was made healthy” (v. 9). He was made healthy…although, for 38 years, he had been a sick!…
In the 6th verse we see the omniscience of Jesus, our Lord, whilst, in the 9th verse we see His omnipotence. For that He healed the sick only with the word…But, equally, He showed that the sabbath is a day of healing (v. 9). Just therefore, we are called, in the feasts, to make the good which embellishes us interior. For without interior beauty, without the grace of God, nor we do not see anything good in people.
So that the man was healed without knowing who was his Doctor (v. 13). And thereby the Lord showed us that do not have to expect exaggerated praises for what we do good. But, for that he must show his gratitude to the One who made good, the Lord was revealed him in temple (v. 14) and He taught him that the sin is the source of disease (Ibidem).
The last verse, of the 15th, contains the verb of gratitude. For that he announced on Jews that Jesus is his Healer. And through this he assumed the risk to be killed for his testimony.
But without taking of this risk not exists authentic orthodox life. In every day, each of us must choose what makes. And to choose orthodox means, often, to choose to suffer. For that the orthodox suffering makes part from our love for God.
Therefore, our spiritual/ ghostual suffering is called ascesis and the ascesis means the struggle with the itself for to cleanse us of passions. And the orthodox life is alive, strong, sanctifying as long as the ascesis is daily. For that the ascesis is that which keeps us in God’s grace.
Hence, the suffering makes part from the orthodox life as patience. We wait patiently the will of God with us for that we are entrusted that He will express His will with us. The patience of the sick is trust in God. He waited the healing until when it was produced! He waited! He waited…and, then, he was grateful for healing.
For only who waits, knows and to be grateful. For that the waiting means growth in faith. And the preaching of the right faith is done with people mature in faith, with men in Christ.
Therefore, my beloved, to show our faithfulness with the deed and with the word! The Church of God needs each one of us. The ascesis of each of us is important in our fight with the secularism of postmodern life. For, any of us, is struggling with the lax life, at random.
To live with God means to live orthodox. And to live orthodox means to live like a rose from the dead. Therefore, today, we rejoice in the feast of the Lord’s resurrection like raised from the dead by Him.
To remain in His light! In His uncreated light, for that the light of the Most Holy Trinity is our eternal life. Amen!