Saviour Jesus Christ makes wonders to bring people to the way of salvation

His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, emphasised, in the sermon delivered on 14 April 2013 in the chapel of Saint Gregory the Enlightener of the Patriarchal Residence, the significance of the evangelical pericope of the 4th Sunday of the Lent mentioned by Saint Mark the Evangelist, chapter 9, lines 17-32 presenting the Healing of the son possessed by a spirit.

Jesus Christ, our Lord, makes wonders to bring the people to the way of the union with God

The Patriarch of Romania emphasises, among other things, the role of prayer united with fasting: “We see that this spiritual work for strengthening the faith of the father who came to Jesus to pray Him to heal his sick child and liberate him from the bad spirit, deaf and dumb, shows the mercy of Jesus Christ and His wisdom. He does not want to make wonders to be eulogized by the people, but only to bring them to the way of faith, of the union with God, to the way of salvation. After He healed this child and caused much joy to the child’s father, His disciples asked Jesus when He entered the house: “Why could we not cast it out?”, because they knew that Jesus Christ, our Saviour enabled His disciples to heal the sick and cast out the demons from the people, and Jesus told them: “this kind can come out only through prayer and fasting”. So, Christ, our Lord shows us how important the prayer united with fasting is”.

The power of the Holy Spirit which is in the praying fasting man casts out the demons

The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church has also explained that casting out the demons cannot be done by uttering magic words, but by invoking the presence of the Holy Spirit in the praying fasting man so that he may get from the Holy Spirit the power to cast out the demons: “Why the deaf and dumb sort of demons have not got out of this child without fasting and praying? The demons are of many kinds. Some of them are worse and more proud than others, and when the demon gets into the man he is not afraid of any words against him, but only of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the man who prays and fasts. It is not the man’s words that cast away the demons, but the power of the Holy Spirit which is in the praying fasting man because he is pious. Fasting makes man devoted and devotion helps him pray more and more intensely, putting his hope not in his own force, but in the working healing presence of the Holy Spirit. Thus, it is only the Holy Spirit who can cast out the evil spirits because He is the Good Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit, as Spirit of purity, lowliness, and of love with no pride is frightening, even terrifying, for the demons. In other words, this casting out of the demons cannot be dome through magic words uttered, but through the presence of the Holy Spirit in the praying fasting man so that he may get from the Holy Spirit the power to cast out the demons. Thus, the disciples learn that it is not enough to be entrusted a mission, but this one must be cultivated and accomplished in permanent communion with God. We cannot use the gifts of God forgetting about God. We cannot use the gifts of God separated from God. The gifts received from God are given for the welfare of the fellow beings, but the source is God who gives them and this is why the one who cultivates the gifts received from God should keep a permanent relationship with God the Giver, the source of all gifts, through prayer, fasting and good deeds. We see the Saviour healing the disciples from their spiritual lack of knowledge showing them that they must not only command the demons to leave the man possessed, but also to pray and fast so that this holy work should be done through the presence of the Holy Spirit working in the disciples of Christ”.
It is the moral duty of every father and mother to go to Church to pray God for healing the children

Today’s Gospel, says His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, shows us that during the Lent, in fact during all our lifetime, but especially during this time, we should unite prayer with fasting and good deeds: “Let us pray for us, to rid of disease, sufferance, wickedness of our fellow beings, but most of all let us pray for those who cannot do it for themselves. We see that this demonised child could no longer pray for himself, that he could not intercede to Jesus to heal him, but his father, who had a hesitating faith first, dared, out of his love for the child, to pray Christ, our Saviour, to heal his child. So, the Gospel shows us the care of a father for the sick child proving in this way that it is the moral duty of every father and mother to go to Church to pray God to heal their children.”

“The ladder of virtues” has become a manual of all the monks of the East and West throughout the centuries

Then, His Beatitude spoke about the work of Saint John Climax in the lives of the faithful: “The Church scheduled Saint John Climax to be remembered on the fourth Sunday of the Lent although he has one more celebration day, namely 30 March every year. Saint John Climax is named as such because he wrote a very precious “ladder” named “The Ladder of Virtues” or “The Ladder of Paradise” in which he shows the stages of the spiritual growth. Saint John Climax passed away in 649. He was a saint who lived in the end of the 6th century and beginning of the 7th century. Although he was a relatively young man he was very wise. The book he wrote has become a manual of all the monks of the East and West throughout the centuries. Saint John Climax is named in the chants of the 4th Sunday of the Lent “the ladder of virtues”, “the pride of the monks”, “enlightener and guider on the way of salvation”. He is a wise spiritual father, teaching fasting, praying, and virtues, as well as a saint praying for us. This is why this Sunday we pray even more Saint John Climax to help us be released of passions and sins through repentance, fasting, praying, and mercy, and cultivate virtues. According to his writing entitled “the Ladder” the greatest virtues are lowliness and love. True love cannot exist without lowliness because true love is the very presence of Christ lowered in man, the presence of the Holy Spirit who unites us with Christ for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity and for our salvation. Amen!”

Next Sunday the Orthodox Church will be on the 5th Sunday of the Lent also named of Pious Mary the Egyptian.

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