On the second Sunday of Lent, Patriarch Daniel of Romania spoke at the historic Chapel of St. George within the Patriarchal Residence about the healing grace of Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Gospel account of the Paralytic’s Healing in Capernaum.
“Jesus healed many sick people, but not all were called ‘son.’ However, to this paralyzed man, He said ‘son,’ just as He called the woman suffering from chronic haemorrhaging ‘daughter’ (Luke 8:48),” Patriarch Daniel explained on Mach 16.
“When the Lord Jesus Christ calls someone ‘son’ or ‘daughter,’ it means He has mystically seen and publicly acknowledged that person’s faith.”
According to the patriarch, the paralytic, described in the Gospel as a “lame man,” carried both suffering and repentance in his heart, which is why Christ addressed him with fatherly love.
Thus, a sinful person who has endured suffering humbles themselves gains forgiveness through repentance and ultimately receives spiritual and physical healing.
“The faithful and humble person, whose sins have been forgiven by God, becomes a child of grace,” His Beatitude added.
Healing as a Result of Forgiveness
The Romanian Patriarch emphasized three key teachings from the Gospel passage: that illness can sometimes be a consequence of sin, that faith in others can lead to healing—demonstrated by the paralytic’s friends bringing him to Christ—and that Christ appears both as a Spiritual Father who forgives sins and as a Divine Physician who heals the body.
“In the case of the paralyzed man, Jesus first healed his soul, as his sins caused his illness, and then He healed his body, saying: ‘Rise, take up your bed, and go to your house!’ (Mark 2:11),” explained Patriarch Daniel.
When performing the miracle, Christ does not publicly expose the paralytic’s sins, respecting his human dignity and inner privacy.
“Christ—the Confessor and Healer—does not humiliate the sinner with reproaches. He heals the sick and sinful person directly and discreetly, without judgment or public disclosure of their sins, preserving their dignity within their community,” His Beatitude noted.
The Church and the Paralytic’s Four Friends
Patriarch Daniel pointed out that the four men who brought the paralytic to Jesus symbolize the Church’s role as a servant of mercy, praying not only for those present at services but also for the sick, the poor, the oppressed, and captives, asking for their spiritual healing and salvation.
“This Gospel passage has inspired the longstanding practice of offering prayer lists for the sick in churches, submitted by family members, neighbours, colleagues, friends, and even strangers. Seeing the multitude of prayers for the suffering, God, in His mercy, grants forgiveness of sins and healing from illness,” emphasized Patriarch Daniel.
“The four men who helped the paralytic in this Gospel passage also symbolize today’s doctors, nurses, chaplains, parents, siblings, friends, neighbours, and colleagues who provide spiritual and material support to those who are ill and suffering.”
Saint Gregory Palamas
On the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, Patriarch Daniel reminded the faithful of this great defender of the Patristic tradition, who has been venerated as a great teacher of Athonite Orthodox hesychasm since 1368.
In contrast to the philosophical rationalism of the West, St. Gregory Palamas promoted hesychasm and deep prayer, emphasizing the importance of the direct experience of God’s uncreated light.
“Saint Gregory Palamas is the theologian of the uncreated light or divine grace, teaching in his writings that when God wills, He grants a foretaste of His Kingdom’s glory to those who pray intensely and live a pure life,” explained His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
“Saint Gregory Palamas’ theology is characterized by his famous distinction between the divine essence— which is inaccessible, unshareable, and incommunicable— and the divine energies, which are accessible to man, shareable, and communicable. This distinction affirms that the divine grace granted to man for salvation, sanctification, and deification is the uncreated grace, energy, or light of the Most Holy Trinity.”
At the conclusion of his address, Patriarch Daniel noted that the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas serves as an encouragement for those who fast and pray fervently, living according to the Spirit of the Holy Gospel and the Truth proclaimed on the Sunday of Orthodoxy when holy icons are venerated:
“As we saw last Sunday, icons depict a halo around the head, symbolizing the Glory of the Heavenly Kingdom. Now we better understand that the glory surrounding the saints’ heads in Orthodox iconography is precisely the uncreated grace— the glory of the Kingdom of the Most Holy Trinity— granted for the salvation of mankind and the joy of those who pray, fast, and show mercy. Amen!”
Photo: Basilica.ro
