Today, 7 December 2014, the Orthodox Church is on the 27th Sunday after Pentecost. The evangelical pericope of Luke 13:10-17 which presents the healing of the crippled woman was read at the Divine Liturgy in all the Orthodox churches.
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania delivered a sermon in the chapel of the Patriarchal Cathedral dedicated to Saint George the Enlightener, in which he explained the teaching of the pericope read.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel emphasised the fact that Jesus Christ, our Saviour, is not indifferent when people suffer, but He heals the helplessness and alleviates sufferance, heals the disease giving the humans physical and spiritual good health, especially if they have good, patient, and devoted faith.
God always works for the salvation of the humans
The Patriarch of Romania has also shown that God works pedagogically and even if He does not answer to our prayer right away, or answers differently to what we expect, God always works for the salvation of the humans.
“We understand from this merciful wonderful work of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, that God works as He wants and how He wants, and His way of working is a pedagogical or wise way. Even if He does not answer to our prayer right away, or answers differently to what we expect, God always works for the salvation of the humans. Sometimes, He does not answer when He is called, and some other times He calls us when we do not expect to. However, He loves all people, even if He does not think like all people, but divinely, namely higher than the ordinary human thought”, His Beatitude said.
The crippled woman becomes a great teacher for all of us
The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church emphasised the fact that the crippled woman becomes a great teacher for all of us, because she proves much gratitude to God, her healer. As soon as she feels the healing, the Patriarch of Romania underlined, she glorifies God, the Healer.
“We learn from today’s Gospel that the crippled woman had much faith and lowliness as well as much patience, without revolting, complaining, or asking for somebody’s mercy. Her body was crippled, but her soul was straight. Her body was bowed down to the earth, but her soul was often raised to God in prayer. The day the Son of God, made man out of love for humans, healed her, she started glorifying God. Besides her virtues, namely strong faith, deep lowliness and much patience, she also feels gratitude as glorification of God. She glorifies God-the-Healer as soon as she feels the healing. Therefore, the crippled becomes a great teacher for all of us. She is a light for us, especially at this time of the Advent of the Nativity of the Lord, as time of preparation for receiving Jesus Christ, our Saviour, into the cave of our heart, into the intimacy of our soul which has become dark and cold because of our sins, but which is enlightened and warmed through prayer, fasting and mercy, through Confession and Holy Communion”, His Beatitude said.
On 14 December 2014, the Orthodox Church will be on the 28th Sunday after Pentecost.
