August 20, 2015

“And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.” Mark 6:5-6

“Healing is a sacrament because its purpose or end is not health as such, the restoration of physical health, but the entrance of man into the life of the Kingdom, into the “joy and peace” of the Holy Spirit. In Christ everything in this world, and this means health and disease, joy and suffering, has become an ascension to, and entrance into this new life, its expectation and anticipation.

In this world suffering and disease are indeed “normal”, but their very “normalcy” is abnormal. They reveal the ultimate and permanent defeat of life, a defeat which no partial victories of medicine, however wonderful and truly miraculous, can ultimately overcome. But in Christ suffering is not “removed”; it is transformed into victory. The defeat itself becomes victory, a way, an entrance into the Kingdom, and this is the only true healing.” “For the Life of the World” Alexander Schmemann (1921 – 1983) “For All The Saints”, volume II, (p. 373-374)

(Alexander Schmemann was an Orthodox Christian priest, teacher, and writer. From 1946 to 1951 he taught in Paris, and afterwards in New York. In his teachings and writings he sought to establish the close links between Christian theology and Christian liturgy.)

I like what Father Schmemann writes when he says “in Christ suffering is not “removed“, it is transformed into victory”. There will be only a few people in this world who will be able to live their entire lives without some kind of suffering. Many people live in daily lives of suffering — most will encounter some amount of suffering because of physical problems. But in our suffering we join, in a mystical if not in a physical way, the suffering of Christ. And when our suffering is understood in this way, we soon understand the “victory” it stands to gain for each one of us. We may not ever be able to end our personal suffering on this earth, but when our suffering is joined to Christ’s suffering, our death becomes a victory won for us through the suffering of Christ. This is true victory — one we can live in right now, when we suffer, and when we work with those who suffer.

Pastor Dave