Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as the second Sunday of Great Lent!

In today’s Gospel we read how Christ healed the man sick with the palsy (that is, a paralyzed person). It is interesting to note that at the moment of this miracle, Jesus Christ was preaching. We don’t know exactly what Christ was teaching, but in general terms we can guess that the conversation was about the Kingdom of Heaven, about the spiritual life, about the Messiah. The Lord was leading the gathered people, both the simple fishermen as well as the learned scribes and pharisees, to faith in Him as the Saviour of the world. In other words, Christ was busy with the salvation of the souls, the healing of spiritual shortcomings of those gathered about. We could say that this was important work. And here, all of a sudden, in the most improbable way, appears a sick and unfortunate man, seeking healing from his ailment. Christ’s teaching is interrupted. Everyone’s attention shifts from heavenly to earthly things and from Jesus to the ailing one.

Naturally, the man-loving Christ was touched by the faith of the friends of the unfortunate man and He wished to return him to health, but what should be done with the lesson? Jesus couldn’t just stop preaching. Therefore Christ, through the miraculous healing, continues to teach the Jews about Himself. First, He forgives the sins of the man sick with the palsy. In such a way the man’s spiritual ailments are healed, while at the same time very clearcut theological questions and doubts appear in the hearts of the pharisees and scribes. They say to themselves: “How can this Man dare to blaspheme, when He says that He forgives sins, since only the Lord God can do that?” Afterwards Jesus heals the physical ailments of the man, in such a way showing that He in truth has the right and power to forgive sins. We couldn’t think of a more striking way to manifest the divine nature of Christ than this; after all, who but God could do such deeds? To emphasize this truth, so that no one could doubt the reality of this miracle, Christ tells the healed man to arise, to take up his bed and to walk past everyone, to pass through the whole gathering.

As Christ, who didn’t abandon His preaching even when the need to help someone arose unexpectedly, let’s not ourselves abandon or forget our Christian faith or the Christian commandments when unexpected worldly cares come up. Through the prayers of St. Gregory of Thessalonica, today’s saint, let these cares not draw us away from what is most important – from Christ.

priest Alexis