(Luke 8, 41-56)
and the healing of the woman with an issue of blood
The great “paradox” of faith
The Lord both raises the daughter of Jairus and heals the woman with an issue of blood, since both seek with faith that which they need.
Eventually, those who believe have been given this faith by the Lord. And he will do just this to your soul, which must be suitable to receive this gift of faith. Your entire disposition and dedication towards God, however, need to be such that God can give you the analogous faith. Accordingly, the woman with an issue of blood lays before the Lord that which she has within her, and is given by God the gift of faith followed by the gift of healing. When the grace of God comes, you feel this heavenly visitation, this secret power: you feel it as something divine coming forth from the Lord to man.
And let us take yet another point. “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping,” says the Lord. How will you possibly accept this when you saw with your very own eyes that the girl had died?A great paradox. Youmust transcend those things that seem insurmountable. Our entire faith in Christ has one such character: a great paradox.
Even though we do not understand, we mus taccept everything the Lord says without the least hesitation.You will live an experience of death meaning that you die to yourself. Yet you will have complete certainty that while you walk across the unknown somewhere even lower the Lord waits for you, commits Himself to you, and supports you.
Let us leave our own conviction, our own judgment, all our knowledge, and trust in Christ. It is then that he will give us faith and subsequently the things that follow –the gifts. He gives where faith exists. Whatever needs to happen, theLord will make happen. And not only will you have the certainty that they will happen, but the reality that they actually do happen. And you will rejoice at living in the Lord from this world.
Holy Hesychasterion “The Nativity of Theotokos” Publications.
Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos
7thSunday of Luke – The raising of the daughter of Jairus
