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Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
How
much it must grieve a father or a mother to see his or her child suffering
without reason. To undergo pain and confusion -- for what? Where is God
in our plight -- we may often ask ourselves. Where is God in all this
pain and confusion?
Today we arrive at the fourth week of Lent. In today’s Gospel
reading we heard of a father who was on his last hope. His son was possessed
by a certain spirit from childhood, which was causing his son pain and
confusion. Not even Jesus’ disciples could cure the boy. He brought
his son to Jesus, who upon hearing of the father’s plight became
exceedingly upset at the whole crowd and expressed these strong and direct
words "Oh you faithless generation, how much longer must I be
with you? How much longer must I put up with you." The Child
was immediately brought close to Jesus and the spirit convulsed him instantly.
As we know the child was eventually healed. But at what price one may
ask? The father accepted and confessed his unbelief and beseeched God
with tears to make his faith complete? This is the price, the fulfilment
of our faith --- payed by Christ himself yet we must pray and beseech
Him as well.
It is perhaps important to stress here that this miracle account
nowhere refers to the spirit by any title such as demon, or devil. It
is perhaps because this spirit is in reference to the spirit of this world,
the enemy of Christ. It is the spirit of this generation well rooted in
society, it is passed on to our children like a virus. Brethren
remember these words well --- it is the spirit of this generation which
throws our youth about like the child with the spirit we heard earlier
today. It smashes them to the ground, it throws them into the fire to
be burnt, it throws them into the water to be drowned --- today its drugs,
alcohol, gambling, anything to distort the image and likeness of God,
within them.
This spirit has a very old history going way back to primordial
Man, Adam and Eve. It is firmly established and can not come out by anything
--- except, as our Lord instructed Moses, as our Lord instructed his disciples,
as our Lord instructs us today, by beseeching God through prayer and fasting.
"Why could we not cast it out", his disciples asked their
master in shame. We also must ask why can’t we cast this spirit
out from our lives and our childrens lives?
Brethren, because as our Lord tells us "This kind can come
out by nothing except prayer and fasting". This is the key to contrite
repentance. this twofold formula which treads on the head of this
serpent of old and yields our first step towards heaven --- contrite
repentance.
It is no coincidence then that the first and second steps of Saint
John’s 30 chapter book "THE LADDER - (OF DIVINE ASCENT)"
are concerned with the renunciation of this life, this world we live in
and detachment from all it’s pleasures. We honour Saint John of the
Ladder today as a great Saint of our church who reminds us that going
to heaven is not as easy as getting into an elevator and pressing a button.
On the contrary, it is a long and hazardous climb which is impossible
to scale fully unless we beseech God for assistance. May God grant us
all fullness of faith, peace and joy on our climb to heaven --- Amen.
by Kosmas Damianides
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
Parish of St Nektarios, Perth WA
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