ggthijffd

These words helped me, today, Natasha. Thank you.

“..the Jews were not very kind to those they thought were unclean. They thought God was judging them and so they would heap abuse on such people. They did not understand mercy in the law…”

How vivid and how close to reality! Our everyday reality, ourselves. How often we judge people through our own visions, habits, our spoiled nature. We often consider that a person might have been “punished” by God for this or that sin, or “improper” living, when we see how he suffers. We are used to consider people bad & corrupted, as we have learned that “we all are sinners, so no wonder…”. But do we have the right to say so? “we all are sinners”…- dangerous conception. On the one hand, it somehow diminishes our own sinfulness, - well, if everyone is a sinner, I am too, I am among others…it is not so painful, it is something then we can get accustomed to. It makes our own sinful state less painful & crucial. On the other hand, the grave consequence of such declaration is that we consider people bad creatures, some static that seems unchangeable…But we forget that everything is possible to God, that we all are created for salvation. This skeptical mentality impedes us seeing best features in people, leads to condemnation, accusation, disdain to a person. But each person is unique, loved by God, is taken constant care. Even if all people leave a person, God does not, never. And this is also revealed in this evangelical episode. The triumph of love. And the sorrow of people’s indifference & lack of faith in a person.

We also sometimes think, watching someones “sinful life” that God punished him, and - fairly. We, being corrupted, so soon are inclined to believe in other person’s corruption & admit him unworthy…But we are too slow in believing in his…righteousness. We very seldom think that God sent a person this or that trial not to punish him for his sins, but - to test his faith, to strengthen him in his faith, to make him a more perfect creature in Christ! We tend to notice sinfulness, but we can hardly notice righteousness, goodness…Sins are more glaring than virtues.. . but only to us, not to the Lord!

It’s because of the lack of love in our hearts. If we loved, we’d know more about a person. As love in God gives birth to knowledge. And - belief in another person. When (and if) we learn to love in Christ some day, we’ll see many things in a different way. And will focus more on people’s victories under the sins, their repentance, and rejoice on how graceful our God is!

May God mercy on us & grant us to see “mercy in the law”.

Second, we read that many people were pressing against the Master without apparently any power/virtue being transmitted to them. It was only the touch of true faith that, like completing an electrical circuit, allowed the flow of healing power from the Lord to the recipient of His grace, the ailing St. Veronica. Perhaps others in the crowd had touched the Lord hoping to be healed but if their hope was not accompanied by genuine faith then the circuit of grace was not completed and the current of power could not flow. Or perhaps there was too much unacknowledged, unconfessed and unrepented sin in their lives and this acted like a resistor, blocking the flow of grace. But there is hope even in this—how many in the crowd and at Jairus’ house had their faith increased and their unrepentant hearts turned after witnessing these miracles? Not all, but surely some, perhaps many. Now they, too, like the spread of a heavenly virus have been infected by the faith, hope and love of God and they, too, can now receive healing–and through their faith bring healing to others! It reminds me of St. Seraphim of Sarov’s wonderful and amazing statement that if we acquire the Holy Spirit of peace, thousands around us will be saved. Our faith can bring healing to our loved ones and the witness of our faith can spread faith to others!

Astounding.