Comments on: Wilt thou be made whole? Sunday of the Paralytic. 4th Sunday of Pascha. http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/2010/04/24/wilt-thou-be-made-whole-sunday-of-the-paralytic-4th-sunday-of-pascha/ McKinney TX Homilies, scripture commentary, spiritual reflections Tue, 14 May 2013 00:17:08 +0000 hourly 1 By: Natalia Arzhantseva http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/2010/04/24/wilt-thou-be-made-whole-sunday-of-the-paralytic-4th-sunday-of-pascha/comment-page-1/#comment-3472 Natalia Arzhantseva Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:45:27 +0000 http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/?p=2162#comment-3472 <!--[if gte mso 9]>--> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <!--[if gte mso 9]>--> <!--{cke_protected}%3C!%2D%2D%0A%20%2F*%20Style%20Definitions%20*%2F%0A%20p.MsoNormal%2C%20li.MsoNormal%2C%20div.MsoNormal%0A%09%7Bmso-style-parent%3A%22%22%3B%0A%09margin%3A0cm%3B%0A%09margin-bottom%3A.0001pt%3B%0A%09mso-pagination%3Awidow-orphan%3B%0A%09font-size%3A12.0pt%3B%0A%09font-family%3A%22Times%20New%20Roman%22%3B%0A%09mso-fareast-font-family%3A%22Times%20New%20Roman%22%3B%7D%0A%40page%20Section1%0A%09%7Bsize%3A595.3pt%20841.9pt%3B%0A%09margin%3A2.0cm%2042.5pt%202.0cm%203.0cm%3B%0A%09mso-header-margin%3A35.4pt%3B%0A%09mso-footer-margin%3A35.4pt%3B%0A%09mso-paper-source%3A0%3B%7D%0Adiv.Section1%0A%09%7Bpage%3ASection1%3B%7D%0A%2D%2D%3E--> <!--[if gte mso 10]>--> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} <span style="">Yes we want to be whole. Our Father in Heaven asks for our wish…But we cannot become whole unless we throw out our own ego, and the wish to become – what we WANT to be, which is often far from being whole in the evangelical context. While we are proud, while we enjoy our self-esteem, while we hide from the pain of our most dear ones, while we fear to be deprived of something which seems dear to us, and often not even necessary in reality – we cannot be healthy, we cannot be whole. To begin the process of our recovery we should admit we are paralyzed by our sins, that we are ill, and – that we cannot get rid of them if we remain stubborn in our partial devotion to Christ, in double-standard relation to Him. The healing is impossible while we continue to ask the Doctor anything but becoming whole, while we prefer our own medicine instead of relying on His ways of treatment. We sometimes fear them, avoid them as they are often painful, we thus restrain from treatment – and this is why we remain ill, broken into pieces, unable to move forward. <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></span> <span style=""> </span> <span style="">May Lord strengthen  our decisiveness to follow His call & pray Him to make us whole, to restore the broken unity with Him. <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></span>

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Yes we want to be whole. Our Father in Heaven asks for our wish…But we cannot become whole unless we throw out our own ego, and the wish to become – what we WANT to be, which is often far from being whole in the evangelical context. While we are proud, while we enjoy our self-esteem, while we hide from the pain of our most dear ones, while we fear to be deprived of something which seems dear to us, and often not even necessary in reality – we cannot be healthy, we cannot be whole. To begin the process of our recovery we should admit we are paralyzed by our sins, that we are ill, and – that we cannot get rid of them if we remain stubborn in our partial devotion to Christ, in double-standard relation to Him. The healing is impossible while we continue to ask the Doctor anything but becoming whole, while we prefer our own medicine instead of relying on His ways of treatment. We sometimes fear them, avoid them as they are often painful, we thus restrain from treatment – and this is why we remain ill, broken into pieces, unable to move forward.   
 
May Lord strengthen  our decisiveness to follow His call & pray Him to make us whole, to restore the broken unity with Him.   

]]> By: Deborah http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/2010/04/24/wilt-thou-be-made-whole-sunday-of-the-paralytic-4th-sunday-of-pascha/comment-page-1/#comment-3469 Deborah Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:35:46 +0000 http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/?p=2162#comment-3469 <em>Father, Bless, </em>   I think it is interesting that the Savior asked this man <em>"Do you wish to be made whole?"</em> What a question to ask of a crippled man sitting by the waters of healing!  Obviously, the Lord is searching this man's heart.  And, even stranger, the man doesn't reply, <em>'Of course I want to be healed! </em>Why else would I be here?'  In fact, he never even answers the Lord's question.  Instead he replies with what almost sounds like an excuse or complaint, explaining that he has no one to carry him to the healing waters when they are stirred and others always reach it first.  And yet even this pathetic reply is enough for the Lord, and He heals the man.   I am like that man.  When the Lord asks me if I wish to be made whole, I often have nothing but excuses to offer Him--my fears, my weaknesses, my shamelessness and my stony heart.  And yet He sees by the fact that someone has carried me to the healing waters, that I am waiting (sometimes, patiently, sometimes, not so patiently) beside them, and that I am seeking and begging for help from passers-by, that I really do wish to be made whole--that deep down under all of my ambivalence and fear is the cry of the heart, <em>"Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!"</em>    And, somehow, by His grace, it is enough. Father, Bless,

 
I think it is interesting that the Savior asked this man "Do you wish to be made whole?" What a question to ask of a crippled man sitting by the waters of healing!  Obviously, the Lord is searching this man's heart.  And, even stranger, the man doesn't reply, 'Of course I want to be healed! Why else would I be here?'  In fact, he never even answers the Lord's question.  Instead he replies with what almost sounds like an excuse or complaint, explaining that he has no one to carry him to the healing waters when they are stirred and others always reach it first.  And yet even this pathetic reply is enough for the Lord, and He heals the man.
 
I am like that man.  When the Lord asks me if I wish to be made whole, I often have nothing but excuses to offer Him–my fears, my weaknesses, my shamelessness and my stony heart.  And yet He sees by the fact that someone has carried me to the healing waters, that I am waiting (sometimes, patiently, sometimes, not so patiently) beside them, and that I am seeking and begging for help from passers-by, that I really do wish to be made whole–that deep down under all of my ambivalence and fear is the cry of the heart, "Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!" 
 
And, somehow, by His grace, it is enough.

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