Acts 8:40-9:19 (Epistle)
40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
John 6:48-54 (Gospel)
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Prophet Isaiah
The Holy Prophet Isaiah lived 700 years before the birth of Christ, and was of royal lineage. Isaiah’s father Amos raised his son in the fear of God and in the law of the Lord. Having attained the age of maturity, the Prophet Isaiah entered into marriage with a pious prophetess (Is 8:3) and had a son Jashub (Is 8:18).
Saint Isaiah was called to prophetic service during the reign of Oziah [Uzziah], king of Judea, and he prophesied for 60 years during the reign of kings Joatham, Achaz [Ahaz], Hezekiah and Manasseh. The start of his service was marked by the following vision: he beheld the Lord God, sitting in a majestic heavenly temple upon a high throne. Six-winged Seraphim encircled Him. With two wings they covered their faces, and with two wings they covered their feet, and with two wings they flew about crying out one to another, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord Sabaoth, heaven and earth are filled with His glory!” The pillars of the heavenly temple shook from their shouts, and in the temple arose the smoke of incense.
The prophet cried out in terror, “Oh, an accursed man am I, granted to behold the Lord Sabaoth, and having impure lips and living amidst an impure people!” Then was sent him one of the Seraphim, having in hand a red-hot coal, which he took with tongs from the altar of the Lord. He touched it to the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah and said, “Lo, this has touched thy lips, and will take away with thine iniquities, and will cleanse thy sins.” After this Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, directed towards him, “Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people?” Isaiah answered, “Here am I, send me” (Is 6:1 ff). And the Lord sent him to the Jews to exhort them to turn from the ways of impiety and idol worship, and to offer repentance.
To those that repent and turn to the true God, the Lord promised mercy and forgiveness, but punishment and the judgment of God are appointed for the unrepentant. Then Isaiah asked the Lord, how long would the falling away of the Jewish nation from God continue. The Lord answered, “Until the cities be deserted, by reason of there being no people, and the land shall be made desolate. Just as when a tree be felled and from the stump come forth new shoots, so also from the destruction of the nation a holy remnant will remain, from which will emerge a new tribe.”
Sunday of the Paralytic
Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou
Today’s miracle of the healing of the paralytic is the third of seven signs referred to by the Evangelist John. During the miracle and its aftermath, Christ’s words, as set forth by Saint John, reveal awesome truths about His Person and His relationship with God the Father[1].
The healing of the paralytic took place at the Sheep Gate. The pool there, a fount of water, was called ‘Bethsaida’ in Hebrew, which means ‘House of Mercy’. Jerusalem is a strange place, the target of the loving care of God and the place where His power is made manifest. In this ‘House of Mercy’ on the day of the feast, the Lord Who delighteth in mercy appeared, perhaps in secret, without His disciples. Instead of the created Angel that disturbed the water, the ‘Messenger of great counsel’[2] came, the wellspring of mercy, revealing God’s truth.
Among the company of the sick, ‘a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years’. The omniscient Lord countenanced the man who had patiently contended with disability for thirty-eight years: ‘When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?’ The paralytic abode in a place where all the infirm were awaiting a miracle. Still, the Lord asks him a strange question, ‘Wilt thou be made whole?’ He asks this to reveal the content of his heart, and to stir up in him the will, the predisposition, the desire to be healed.
With God all things are possible’[3]. However, He does not do anything without man’s cooperation, because He will not impose anything, even salvation, without his consent. Therefore, from the least important event to the most wondrous, everything happens through the cooperation of two factors: the divine, infinitely great, and the human, infinitely small, but absolutely necessary.
The Lord bestows healing upon the one who desires it. In the same way he abundantly gives the waters of devotion, ‘springing up into everlasting life’[4] as a drink to those who thirst for Him and with fervent longing seek the ‘fiery and bedewed’ flame of the Comforter. God desires to work His miracle within man, but the greatest miracle in all creation, the miracle of salvation, can only occur when man unites his will with that of his Creator and Father.
The paralytic did not make an embittered response to the Lord’s inquiry, but just set out his complaint in all simplicity: ‘Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.’ Christ then commanded him to do what appeared impossible: ‘Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.’ The grace and energy within these words informed the heart of the paralytic, who against all hope believed, ‘And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked’. His trusting response cooperated with the almighty creative will of God so he could be healed, and obeying his Benefactor he lifted up his mat of many years of tribulation in his hands and started to walk.
At this moment the scandal broke, for ‘on the same day was the Sabbath.’ Every time that the truth of God is revealed, it acts as a double-edged sword dividing men into two categories: those who receive it and by its light are saved and those who, hardening their hearts, reject it and drown in the abyss of darkness. The miracle was performed on the Sabbath, a day set aside by God as a time of rest for His chosen people. God Himself rested from the work of creation on the day of the Sabbath and blessed it, yet he never sought repose from His work of compassion, mercy and love for man. God desired man to honour the Sabbath day’s rest, so as to dedicate the day to divine thoughts, thanksgiving and worship. The Sabbath freed man from the vanity of everyday life, even if only temporarily, so he could lift up his heart to things above.
This week’s calendar reminders:
Monday 5/5: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday 5/6: no services or events
Wednesday 5/7: no services or events
Thursday 5/8: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Friday 5/9: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Saturday 5/10: Catechumen Class 4:30 p.m.; Great Vespers 6 p.m.
Sunday 5/11: Divine Liturgy 9:15 a.m.
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Christ the Savior Orthodox Church is located in Southbury, Connecticut, and is part of the New England Diocese of the Orthodox Church of America.
Mailing address: Christ the Savior Church, 1070 Roxbury Road, Southbury, CT 06488
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Fr. Moses Locke can be reached at frmoseslocke@gmail.com