HEALING FROM BLINDNESS

In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters:

Christ’s healing of two blind men (Mat. 9, 27-35)

In the Gospel concerning Christ’s healing of two blind men (Mat. 9, 27-35) the path towards faith is depicted, it shows how a blind can see, how one can receive what he asks for.

Sin makes a person blind, because the devil does not want the person to see God — his Creator. One must acknowlege spiritual blindness; admit oneself to be a sinner!

Furthermore, it is indispensable to follow to follow Christ, that is to follow His commandments, the will of God, and to patiently carry one’s cross.

As well one must ‘Yell’, that is pray with fortitude. Not immediately answering prayers, Christ verifies and checks a person’s «faith» .

When Christ entered the house, the blind entered with Him. Unfortunate circumpstances brought the two blind people together and they became friends — two functioned as one. We also must be together in one place with Christ. Where Christ is — there is His temple. In this holy temple Christ constantly remains. We must remember Him every day, as the inner center of our city, the most important center of our life. The blind approach Christ in the house. Their goal, as well as ours, of persuing Christ — is to catch Him and join Him.

Christ asks not only them, but each one of us: «Do you beleive that I can do this and have mercy on you?» . The reason He asks the question is not because he does not know the answern but rather because He withes to hear it from us. He awaits from them and us to take action. The blind answer: «Yes Lord!» They acknowlege that Jesus is God, because only God can give them that which they do not have. In this case it is returning their sight. Being blind physically, they have already regained spiritual sight. The blind have seen throgh the eyes of ‘faith’ in Jesus the Almighty God, their Creator. Christ touched their eyes and said: «Receive according to your ‘faith’!»

When their eyes had opened, Christ stricly said to them: «Do not tell anyone, do not say that God helped you!» The Lord tells us today as well, when we depart the temple with joy: «Do not boast that you are Orthodox, that you were in the temple and received Holy Communion». It is likely, that because of this forbidence from Christ, very little is spoken by some preachesrs, at best, in their sermons about this wonderful healing.

We are unaware of the names of these two persons whom were blind from birth and healed by Christ. Yet, we do know of from the book of ‘The Acts’ and from the history of the Russian Church, about two other blind men, whom also were healed by the Lord. Christ miraculously healed, after temporary blindness, Saul, the persecutor of Christians — future Apostle Paul; and the blindness of Prince Vladimir of Kiev. They were given back their sight as a result of their miraculous meeting with the Lord and accepting Baptism! Christ opened the eyes of their soul and delivered them from physical blindness also. In the year 988, 1030 years ago, Prince Vladimir was Christened with the name Vassyly. According to tradition, upon stepping out of the baptismal font, having been previously blind, began to see and shouted: «Now I have come to know the true God». God, who through this healing from physical blindness, of the cruel persecutor Saul and Prince Vladimir of Kiev, gives, to all those who are spiritually blind, and still have doubts about the existence of the true God, this example, in order for them to accept with joy from the ‘Church’ this same medicine of ‘Faith’.

The best proof one can give about the usefulness and power of any madicine — is the healing of the patient. Among all the miracles which come from faith in Christ the most important and useful for the soul is the transition of a sinner to a righteous person. Confirmation of such a miracle, of the ‘transfiguration of a person’ is the example of Prince Vladimir. The change was so astonishing that after being Christened the prince had difficulty in sentencing to death, even the worst offenders, and began to wisely treat marriage. Today he asks us: «Who were you before being Christened? Whom have you become after? How is your life after your last Confession? How do you perceive the spiritual world? Do you see Christ next to you?» Let us see which answer we can give our baptizer and to our spiritual father. Amen.

July 15, 2018. St. BARBARA’S RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL